Tag Archives: Thomas Cook

Witnessing a significant increase in demand for experiential travel from the MiCE sector, Thomas Cook (India) has launched a portfolio of unique programmes that deliver engaging experiences across key global destinations. The clear shift from the traditional basic sight-seeing tour plus gala dinner to innovative experiential itineraries has created potential for the MiCE sector. In a strategic initiative to leverage this momentum, the company’s MiCE business has curated a series of cutting-edge MiCE programmes. Thomas Cook’s experiential MiCE portfolio incorporates fascinating long-haul destinations (Iceland, Canada, Japan, Korea, Norway, New Zealand, Australia and USA, etc) and short hauls (like Baku, Kiev, Morocco, Oman), coupled with distinctive elements including the adrenalin rush of Queenstown’s adventure experiences, snow-mobiling in Iceland, rafting in Norway, Formula 1 drives on the Yas Marina circuit, 360 degree helicopter tours, etc. Sightseeing trips are delivered with an exciting twist: via segway in Hungary or Spain, vintage cars in Prague, stretch-limousines in Dubai/Abu Dhabi or helicopters in Canada. Also incorporated are exclusive dining experiences- on a glacier in Canada or a private island in Australia; also decadent spa-wellness programmes and thermal baths in Iceland, Turkey, Jordan, New Zealand and more. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa & Passport Services, Thomas Cook (India) said, “The evolution in the MiCE sector is creating an expanded market of discerning corporates. With experiential travel high on their wishlist, our launch of engaging MiCE experiences was intended to capitalise and build on this significant and growing opportunity.”  

Thomas Cook (India) has said that its domestic business is growing at a robust pace of 35-40 per cent, and its share in the total revenue is expected to rise in the next few years. The outbound business currently contributes 80 per cent and is growing at 20-25 per cent, while domestic travel generates the rest, but over the next two-three years, the revenue ratio is expected to change, Romil Pant, Vice President, Thomas Cook (India) said. “I think the share of domestic business is ideally expected to move up to 30 per cent from 20 per cent now in the next two to three years, looking at the growth rate,” he said. Pant was in Kolkata to promote special regional Bengali tours in the city during the Durga Puja festivities. In these tours, managers will use the local dialect, and more such tours in other languages are also planned, such as Assamese, Pant said. Deepening reach is another step to maintain growth momentum, he said, adding, “In the next two to three quarters, the total number of exclusive outlets will touch 300. The major focus would be to expand in Tier-II and tier-III cities,” he said. Pant said about 60-70 per cent of the tours are in the packaged tour segment, while the rest are customised. Customised leisure travel has got traction in recent years and is growing at 30-40 per cent. Source: PTI  

With around 27 per cent of its overall business be it the holiday side and 15 per cent of its foreign exchange business coming through the online channel Thomas Cook is now focusing on enhancing customer experience. Speaking at a media interaction Mahesh Iyer, Executive Director & CEO, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd said, “As a channel we have seen decent growth coming in and we are clocking around 30 per cent CAGR year on year and are quite optimistic on the future of online business. Our focus in the long term is on customer experience. If we look at the current summers we are operating we have packed new experiences like curated food menu by Ranveer Brar, Boman Irani doing a red carpet night for our travelers. We have also launched Japan this year in terms of adding new destinations and have already crossed 1000 passengers.” In terms of forex Thomas Cook is looking to bring more digital options for the customer. It is working on a premium product and will soon be launching a mobile card which will allow customers to use their prepaid card on the NFC platform. He further added, “There is lot of innovation and product development happening with an underline of technology. We launched our customer self service app which allows the customer to keep tab on their bookings, visa status, itineraries etc.”

The Board of Thomas Cook (India) (TCIL) has approved (subject to regulatory approvals) a corporate restructuring exercise aimed at streamlining its businesses into four key verticals namely, Travel (outbound, domestic, business travel & MiCE), Foreign Exchange, Destination Management Services and Portfolio Investments such as Sterling Holiday Resorts. In its current structure, TCIL along with its subsidiaries and associate companies such as SOTC, TCI, TC Travel (earlier Tata Capital Travel) and Sterling Holidays are engaged in various travel and travel-related financial services, vacation ownership and resorts while Quess Corp is engaged in human resource and business related services such as industrial asset management, integrated facility management, and technology solutions. In order to streamline the various businesses of the group, both from operating and management perspective, the restructuring will consolidate like businesses into identified entities creating a simpler and more efficient operating structure with dedicated and focused business verticals. Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director, TCIL said, “This proposed restructuring with the realignment of the travel businesses of TCIL and consolidation of the  human resource services business into Quess Corp, will simplify the group’s structure, enabling both TCIL and Quess to grow independently and consolidate their positions in their segments with far greater clarity of focus from an industry and growth/opportunity point of view – for investors, management and teams.”  

Thomas Cook (India) has announced the appointment of Romil Pant as Senior Vice President for its Leisure Business, both international and domestic. Pant comes with more than two decades of experience in operations and credit management across sectors, including, telecom, financial services and travel. In his role, Pant will provide leadership and functional expertise to drive productivity and results across the company’s leisure businesses, while focussing on Thomas Cook India’s omni channel growth strategy. Pant has previously worked with MakeMyTrip.com, Capital First, HSBC, Citi Financial and Essar Cellphones. He is a Masters in Finance from University of Delhi.

Thomas Cook (India) has strengthened its presence in Mumbai with the opening of a new franchise ‘Gold Circle Partner’ outlet at Opera House. This brings Thomas Cook India’s total number of outlets to 21 consumer access centres with nine owned branches, 12 Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets in Mumbai, 38 consumer access centres with 15 owned branches and 23 Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets in Maharashtra. Thomas Cook India’s internal data has highlighted that Mumbai continues to feature as a top and growing source market for its holiday business. Hence, in an initiative to harness this opportunity, the company identified Opera House, Mumbai as a high potential location to set up its new Gold Circle Partner franchise outlets. The Thomas Cook Gold Circle Partner programme is an exclusive franchise partner initiative that increases the brand’s presence reach across the country, giving consumers access to the company’s products and services in metros/mini-metros and emerging Tier-II and III markets. A Gold Circle Partner is equipped with sales and marketing support. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Leisure Travel & MiCE, Thomas Cook (India) said, “Mumbai has been identified as a prime growth driver and continues to deliver strong growth of 30% YoY for our leisure travel business. Thomas Cook’s data has highlighted South Mumbai as a high potential source market for its holiday business.”

Thomas Cook (India) has entered into a three-year strategic agreement with Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) — an organisation that manages Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo – making it the first Indian travel company to sign an MoU with WRS. The MoU was signed between Mahesh Iyer, Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Cook (India) and Mike Barclay, Group Chief Executive Officer, Mandai Park Holdings (the parent company of WRS) in Mumbai. Mahesh Iyer, Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Cook (India) said, “We are bullish on the larger trend towards experiential holidays. Singapore as a destination has been constantly reinventing itself with its new, unified brand identity ‘Passion made Possible’-that showcases the fundamentals of the nation – its cultural diversity, rich food heritage and the mindset of its people shaped by unique circumstances and promises to reshape the Singapore experience across the B2C and B2B space. Our partnership with Wildlife Reserves, Singapore also marks the start of a strong commitment to protect biodiversity in Singapore and Southeast Asia through partnerships with like-minded partners, organisations and institutions.”

Thomas Cook (India) strengthened its presence in North India with the inauguration of a flagship store at Connaught Place by Vijay Kumar,  Brand Ambassador, Thomas Cook India. This expansion augments Thomas Cook India’s total number of outlets to 16 consumer access centres with six owned branches and 10 Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets in Delhi. Thomas Cook’s new store will offer travellers a range of holiday products (domestic and international tickets, and hotels, cruises, individual and group tours, luxury vacations), foreign exchange, visa services and insurance. Rajeev Kale, ‎President, Country Head–Leisure Travel and MICE, Thomas Cook (India) said, “North India is delivering a strong growth of 20 per cent YoY for our leisure travel business and Delhi has been identified as a prime growth driver as part of our strategic plan. Our new branch at Connaught Place is at a prime location, thus giving our consumers convenient access to a range of holiday products, travel and foreign exchange services.”  

South African Tourism has joined hands with Thomas Cook to offer travel packages and deals for Indian travellers especially during Diwali and Christmas holidays. They can now have the opportunity to take advantage of the special, fun-filled, activity and experience rich holiday itineraries from Thomas Cook in association with South African Tourism. Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism,said, “We constantly endeavor to create exciting and innovative experiences for our visitors. We would love for more Indians to come and witness the wonder that is South Africa – to truly experience and know the country like the locals. In close partnership with a leading travel trade partner like Thomas Cook, we hope to ensure that our Indian visitors have the best and most memorable experience from the minute they begin planning their trip. With a favorable exchange rate, Indian travellers going to South Africa will get an exceptional value on the ground as they can partake in so many more activities and experiences in their desired budget.” Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head – Leisure Travel & MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd says, “For our Teams at Thomas Cook India, our partnership with South Africa Tourism has had a significant positive impact- South Africa has now emerged as one of our fastest growth long haul destinations for Indian outbound travelers!  Our upcoming campaign is strategic and focused on a 3 pronged delivery: strong growth of over 15%; inspire demand not only for  popular choices across individual and group travellers (Cape Town, Garden Route, Johannesburg, Sun City), but equally showcase newer regions like Kruger, Franschhoek, etc., and thirdly, catalyse uptake for fresh new opportunities like self-drives and winter-travel.”

Rhätische Bahn (RHB) in partnership with Turkish Airlines recently hosted a familiarisation trip to Davos Klosters and Engadin St. Moritz in Switzerland for leading travel agents based in Delhi. The objective of the Fam was to increase visibility for luxury destinations like Davos Klosters and Engadin St. Moritz, along with the scenic Bernina Express train journey. Make My Trip, Yatra, TUI, Flight Shop, Ottila International, Experiential Travel, Thomas Cook and Ambe World Travels participated in the Fam. The group spent 6 nights in the Graubünden region; 3 nights each in Davos & St. Moritz. They visited Europe’s highest brewery – Monstein, Clavadeler Alp where they experienced the art of cheese making, a scooter ride along the Sertig Valley and attended a music show led by the regional band from Davos “orgalifründä Rinerhorn”.  In St. Moritz the group was taken on a food safari night at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, one of the highlights of during their stay. The itinerary also included hotel inspections such as that of Da Primo Hotel, Intercontinental Davos, Arabella Hotel  Walduus Davos , Turmhotel Victoria, Swiss Mountain Hotel Ameron in Davos,  Badrutt’s Palace and other 3-4 star properties in St. Moritz, to famirialise the trade with budgeted options in the luxury destination.