TUI takes 10 mln eur hit from Tunisia, confident on year

BERLIN, Aug 13 (Reuters) - TUI Group said the cancellation of trips to Tunisia after a beach gun attack had resulted in costs of around 10 million euros ($11.1 million) in its third quarter, though expected annual profits would reach the upper end of a previously targeted range.

The beach massacre in Tunisia in late June killed 38 mainly British holidaymakers, many of whom were on TUI (LSE: TUI.L - news) holidays.

The world's largest leisure tourism group said, however, that summer trading had been robust and it now expected underlying earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) to rise by between 12.5 and 15 percent in the current financial year, against a previous forecast for between 10 and 15 percent.

It reported third-quarter underlying EBITA up 18.6 percent at 194.2 million euros.

($1 = 0.8980 euros) (Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Maria Sheahan)