Tui adds Zakopane and launches major conservation push with TUI Forest Mozambique — new flights, budget prices and community restoration

tui has expanded its offering for 2026 by adding Zakopane in Poland to its Lakes & Mountains programme and the TUI Care Foundation has launched TUI Forest Mozambique, a conservation initiative restoring mangrove habitat adjacent to Maputo National Park. Both moves underline a twin strategy of new, affordable mountain travel and large‑scale environmental investment, with implications for holiday choice and community livelihoods.

Tui adds Zakopane to Lakes & Mountains programme

Zakopane will join the Lakes & Mountains programme for 2026, presented as a spectacular but still relatively undiscovered mountain town that offers a lower price point than the Alps. The programme highlights lakes, wooden chalets, wildflower meadows, markets, beer halls and thermal baths as core visitor attractions. The town sits beneath the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland, and the flight time from the UK is quoted as two‑and‑a‑half hours.

Packages will be available from May to September and will operate from 16 airports across the UK using partner airlines easyJet and Ryanair. Kraków is reachable by train in less than two hours, offering a practical day‑trip option for holidaymakers based in Zakopane. Local affordability is emphasised: a pint and a pizza cost less than £10 in the town.

Chris Logan, commercial director for Tui UK & Ireland, outlined the operator’s view that Zakopane offers dramatic scenery akin to the Alps but at lower cost and with a distinct local culture. The programme is framed to provide flexible options, ranging from short four‑night breaks to longer 10‑night stays, thanks to a broad set of airline and hotel partners.

As a concrete booking example, a seven‑night tui holiday to Zakopane, staying at the 3T Apartamenty ApartArt Zakopane on a room‑only basis, is priced from £616 per person. That price is based on two adults sharing a one‑bedroom apartment and departing from Luton on May 26 with hand luggage only.

New flights and highlights: what to see in Zakopane

The addition of Zakopane brings a catalogue of mountain attractions to travellers. Notable natural sites listed for visitors include Morskie Oko, Giewont peak and the Five Lakes Valley. Accessible vantage points and gentle options are available too, with the Kasprowy Wierch cable car and the Gubałówka funicular offering panoramic views without strenuous effort.

Wildlife in the surrounding area may include marmots, chamois, golden eagles and occasionally brown bears. In town, Krupówki Street provides markets, beer halls and craft shops, while horse‑drawn carriages offer a leisurely way to experience the streets. Thermal baths are described as expansive pools of naturally heated, mineral‑rich water set against mountain panoramas.

TUI Care Foundation launches TUI Forest Mozambique

The TUI Care Foundation has launched TUI Forest Mozambique, a restoration and community development initiative focused on degraded mangrove habitats bordering Maputo National Park in southern Mozambique. Maputo National Park is identified as a globally important biodiversity area of more than 1, 700 square kilometres.

TUI Forest Mozambique will restore more than 150 hectares of degraded mangrove through the planting of over 500, 000 mangrove trees. The project brings together the TUI Care Foundation, local communities and the Peace Parks Foundation, which will guide landscape‑scale restoration and community engagement efforts.

The initiative couples ecological work with community support: teachers and environmental club leaders from schools in the park’s buffer zone will receive training and resources at a Community Training Centre in the park. Upgrades to school facilities in one of the most marginalised communities in the southwest buffer zone are planned to improve learning environments and broaden access to environmental education.

Community enterprises, visitor infrastructure and wider programme targets

TUI Forest Mozambique will create four community‑based enterprises in the coastal areas of Santa Maria and Ponta do Ouro to diversify local incomes and encourage stewardship of natural assets. Planned tourism infrastructure improvements include the installation of a 200‑metre mangrove walkway with interpretive signage and visitor facilities.

The project forms part of the wider TUI Forests programme, which has already supported the planting of five million trees globally and backs community‑driven forest restoration. Financial backing includes the Tourism for Development Fund, launched by the TUI Care Foundation in collaboration with UN Tourism, which aims to mobilise at least €10 million by 2030. Targeted least developed countries for the Fund include Mozambique, Cambodia, Laos, Rwanda, Senegal, The Gambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The Foundation’s 'Forest February' is also noted as a month of activities dedicated to reforestation.

Practical booking details and regional context

For travellers, the new Zakopane programme runs from May to September with flights from 16 UK airports. The commercial example given cites a Luton departure on May 26 for a seven‑night room‑only stay at a listed apartment property. For communities in Mozambique, the dual focus on restoration, environmental education and small enterprise creation is presented as a route to strengthen long‑term resilience for people living around Maputo National Park.

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