Tui summer bookings up 9pc as Brits look to escape chill The world's biggest tour operator, which owns Thomson Holidays, said it had continued to see "very strong" trading momentum in the UK as holidaymakers also sought to avoid another wash out, with last summer one of the wettest on record. The group, which also owns brands including First Choice, Gulliver Travel and LateRooms.com, said demand was driven by its online business and direct distribution, with online accounting for 40pc of its sales in the UK. The company said: "This is against a backdrop of uncertainty in the eurozone, highlighting that demand for the annual holiday remains resilient against a weak macro-economic environment." The company said it expected 7-10pc growth in its underlying annual operating profit. Analysts at Numis were pleased by the update. They said: "The poor weather across much of Europe is clearly providing a helpful tailwind but we believe it is also increasingly apparent that TUI's strategy of focusing on Differentiated and Exclusive product is paying dividends." "We expect some consensus upgrades and we have moved our target price from 310p to 350p and our recommendation to Add from Hold," the broker added. Shares in the tour operator gained 6pc in early trading on Wednesday to 320.1p as the strong trading defied a bleak outlook for the eurozone.