TUI Travel says outperforming competitors in UK

TUI Travel, the world's biggest tour operator, said it was outperforming competitors in Britain, helping to offset weaker trading in France, and overall trading was in line with its expectations.

The group, which owns Thomson and First Choice, said summer holiday bookings had improved in all its key markets since it last updated on trading in February.

"We are pleased with the development of bookings and pricing in the UK, where we continue to outperform the market and have a strong performance in online sales," chief executive Peter Long said on Thursday.

TUI Travel said demand for holidays to destinations in North Africa had remained week, particularly in France.

It has benefited from difficulties experienced by main rival Thomas Cook, which issued a string of profit warnings last year before securing a 200 million pounds ($317 million)bailout package from its banks.

Thomas Cook itself said on Wednesday its performance in Britain had improved as a new advertising campaign and improvements to its website boosted sales.