Tag Archives: Thomas Cook India

According to a Thomas Cook India report, Indians from tier-II cities are driving faster growth in the travel industry, exploring both domestic and international destinations. It credits this trend to rising discretionary spending and improved connectivity. Indian travellers’ holiday budgets have surged by 20-50 per cent compared to previous years, it added.

Thomas Cook India has expanded its network in Bengaluru with the introduction of foreign exchange services at its new outlet in Sahakara Nagar. This strategic move aligns with the company’s focus on enhancing its footprint across high-growth source markets. With this addition, the company now operates nine forex outlets in Bengaluru and twelve across Karnataka.

Mahesh Iyer, MD & CEO, Thomas Cook India, said, “Thomas Cook expects to outperform the country’s overall travel industry growth (including both inbound and outbound travel segments), which is estimated to grow in the range of 12–15 per cent in financial year 2026 (FY26).” For the summer season (April–June quarter), bookings are expected to be better than they were two weeks ago, he added.

This summer, Indian travellers are opting for destinations that provide an escape from the ominous heat while offering visa-free travel. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head, Holidays, MICE & Visa, Thomas Cook India, said, “Visa-free destinations are fuelling outbound travel demand. Countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Maldives and Mauritius have seen robust growth due to ease of access.”

In a strategic initiative to boost travel to Georgia from the high-potential India market, Thomas Cook Limited, India’s leading omnichannel travel services company, has signed an MOU with Georgia National Tourism Administration. This powerful collaboration focuses on building awareness and inspiring demand towards driving increased visitations to Georgia. Thomas Cook India’s internal data reveals strong travel appetite from Indian consumers for fresh, new destinations and easy visa regimes. This partnership aims to showcase Georgia along three key axes: attractiveness, accessibility and affordability. To inspire Indian travellers and catalyze demand, Thomas Cook India’s partnership with GNTA will focus on key objectives, including – Creating strong awareness for Georgia in the India market Building inspirational content for the destination Promoting MICE to Georgia Joint marketing collaboration to promote Georgia in the India market Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said, “From the charming streets of Tbilisi, rich in history and culture, the majestic landscapes of the Caucasus mountains, the ancient cave cities of Uplistsikhe, and globally renowned wine culture with its neolithic grape wine cultivation dating back to almost 8000 years, Georgia offers a wealth of unforgettable experiences, and at great value for the discerning Indian traveller. We are delighted to collaborate with the Georgia National Tourism Administration to jointly promote Georgia as a go-to destination across our customer segments. To inspire demand, our strategic intent will focus on education and training, familiarization trips and joint marketing collaborations to target India’s high-potential segments including millennials/young working professionals, families, couples, solo travellers, B-Leisure and corporate MICE groups. Our efforts will focus on key markets across India’s metros, mini-metros, as well as Tier 2 & 3 …

“Domestic cruises are gaining popularity among families, couples, millennials, and Gen Z, offering them an all-inclusive seacation. Young professionals are also combining public holidays with weekends for a domestic cruise holiday,” said Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head, Holidays, MICE, VISA, Thomas Cook (India).

Thomas Cook India & SOTC in its India Holiday Report 2023 highlighted a 70% surge in cruise holidays. Speaking on this, Daniel D’souza, President, SOTC Travel, said, “Cruise holidays offer an all-inclusive experience onboard a luxurious floating hotel.These include a wide range of services, from entertainment and exciting activities to diverse cuisines, wellness spas, shopping, and exploring new locales. We are witnessing strong growth in this segment from regional India’s tier II-III markets, besides metros and mini metros.”

To maximise on the opportunity of available space at attractive commercial considerations, Team SOTC moved into its new owned premises at Marathon Futurex building (13th floor) in Lower Parel. A special puja arranged on June 14th marked an auspicious beginning for Team SOTC. Vishal Suri, Managing Director, SOTC, said, “We have seamlessly shifted to our spacious new office premises and have hit the ground running as we leverage on India’s pent-up travel demand. The location is property owned by our Group and comes with significant advantages: a valuable cost savings for us and with easy access – to collaborate and interact with our common resource pool of product-contracting-operations at Thomas Cook India – in the same building!”

Don’t miss out on today’s Thomas Cook India webinar that will discuss ways in which the trade can help restart travel recovery. The company will highlight its latest initiative ‘TravShield’ as well as its ‘Travel Now Pay Later’ concept. All attendees will receive gift vouchers worth Rs 1,000 along with a Thomas Cook participation certificate. They will also be able to participate in a unique holiday bidding contest to win a trip for two pax for a 7-day holiday in Ladakh! What’s more – three agents who attend the entire session will stand a chance to win a 2-night stay with Sterling Holidays. Inviting the trade to attend this, Romil Pant, Senior Vice President – Holidays, Thomas Cook India, says, “We look forward to each one of you joining us on the occasion as we talk about ‘TravShield’ and ‘Travel Now Pay Later’ idea and assist the trade in re-inventing travel. We promise you a lot of interaction and fun during the webinar as we give all participants.” To participate, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call 9650196532, or register directly at https://event.webinarjam.com/register/264/wy0z2bk8

Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel surveyed over 4000 customers across India’s Tier I-III cities in a recent survey to identify emerging consumer behaviours and trends that will drive travel preferences in the COVID era. The survey revealed that as many as 66% respondents are willing to spend additional towards personal health & safety, while 19% cite uncertainty as a concern. Safety seems to be a key parameter for at least 70% respondents.