The Eurolines group, an almost 30 million-euro business that provides transport and tourism services, posted a 24% increase in ticket revenues in the first half of the year. Although competition from low-cost airlines has not lead to a decline in the number of passengers travelling by coach, the company is becoming increasingly reliant on the development of the airline market.
"Although the company's core business is the international transportation of passengers by road, the ticketing business has constantly been developed," stated company representatives. Last year, ticketing revenues accounted for around 20% of the group's turnover.
The company currently has a partnership with Hungarian operator Wizz Air, and is also developing a partnership with Air Europe for the Bucharest-Madrid flights.
"We are about to finalise the deal with a foreign partner to become exclusive representatives of some airlines in Romania. We want to work with existing airlines in the future, as well as conclude new partnerships as a result of the opportunities arising from the entry of new operators onto the market," added the company officials.
Almost half of the group's turnover comes from coach transportation services. Although competition from low-cost airlines is getting fiercer, the company managed to post a 19% increase in the number of passengers on the routes it provides. The company posted its highest increases for destinations that have not been tapped into by the low-cost airlines yet.
"The markets with the highest increases in the number of passengers are Belgium, Holland, Spain, the Czech Republic and Switzerland," specified the company officials.
At the same time, the destinations with the highest take-up rate are the Czech Republic (Prague), Spain, Holland, France (Paris) and Belgium. Although Italy is one of the low-cost destinations with a lot of potential, Eurolines has registered an average occupancy rate of 75% for the coaches that operate on this route.
The Eurolines group, which comprises 16 companies in various business sectors, has forecast turnover worth 30 million euros for this year, up 20% on 2006.
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