Sebastian Ebel

Tour operator TUI said on Wednesday it could see its travel season shift to start earlier in the spring and end in the autumn as climate change affects tourist habits.

German tour operator Tui AG is signing new, long-term contracts with Greek hoteliers who were not previously in its portfolio, in a bid to expand further in Greece after the collapse of rival British company Thomas Cook.

As the latest estimates regarding just how hard Greek hotels have been hit by the collapse of UK travel giant Thomas Cook are pointing to unpaid invoices of some 230 million euros, and the government is assessing its options in terms of response measures, the now-dominant European tour operator, Tui AG, is sending one of its big bosses to Greece.

The German unit of European tour operator TUI said demand for summer 2017 bookings was "significantly" above the level seen at this point last year and that Germans were once again booking their holidays earlier.

"Many Germans who didn't go on holiday last year are booking especially early this year," Sebastian Ebel, head of TUI Germany, said in a statement on Thursday.