Interim Management for Tourism.

Leadership on demand for tour operators, tourism service providers and travel businesses. From first-hand experience as a managing director and founder in the industry.

MENU

MENU

Overview

When a tourism business needs leadership at short notice, we take on responsibility with no industry ramp-up. We lead, structure and stabilize the business.

With an understanding of seasonality, margins and distribution channels in travel.

Situations

Typical situations in the travel industry

Interim management in travel differs from other industries: seasonality, thin margins, complex distribution channels and a high dependence on partners and platforms define the business. Anyone leading here has to know the mechanics.

Typical triggers: a vacancy in the management, a shift in the distribution model, margin pressure from platforms and direct sales, or the need to reposition the business after a difficult season.

We come from the industry: as managing director of a tour operator and as founder of a tourism services company that worked with all the major players for years.

What we take on in tourism businesses

01

Managing directorship and operational leadership on demand, with industry understanding from day one.

02

Steering seasonality, capacity utilization and liquidity across the year.

03

Optimizing margins, purchasing and contract structures with suppliers.

04

Developing distribution channels: direct sales, platforms, B2B partners.

05

Digitalizing booking, fulfilment and service processes.

06

Building resilient structures for growth or restructuring.

Your situation looks different? Talk to Jens Schneiders directly.

Your contact →

Services

References

01

Erlebe Fernreisen · Managing Director

Managing director of a tour operator with full P&L responsibility: product design, purchasing, sales and steering of a highly seasonal business model.

02

German Transfer / World Transfer · Founder & Managing Director

Building a tourism services company with years of collaboration at decision-maker level with all the major players in the industry. From founding through international scaling.

03

Investments · tourism impact startups

Two investments in startups that combine tourism with sustainable impact. Entrepreneurial support beyond capital.

04

Result · industry knowledge with no ramp-up

The result is a business that runs stably, understands its margins and actively steers its distribution channels, led by someone who did not have to learn the industry first.

References

“Even in the face of unforeseeable, dynamic developments, Mr Schneiders always kept the overview, set the right priorities and did not shy away from making difficult decisions.”
Managing Director & Owner, erlebe-fernreisen · translated from German

Your contact

Your contact: Jens Schneiders

Portrait of Jens Schneiders

Jens Schneiders

Managing Partner · Interim CEO, COO & Chief Transformation Officer

Does Jens fit your job description? Mandate Check →

Know the industry. Run the business. Protect margins.

Jens Schneiders was managing director of a tour operator and, as founder of a tourism services company, worked with all the major players in the industry for years. He knows travel from the product side, from purchasing and from distribution.

Operational depth is no compromise here, it is his advantage: he knows the reality of day-to-day operations from his own experience and makes better decisions from it than someone who first has to understand the industry.

Added to that is the entrepreneurial perspective: through Schneiders Ventures he is invested in tourism impact startups and thinks about travel beyond pure margin.
  • Managing director of a tour operator with full P&L responsibility.
  • Founder of a tourism services company with international scaling.
  • Years of collaboration at decision-maker level with all the major players in the industry.
  • Two investments in tourism impact startups.

Leadership with industry knowledge

Interim management with no ramp-up into the mechanics of travel.

Margins and purchasing

Optimizing purchasing and contract structures with suppliers.

Distribution and platforms

Developing direct sales, platform integration and B2B partnerships.

Season and liquidity

Steering utilization, cash flow and cost structure across the year.

More on this topic

More on this topic

FAQ

Frequently asked questions: Interim Management for Tourism

What is different about interim management in the travel industry?

The mechanics of the business: seasonality, thin margins, complex distribution channels and a high dependence on partners and platforms. Anyone leading here has to know how these fit together, otherwise onboarding costs valuable time. Jens Schneiders comes from the industry and takes on responsibility with no industry ramp-up.

What travel industry experience does Jens Schneiders have?

He was managing director of the tour operator erlebe-fernreisen, with full P&L responsibility for around €33m in revenue and about 100 employees. Before that, as founder of German Transfer, he built a tourism services company and worked for years at decision-maker level with all the major players in the industry. Through Schneiders Ventures he is also invested in two tourism impact start-ups.

How does an interim manager steer seasonality and liquidity at a tour operator?

Across the whole year: capacity utilisation, cash flow and cost structure are planned together and managed closely, instead of relying on budget figures. The COVID-19 crisis showed how important this is, when Jens Schneiders managed cash daily at erlebe-fernreisen and adjusted the cost base. More in the erlebe-fernreisen case study.

How can margins be protected with platform and direct sales?

In two places: in purchasing, through better purchasing and contract structures with suppliers, and in distribution, through deliberate steering of direct sales, platforms and B2B partners. Add to that the digitalisation of booking, fulfilment and service processes, which makes operations more efficient and takes pressure off the team.

Can a tourism business be repositioned after a crisis season?

Yes. During the COVID-19 crisis at erlebe-fernreisen, Jens Schneiders adjusted the cost base to the new revenue reality and repositioned the business model with "Impact Travel", while keeping the team and customer trust together. How tourism and sustainable impact fit together is also shown in our service on impact & sustainability.

Mandate Check

Does Jens Schneiders fit your mandate?

Paste your job description and see within seconds how well it fits, with evidence from the CV. No sign-up, free of charge.

  • Result in seconds
  • Evidence from the CV
  • PDF report

Contact

Get in touch

Does your tourism business need leadership at short notice? Let's talk about your situation.