Following the news that Andre Van Der Bijl has assumed full ownership of Mundus Representation, we caught up with him to talk exclusively about what comes next for the company. Andre shares his vision for Mundus 2.0 – from nurturing existing partnerships and investing in efficiencies to new destinations, creative ideas and deeper industry connections.
What’s the core message you want to share about this next chapter for Mundus?
It’s a natural progression for Mundus. We’ve built a strong platform, and now my focus is on securing a sustainable next chapter. I’d like to say a special thank you to Max Fellows from AllPoints, whose guidance and support have been invaluable throughout this transition.
I am also incredibly honoured and proud that all my hotel and DMC partners unanimously decided to stay with Mundus and are fully behind and inspired by my plans for the future. I’m concentrating on deepening and nurturing those existing client partnerships and making a key investment in efficiency by implementing a new CRM system. This will enable us to be out on the road, spending more time with UK agents.
What are your priorities for the next 12 months?
It was great to be out at IBTM and seeing many of our partners to reassure them it’s business as usual. I’ve got a roadshow this month with five partners coming over for a whole week, followed by a fam trip to Berlin for the Christmas markets with our German DMC. Then we’ve got the SITE GB Christmas lunch, where we are hosting a table with two of our partners. There’s a lot happening between now and the end of the year.
Heading into 2026, we have a fam trip to South Africa in January and are gearing up for our biggest ever Mundus UK roadshow in March. It will be the first time we have all our partners joining us, so we’re really excited for that.
Plus, we’ll be expanding our European footprint and officially onboarding a new DMC partner. We’ve already worked with them on several events and the feedback has been excellent, so it will be an easy transition to bring them on board.
What do you want agencies and clients to think of when they think of Mundus?
I’d like them to think of our passion, which comes from the heart. Your World, Our Passion has always been the Mundus philosophy, and that hasn’t changed. We approach every brief that comes in with passion and care deeply about every project.
I pick up the phone, talk it through with the client, and take the time to understand the brief properly before it goes anywhere near our partners. People often tell us, ‘When we get something from Mundus, we know you’ve thought about it from all angles. We trust you.’
That trust is everything. As we move forward, it’s about introducing new ideas, curating meaningful content, and giving people clear reasons to talk to Mundus and see what makes us different.
What destinations are resonating most with UK clients right now?
We’re seeing strong growth again in Morocco and Turkey, which have both suffered a bit perception wise in recent years, so it’s great to see confidence coming back and these two destinations taking this completely on board with a yes-can-do attitude.
Within Morocco, there are other destinations opening up outside of Marrakech including Rabat and Casablanca. In Turkey, we’re really focusing on Antalya, especially with COP31 going in there next year.
Montenegro remains popular, and the addition of new BA flights into Tivat next summer is an exciting development. Malta is strong, thanks to new hotels, refurbishments and some lovely beach clubs, plus it remains cost effective, and we’re also seeing a real surge of interest in Seville.
Are there any emerging destinations you’re watching for the future?
Everyone is watching Albania very closely, especially Tirana. We’re also looking beyond the obvious choices within our existing destinations, for example Thessaloniki instead of the Athens Riviera, some different Greek islands, and programmes incorporating the tulip fields in the Netherlands rather than just Amsterdam or Rotterdam.
Italy has become quite expensive in some places, so we’re exploring secondary destinations like Lake Maggiore or Lake Garda which are less costly than say Lake Como.
How are client expectations shifting?
There’s no pattern – one agent might give us two months’ lead time, and another gives two years. But we’re seeing a lot more in the pipeline for 2026 and 2027 already, which gives me confidence.
Demand is also coming back for long-haul. For 2026 and 2027, we’re seeing interest in Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and the UAE again, so our long-haul partners will hopefully get more slices of the pie.
What excites you most about leading Mundus into this next phase?
Creativity! As a florist by background, I’ve got a creative left brain, and I don’t feel I’ve done that justice in the last couple of years. I have so many exciting ideas – so watch this space.
For me, it’s all about finding unique and engaging ways of bringing our DMC and hotel partners together with UK planners – be that wreath making for the festive season or other hands-on experiences that help us stand out and showcase our destinations in a more tactile, immersive way.