Celebrating Shared Stories: DERTOUR

Before taking the helm at DERTOUR Group, Debus held leadership roles at Condor, Air Berlin, and Thomas Cook Group Airlines. "It feels like Lufthansa was always a part of my life," he reflects, "to an extent that it feels like family – although I have been a subsidiary, a competitor, but most of the time a loyal customer and a partner." And when he ultimately joined DERTOUR Group, that feeling only deepened: "Now I am a partner. And this feels like I have come home. As DERTOUR, we are one of Lufthansa Group's biggest tour operating partner. Here, Lufthansa Group shows its personal, emotional and caring side."

That experience has shaped the way he understands the partnership between DERTOUR Group and the Lufthansa Group today. It is not simply a commercial relationship. It is one built on hard-won mutual respect and a genuine understanding of what it takes to operate at scale in one of the world's most complex industries.

For Debus, the true test of any partnership is not how it performs in smooth conditions, but how it holds up under pressure. He describes the partnership's evolution as a shift "from a mainly operational collaboration into a strategic, forward-looking relationship with a shared vision” – one that has been defined as much by moments of crisis as by moments of growth.

At the onset of the conflict in the Middle East, with thousands of DERTOUR customers stranded at beyond destinations, the Lufthansa Group did not hesitate. It was one of those moments that quietly defines a partnership, and one that both sides share as their own. "We received confirmation for rescue flights from Maldives and Sri Lanka/Colombo," Debus recalls. "That was real teamwork." As a tour operator, DERTOUR Group carries a legal obligation to repatriate its customers in times of crisis – effectively acting, as Debus puts it, "like an insurance company for travelers." Having a partner that steps up in those moments is not a given. It is, he says, what makes this partnership different. The same spirit of collaboration extends to day-to-day operations.

Debus describes shared values of "quality, responsibility, and a deep commitment to the customer" that manifest in everything from joint crisis management to coordinated communication during operational disruptions. "Both organizations strive for excellence and transparency," he says, "and this is felt in every interaction. It creates a very strong cultural alignment."

Looking ahead, Debus is convinced that the best is yet to come. For him, the partnership with the Lufthansa Group is not just keeping pace with the transformation of the travel industry. It is about helping to shape it. "In the next decade, our biggest shared opportunity lies in shaping sustainable, seamless, and data-driven travel experiences," he says. For Debus, that vision has a very concrete destination in mind: "The next big destination on our shared map is a fully connected travel ecosystem, where airlines, tour operators, and service partners create one seamless experience for the customer."

Looking forward, the future of travel is about data and personalization. How can we best combine our strengths to shape the next generation of travel experiences for our shared customers?

"To shape the next generation of travel experiences, we need to combine Lufthansa Group's operational excellence and digital capabilities with our customer insights and touchpoints along the entire travel chain. Together, we can build personalized products, smarter recommendations, and seamless digital journeys. By sharing data responsibly and creating integrated platforms, we can deliver travel that feels effortless, intuitive, and uniquely tailored to each customer."