Tui Travel boss defends advertising as profit rises

Peter Long, the chief executive of Tui Travel, yesterday defended the firm's use of a controversial advertisement that highlighted the problems of its big rival Thomas Cook. Mr Long spoke as Tui, which owns the Thomson and First Choice brands, delivered record operating profits, up 18 per cent to £471m for the year to 30 September.

Following the problems cited by Thomas Cook two weeks ago, Tui put out an advert saying: "Another holiday company may be experiencing turbulence, but we're in really great shape."

Mr Long said that some customers had thought Thomson was part of Thomas Cook. "It was not a cheap shot," he said.