Kuoni Travel is one of the world’s leading luxury and tailor-made holiday specialists, founded in Switzerland in 1906 by Alfred Kuoni. Now part of the DER Touristik group, Kuoni is the UK’s go-to operator for premium long-haul holidays — from Maldives honeymoons and Indian Ocean escapes to tailor-made India tours and wildlife safaris across Africa. If you’re looking for something beyond the standard package holiday, Kuoni is built for exactly that.
Alfred Kuoni founded the company in Zurich in 1906, initially as a freight forwarding agency. Over more than a century it evolved into a global travel business — at its peak operating in over 60 countries. The UK operation, headquartered in Dorking, Surrey, has been a fixture in British travel since the 1970s and built its reputation on tailor-made long-haul holidays and exceptional personal service.
Kuoni was acquired by DER Touristik, the travel division of German retail giant REWE Group, in 2015. In the UK, the brand continues to operate under the Kuoni name, focused on the luxury and premium long-haul market. The hallmark of a Kuoni holiday is genuine customisation — itineraries, hotels, and experiences are built around your preferences rather than pulled from a fixed brochure.
Kuoni specialises in long-haul and exotic destinations where the quality of experience, local knowledge, and hotel selection make a real difference. Key destinations include:
The Maldives, Mauritius, and Indian Ocean islands (Seychelles, Reunion, Zanzibar) are among Kuoni’s most popular destinations — particularly for honeymoons and special anniversaries. Overwater bungalows, private beach resorts, and incredible marine life are the draw.
Kuoni’s Asia programme covers Bali, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam. Tailor-made tours combining cultural sightseeing with beach time are a Kuoni speciality — for example, a Rajasthan heritage tour followed by a week on the beaches of Goa.
The Caribbean is a natural fit for Kuoni’s luxury positioning. Barbados, Jamaica, Antigua, St Lucia, and the wider islands are all covered, with a focus on boutique resorts and all-inclusive properties at the premium end of the market.
Kuoni has a long-standing reputation in African safari travel. Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, and Uganda are all part of the programme. Safari itineraries are fully tailor-made, combining game drives with beach extensions — typically finishing on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya or Tanzania.
Kuoni covers the United States — particularly Florida, New York, and Las Vegas road trip combinations — alongside Australia, New Zealand, and long-haul multi-centre itineraries that combine multiple countries in a single trip.
Kuoni’s offer is distinct from the mainstream package operators. Rather than fixed-price brochure holidays, Kuoni’s strengths are:
Kuoni is a premium operator and doesn’t compete on the same last-minute deal model as budget package companies — however, genuine offers do exist. Kuoni regularly features early-booking incentives: room upgrades, honeymoon extras, or discounted hotel rates when itineraries are booked 6–12 months in advance.
Seasonal promotions — particularly in January (the peak luxury holiday booking month), around Valentine’s Day, and in late summer — often include added value such as free nights, complimentary upgrades, or reduced deposits. The Maldives and Mauritius in particular see good value during their shoulder seasons (May–June and October–November).
For package holiday seekers who want a step up from the mainstream, Kuoni’s mid-range long-haul packages can occasionally match comparable offerings from Virgin Holidays or TUI — especially when promotional pricing is active.
Yes. All Kuoni flight-inclusive package holidays are ATOL protected. Kuoni holds its own ATOL licence, meaning your money is fully protected if the company ceases trading before or during your holiday. Always verify the ATOL certificate number on your booking confirmation.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1906, Zurich, Switzerland |
| Best For | Luxury long-haul, honeymoons, tailor-made, safaris |
| Top Destinations | Maldives, Mauritius, Caribbean, India, Bali, Africa |
| Holiday Types | Tailor-made, luxury all-inclusive, safari, city & culture |
| ATOL Protected | Yes |
| Market Position | Premium / luxury long-haul specialist |
| Parent Company | DER Touristik (REWE Group) |
Kuoni specialises in luxury and tailor-made long-haul holidays. Their core strengths are honeymoon packages, Indian Ocean island breaks (Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles), African safaris (Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa), Asia tours (India, Bali, Sri Lanka, Thailand), and Caribbean holidays. Kuoni is not typically the right choice for budget European packages — it’s built for premium long-haul travel where personal service and hotel quality matter most.
For luxury long-haul travel — particularly the Maldives, Mauritius, Indian Ocean, and African safaris — Kuoni’s specialist knowledge, quality hotel partnerships, and tailor-made service offer genuine value beyond what you’d get booking independently. For budget or mainstream European sun holidays, Kuoni is not the right operator. Their value lies in the quality of experience and expertise for complex, premium trips.
Kuoni does occasionally offer last-minute availability, but this is much rarer than with mainstream package operators. Their business model is built around advance planning and tailor-made itineraries rather than clearance pricing. The best value with Kuoni typically comes from early booking — 6–12 months in advance — combined with their seasonal promotional offers. January promotions and Valentine’s Day deals are worth watching for Maldives and Indian Ocean honeymoon packages.
Both Kuoni and Virgin Holidays cover long-haul destinations, but they target different ends of the market. Virgin Holidays is built around Virgin Atlantic flights and focuses primarily on the USA and Caribbean, with a broad mid-to-luxury range of packages. Kuoni is more specialist, with deeper expertise in the Indian Ocean, Africa, and Asia — and a genuine tailor-made capability that Virgin doesn’t match. For a Maldives honeymoon or an African safari, Kuoni is typically the stronger choice.
