Thomas Cook India honoured at the French Ambassador’s Travel Awards

Conferred with the Diamond Award for registering the highest number

of French visa deliverances in India

  

 Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company, has been conferred with the premier Diamond Award for registering the highest number of French visa deliveries in 2019.The award was presented to Thomas Cook India by His Excellency, Mr. Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India at the 5^th edition of the French Ambassador’s Travel Awards- established to recognise and reward outstanding performers in the travel and tourism industry in India.

Thomas Cook India’s internal data has revealed the strong and growing popularity of France and this is across its segments of Leisure, MICE and B-leisure; the destination featuring as a top international choice for Indians. Given the diversity of its appeal, Thomas Cook India has curated unique programmes, from signature cuisine on tour by renowned Chef Ranveer Brar that celebrates France’s acclaimed gastronomy; exclusive stays in a chateau or a vineyard in the heart of Champagne, Alsace and Bordeaux; vintage car drives amidst the glamour of the French Riviera; itineraries that capture stunning vistas of the Rhone Alps, to delightful local experiences in villages across Provence and Occitanie.

Commenting on the top award, Mr. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head - Leisure Travel, M.I.C.E & Visas, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., said, “It is such an honour to receive the prestigious Diamond Award at the French Ambassador’s Travel Awards. This award for the fifth time in a row serves to highlight Thomas Cook India’s sustained contribution towards France visa issuances in India. In this success, I sincerely appreciate the dedication of all our Thomas Cook India visa and business teams; equally the unstinted support of the France Consular offices together, as also the outstanding spirit of partnership displayed by its Tourism Board, Atout France.”

He added, “France continues to hold favoured destination status across our range of consumer segments and we will continue to work closely with Atout France to maximise on the delightful diversity of its allure- to ensure longer and repeat stays, also infusion of fresh new experiences.”

Ms. Sheetal Munshaw, Director Atout France India, said, “Thomas Cook India has been a consistent forerunner in this category since the last 5 years and has driven volumes across different segments to France. Atout France India and Thomas Cook India have collaborated on diverse projects over the years and this has propelled our efforts in showcasing France in a diversified and versatile manner under brand Thomas Cook India. We are confident that with all our synergies earmarked for the coming year, 2020 will also be an extremely promising year for both our organisations. I would like to thank Thomas Cook India for their continued and dedicated support through the years.”

Thomas Cook India introduces a unique Double Protection Program

Thomas Cook India introduces a unique "Double Protection Program" comprising Trip Protection + Guaranteed Departures aimed at protecting traveller interests

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company, has introduced ‘Trip Protection Program’ and ‘Guaranteed Departures’, two unique offerings aimed at protecting the Indian traveller interests. The program ensure a stress free period between the booking and departure window, by guaranteeing departures*, as well as reduced cancellation fees*, incase of any unforeseen circumstances. Thomas Cook India operated 98% of the departures announced in 2019, which is amongst the highest in the industry, encouraging the brand to introduce the program.

Travel has become non-negotiable for Indians today. With schools closed, the summer and winter breaks continue to remain key vacation periods for the majority of Indian travellers. Thomas Cook India’s internal data further reveals a majority of consumers booking their vacations well in advance to ensure that their preferred dates are secured while making the best of early-bird offers. Keeping this in mind and to allow customers to rest assured that their holidays with Thomas Cook India are protected, Thomas Cook India’s Trip Protection and Guaranteed Departures Programs have been designed to secure its customers best interests.

Under the Trip Protection Program, customers can avail reduced cancellation charges* for international bookings depending on the number of days prior to departure date and in view of any unforeseen circumstances; including visa rejection or delay, hospitalization or death of a family member and blood relatives. The program covers Thomas Cook India’s Simply Series product offering as well as destinations such as Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and USA. While normally customers stand to lose in case of any cancellations made between 46-59 days prior to departure, under this offering, the cancellation fee for the same period stands as low as 5%*. The Guaranteed Departures Program on the other hand ensures guaranteed group departure* to international destinations. 

Mr. Abraham Alapatt. President, Group Head - Marketing, Service Quality & Innovation, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., said, "We at Thomas Cook India, believe that a customer's holiday experience begins much before their actual date of travel. It is therefore important for us to ensure that the holiday that they have booked with us delivers a seamless experience including a worry-free period from the booking date to the actual date of travel. Our unique "Double Protection Program" comprising Trip Protection + Guaranteed Departures aimed at protecting traveller interests does precisely that. So now customers, particularly those availing our attractive early bird offers, can rest assured and look forward to the memorable experiences that a Thomas Cook India Holiday ensures!"

Thomas Cook India offers 100 free Holidays

Thomas Cook India offers 100 free Holidays* during its

Grand India Holiday Sale

Its Best Price Challenge assures unbeatable rates on select international and domestic holiday packages

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s leading integrated travel and travel-related financial services company, is offering Indian consumers the opportunity to win 100 Free Holidays* during its Grand India Holiday Sale, ending September 13, 2019.

With the aim of empowering consumers to achieve their travel goals, Thomas Cook India’s bi-annual 10-day property, the Grand India Holiday Sale, has been strategically timed to coincide with India’s crucial booking window for the upcoming festive season. On offer are attractive deals and special discounts for both India and international holidays, and a free 3-day stay at Sterling Holiday Resorts* with every booking. As a further incentive, customers can also avail an additional 5% cash back offer on SBI cards, via the SBI YONO app.

The Grand India Holiday Sale offers can be availed across Thomas Cook India’s omni-channel network – both online (mobile app and thomascook.in) and offline - at its branches and Gold Circle Partner franchise outlets. Additionally, Thomas Cook India also offers a special doorstep service to enable a ‘Holiday Expert’ to visit its customers and ensure a smooth holiday planning.

Favourite short-haul destinations seeing an uptake for the upcoming holiday season include Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Singapore, Indonesia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Mauritius, and Thailand; while Europe (France, Switzerland, UK, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Greece), Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Australia-New Zealand, are popular long-haul destinations. Prime Minister Modi’s message, encouraging citizens to travel across the country, is also expected to drive strong demand for domestic destinations such as the North East (Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim), Kerala, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andamans and Uttarakhand.

Mr. Abraham Alapatt, President & Group Head - Marketing, Service Quality, Financial Services & Innovation, Thomas Cook India, said, “We had introduced the Grand India Holiday Sale as a bi-annual property to coincide with India’s peak travel booking periods - for Summer, the Festive Season, and Winter. With the aim of benefitting our customers with an unbeatable combination of quality holidays at the best price, our Grand India Holiday Sale is a much anticipated event, and is hence, seeing a strong uptake.”

He added, “This season, along with attractive discounts and our unique Best Price Challenge, our offer of 100 Free Holidays* is intended to catalyse demand for both the upcoming festive period, as also the emerging trend of Winter vacations.”

*Terms and conditions apply – for more information visit https://www.thomascook.in/grand-indian-holiday-sale

About Thomas Cook (India) Limited: Set up in 1881, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. (TCIL) is the leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company in the country offering a broad spectrum of services that include Foreign Exchange, Corporate Travel, MICE, Leisure Travel, Insurance, Visa and Passport services and E-Business. It operates leading B2C and B2B brands including Thomas Cook, SOTC, TCI, SITA, Asian Trails, Allied T Pro, Australian Tours Management, Desert Adventures, Travel Circle International Limited, Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI), Private Safaris East & South Africa.

As one of the largest travel service provider networks headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region, The Thomas Cook India Group spans 29 countries across 5 continents, a team of over 9700 and a combined revenue in excess of Rs. 6718.7 Cr. (over $ 0.96 Bn.) for the financial year ended March 31, 2019.

TCIL has been felicitated with The Best Outbound Tour Operator at the Times Travel Awards 2018 & 2019 and Leading Company with Cutting Edge Travel Innovation at the Times Travel Awards 2018, Best Risk Management-Framework & Systems at the India Risk Management Awards 2019; Best Cash Management Solution – India at the Asset Triple A Treasury, Trade, Supply Chain & Risk Management Awards 2018, Excellence in Domestic Tour Operations at the SATTE Awards 2018, Best Travel Entrepreneur of The Year at TTG Travel Awards 2017, The French Ambassador’s Award for Exemplary Achievements in Visa Issuance – 2015 to 2018 and the Condé Nast Traveller – Readers’ Travel Awards from 2011 to 2018.

CRISIL has reaffirmed the rating on debt programmes and bank facilities of Thomas Cook (India) Ltd at ‘CRISIL AA-/Stable on the long-term bank facilities of TCIL and CRISIL A1+ rating on the short-term bank facilities and short- term debt of the Company.

For more information, please visit www.thomascook.in

Fairbridge Capital (Mauritius) Limited, a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited promotes TCIL by holding 66.90% of its paid-up capital and is responsible for the execution of acquisition and investment opportunities.

Thomas Cook India - Ganesh Chatuthi

Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. on Long Weekend

"With another long weekend right around the corner, travel enthusiasts around the country are missing no chance of availing a micro-break. Thomas Cook India has observed that Indians are maximizing their extended weekends to fuel their passion for travel and has witnessed a growing demand of approx. 31% for domestic destinations from both metro as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. While the Southern and the Western markets have extended weekends with the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi falling on a Monday this year, we have witnessed that segments such as millennials, young professionals, and DINKS are maximizing this opportunity with overnight getaways to destinations like Goa, Lonavala, Matheran, Mahableshwar, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaipur, Hampi, Coorg, and Munnar among others. 

International destinations with easy visa facilities (e-Visa facilities and Visa-on-arrival) are also on the travellers radar. Destinations include Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Yas Island, along with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia’s Bali and beyond, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macao and Sri Lanka amongst others.

While Maharashtra observes an influx of visitors during the renowned festival of Ganesh Chaturthi every year, we have witnessed that travellers are open to immerse themselves in a range of authentic and unforgettable local experiences as the festival is celebrated across the state on a large scale." - Attributed to Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

Thomas Cook India brings Domestic Tourism

Thomas Cook India brings Domestic Tourism to the forefront

Launches Bucket List of 15 ‘must visit’ gems of India with #travelpledge2022

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s leading integrated travel and related financial services company, spearheads the domestic tourism agenda in line with Prime Minister Modi’s message encouraging citizens to travel across the country. By recommending a list of 15 ‘must visit’ destinations to explore across India through its campaign #travelpledge2022, Thomas Cook India provides impetus to Indians to discover the diversity of our country- unique facets of its history, culture, cuisine and scenic beauty.  

Thomas Cook India’s internal data reveals the significant demand for domestic tourism with a growth of over 25% YoY over the last 3 years. The company’s research also highlights the keen interest of today’s travellers in rediscovering their roots while indulging in unique experiences. Additionally, that social sharing via insta-worthy vacations is serving to further dive this demand- especially among Millennials.

Aiming to bring domestic tourism into the spotlight, Thomas Cook India has launched 15 bucket list destinations -to entice Indians to explore and unveil the gems of our country:

1.     Mawlynnong (Meghalaya) - The cleanest village of Asia

2.     Taj Mahal (Agra) – The ultimate emblem of love – a UNESCO world Heritage Site

3.     Forts and Monuments of Rajasthan (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer) -  Experience a rich cultural heritage

4.     Statue of Unity (Gujarat) - The largest monolithic statue of  India

5.     Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh) - Finest sculptures from the past – UNESCO World Heritage Site

6.     Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) - The Yoga capital of the world

7.     Ladakh on a Motor Bike – An adventure ride to Nubra Valley, Tso Moriri, Pangong and more

8.     Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand) - Tigers which attracted the Man vs. Wild Show

9.     Konark Sun Temple (Odisha) - 13th Century Sun Temple – UNESCO World Heritage Site

10.  Temples & Ganga Ghat of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) – said to be the world's oldest City

11.  Kaziranga National Park (Assam) - Witness the one horned Rhino

12.  Gulmarg (Kashmir) - Paradise on Earth

13.  Valley of flowers (Uttarakhand) - Indian national park, home to millions of flowers

14.  Khajjiar (Himachal Pradesh) - Mini Switzerland of India

15.  Backwaters of Kerala – Enjoy the serene lakes, canals and lagoons in God’s own Country

Thomas Cook India’s domestic packages start from Rs 8,929 per person on twin share; the range of destinations include favourites like Puducherry, Wayanad, Cherrapunji, Shillong, Kumaon, Darjeeling, Dalhousie and Coorg, among others.