TUI Travel Star

What TUI Travel Star does

TUI Travel Star (operating as TUI TRAVELStar Reisebüro Belwan) is a single-location German retail travel agency based in Garbsen, Lower Saxony, owned by Andre Belwan. The agency functions as a franchisee under the TUI TRAVELStar brand network and serves individual leisure travelers in its local catchment, acting as a mediator between customers and tour operators, airlines, cruise lines, hotels, and car rental providers. Its published product menu spans package holidays (Pauschalreisen), ocean and river cruises, scheduled and charter flights, individual hotel and vacation rental bookings, hotel+rail packages, car rentals, airport parking, travel insurance, event tickets, round trips, group travel, and school class trips.

The technology stack is standard for a small German retail travel agency and is entirely third-party. The public website and booking infrastructure are built on a template provided by Schmetterling International GmbH & Co. KG, while backend booking processing is routed through Amadeus Germany GmbH's Global Distribution System (GDS). Marketing and analytics tooling includes Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google AdWords conversion tracking, Facebook Pixel and Custom Audiences, rankingCoach for SEO, CleverReach for email newsletters, and the Google Maps API. There are no proprietary technology products, no AI/ML capabilities, and no mobile app; the agency's digital surface is a templated website plus social channels.

The business model is commission-based intermediation. The agency earns transaction-based commissions from tour operators on package holiday sales and charges disclosed service fees on standalone flight bookings and ancillary services (seat reservations, extra baggage, visa procurement). Distribution is omnichannel in form — physical storefront, website, TikTok, WhatsApp, email — but operationally constrained by storefront hours of Monday-Friday 12:00-16:00, signaling a single-operator microbusiness rather than a scaling enterprise.

Name

TUI Travel Star

Legal name

Reisebüro Belwan

Website

https://reisebuero-belwan.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TUI Travel Star is a single-location TUI TRAVELStar franchise travel agency in Garbsen, Germany, owned by Andre Belwan, that intermediates package holidays, cruises, flights, hotels, and ancillary travel services for individual leisure travelers via a Schmetterling-built website and Amadeus GDS booking stack.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Inbound/Local Retail Travel Agencies (Destination Booking Offices) (THAKABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cruise Retail Travel Agencies (THAKABAF), IATA-Accredited Passenger Sales Agents (PSA) (THAKALAC)

Keywords

• Package holiday booking
• Cruise travel agency
• Flight booking services
• Travel insurance distribution
• Hotel reservations

Headquarters

HQ city

Garbsen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Package Holiday Commission: The agency acts as a mediator for package holidays, earning commissions from tour operators. No service fee is charged for package holiday intermediation.
2. Service Fees for Flight-Only Bookings: Service fees are charged for standalone flight bookings. The fee is non-refundable upon cancellation or non-execution unless the error was caused by the agency.
3. Insurance Distribution: Travel insurance distribution as a permitted annex broker under § 34d Abs. 8 No. 1 GewO.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TUI Travel Star (Reisebüro Belwan) is a German travel agency and TUI TRAVELStar franchisee that intermediates package holidays, ocean and river cruises, hotel and holiday-home bookings, scheduled and charter flights, car rentals, airport parking, travel insurance, event tickets, and organized round trips/group/class trips between individual customers and tour operators. The agency delivers these services both through in-person consultation at its Garbsen office and via an e-commerce website, with bookings processed through Amadeus and Schmetterling International platforms. Revenue comes from tour-operator commissions and select service fees for standalone flight and ancillary bookings.

Product overview

TUI TRAVEL*Star Reisebüro Belwan is a franchise travel agency operated by Andre Belwan in Garbsen, Germany, serving as part of the TUI TRAVEL*Star franchise network. The agency offers a comprehensive portfolio of travel services centered around package holidays (Pauschalreisen), cruise bookings (Hochseekreuzfahrten and Flusskreuzfahrten), and accommodation options (Hotels, Ferienhaus/Ferienwohnung, Hotel und Bahn). Additional services include flight bookings (Linienflug, Charterflug), car rental (Mietwagen), airport parking, travel insurance, event tickets, and specialized tours (Rundreisen, Gruppenreisen, Klassenfahrten). The agency functions as an intermediary (Vermittler) between customers and travel service providers, with bookings processed through Amadeus and Schmetterling International booking systems. Core differentiators include all-inclusive package security, professional hygiene concepts, and flexible cancellation options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pauschalreisen (Package Holidays)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TUIcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe agency operates under the TUI TRAVELStar franchise, reselling TUI package holidays, hotels, and flights. TUI provides the product inventory and brand backing, while the agency provides local sales and consultation services.
• Schmetterling International GmbH & Co. KGcoreTechnology or IntegrationSchmetterling International provides the website technology, design, and booking system infrastructure (IBE/booking system). They also handle cruise booking fulfillment. The agency is listed as 'Schmetterling partner' and their booking systems integrate with Schmetterling's platform.
• Schmetterling International GmbH & Co. KGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite concept, design, and implementation handled by Schmetterling International GmbH & Co. KG.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• TUI Deutschland: Parent tour operator brand of the TUI TRAVELStar franchise network; sells the same package holidays, hotels, flights, and cruises directly to consumers via its website and stores. Comparable as the dominant German tour operator whose inventory the agency resells, and a partial substitute channel for the same end customer.
• HolidayCheck Group: German-language OTA and travel review platform offering package holidays, hotels, and cruises with meta-search and booking functionality. Comparable as a digital intermediary serving the same German leisure traveler with overlapping product categories.
• Booking.com: Global OTA leader with strong presence in German hotel, flight, and car rental bookings. Comparable as the largest online alternative for the accommodation and flight components the agency packages, applying downward price pressure on retail intermediation.
• FTI Group: Major German tour operator selling package holidays, cruises, and specialty tours across retail and online channels. Comparable as a supplier and channel competitor whose tour operator inventory overlaps with what the agency resells.
• Opodo: European OTA with a dedicated German site selling flights, hotels, package holidays, and car rentals. Comparable as a digital intermediary competing for the same German customer's travel spend with broader inventory and 24/7 self-service.
• JT Touristik: German tour operator specializing in package holidays to popular leisure destinations, sold through both direct online channels and retail travel agencies. Comparable as a supplier of the same package holiday product the agency intermediated and an alternative direct booking channel.
• Check24 Reise: Leading German price-comparison and OTA platform with deep penetration in package holidays, flights, hotels, and car rentals. Comparable as a primary alternative booking channel for the same German consumer and a structural competitive threat to retail agency intermediation.

Emerging players

• Travelzoo: Travel deals publisher offering curated packages, cruises, and tours via newsletter and web. Comparable as an alternative discovery and booking channel for package and cruise deals targeted at leisure travelers, with similar German market reach.

Direct peers

• DER Deutsches Reisebüro (DER Touristik): One of Germany's largest traditional retail travel agency chains, operating physical storefronts that sell package holidays, cruises, flights, and tours through tour operator partnerships. Directly comparable as a physical retail intermediary serving German leisure travelers with similar product breadth.
• Schmetterling Reisebüros (Schmetterling International network): Network of German retail travel agencies that share the same Schmetterling International booking platform and website template used by TUI Travel Star. Comparable as a franchise-affiliated retail travel agency targeting the same German leisure customer with similar product mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/reiseburo.belwan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tui-travel-star

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TUI Travel Star