• Offbeat & adventure experiences: bike trips, hiking, rafting, waterfall rappelling/trekking
• Key Segments: millennials/working professionals, group of friends, couples, solo travelers
• Uptick in short driveable holidays; weekend & extended weekends
• Range: Budget to Luxury starting at Rs. 16,799.00* for 4 days

Mumbai, June 17, 2022: Indians are displaying increased appetite for travel during low season to get away from crowds and avail of attractive off-season pricing. Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s leading omnichannel travel services company and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have curated a distinctive portfolio of monsoon getaways targeting India’s millennials/working professionals, group of friends, couples, adventure enthusiasts and solo travellers. The diverse range of products includes unique getaways, biking trips, hiking/trekking tours across price points – from budget to luxury starting at Rs. 16,799.00* for 4 days.

Thomas Cook & SOTC’s internal data reveals that over 55% respondents indicate strong appetite for monsoon travel – and this is across India’s metros, mini metros, tier 2-3 cities. Indians are quintessential value seekers and hence intent to maximise on low season discounts from airlines and hotels, together with special offers/complimentary add-on benefits.

Monsoons showcase nature at its vibrant best – with pleasant weather, a refreshing green cover and waterfalls/water bodies in full flow. Capturing the season’s unparalleled beauty, Thomas Cook and SOTC’s Monsoon Holidays offer travellers a range of exceptional experiences: self-drive holidays and outdoor-adventure journeys of discovery and rejuvenating spa-wellness programs.

Outdoor lovers can opt for thrilling game drives at leading national parks like Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Corbett or monsoon hiking/trekking (Uttarakhand’s Valley of Flowers, Ladakh’s Markha Valley, Kashmir Great Lakes). Adventure seekers are spoilt for choice with high adrenaline experiences with : body surfing, bungee jumping, waterfall rappelling/trekking in Rishikesh and Lonavala; white water rafting in Ladakh, zip lining in Dawki, kayaking in Kerala, etc. Leisurely biking trips among quaint hamlets, lush meadows and tea/coffee plantations are also a top draw across India. June to August is said to be an ideal time for Kerala’s famed ayurveda treatments and a laid-back backwaters tour.

Thomas Cook and SOTC’s Monsoon Holidays incorporate the season’s top locales: hill retreats of Kodaikanal, Ooty, Coorg, Munnar, Vagamon; the rainforest areas of Wayanad, also beaches of Goa, Andamans, Kovalam and Varkala; North East’s Meghalaya and Sikkim; the serene backwaters of Kumarakom and forests of Thekkady.

Travellers in/around Delhi are keen on short & driveable holidays to Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Mcleodganj, Nainital, Mussoorie. For travellers based in Mumbai/Maharashtra & Gujarat: Rajmachi, Lohagad, Igatpuri, Lonavala, Matheran, Mahableshwar and Panhala feature prominently. Similarly, for travellers from Karnataka/Tamil Nadu: Hampi, Gokarna, Coorg, Pondicherry, Kanyakumari.

“Monsoons are traditionally a low season for travel and the perfect time to embrace the great outdoors and experience slow travel. And so, we have launched our special Monsoon Holidays with a diversity of offbeat getaways, biking trips, trekking tours and customizable trips. For millennials/young professionals, we have included high octane experiences like body surfing, white water rafting, waterfall rappelling/trekking, zip lining, dirt biking, kayaking, bungee jumping, etc.. Our holidays begin at an affordable price point of Rs. 16,799.00* for 4 days and extends to luxury options like the Palace on Wheels – a luxury train that exudes the bygone royal era of indulgence and grace, The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, and more..”

Mr. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited

“The monsoon season is an experience by itself – with pleasant weather, a refreshing green cover and waterfalls making it the perfect season to explore offbeat destinations at attractive off-season pricing. Our Monsoon Holidays are curated for customers who want to get away from crowds and experience India’s untapped beauty amidst the rains. We invite our customers to book their monsoon getaway with us.”

Mr. Daniel D’souza President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel

About Thomas Cook (India) Limited:

Set up in 1881, Thomas Cook India) Limited. (TCIL) is the leading omnichannel travel company in the country offering a broad spectrum of services including Foreign Exchange, Corporate Travel, MICE, Leisure Travel, Value Added Services, Visa and Passport services. It operates leading B2C and B2B brands including Thomas Cook, SOTC, TCI, SITA, Asian Trails, Allied TPro, Australian Tours Management, Desert Adventures, Luxe Asia, Travel Circle International Limited (TCI 勝景遊), Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited, Distant Frontiers, TC Tours, Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI), Go Vacation, 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 25 countries across 5 continents

TCIL has been felicitated with CNBC-TV18 & ICICI Lombard India Risk Management Award – Travel & Leisure Category 2022 & 2021, The Best Travel Agency – India at TTG Travel Awards 2019, The Best Outbound Tour Operator at the Times Travel Awards 2019 & 2018 and Leading Company with Cutting Edge Travel Innovation at the Times Travel Awards 2018, Silver award for Asia’s Best Integrated Report (First Time) category at the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards 2019, 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, Best Outbound Tour Operator at the SATTE Awards 2019, Excellence in Domestic Tour Operations at the SATTE Awards 2018, The French Ambassador’s Award for Exemplary Achievements in Visa Issuance 5 years in a row and the Condé Nast Traveller – Readers’ Travel Awards from 2011 to 2019.

CRISIL has reaffirmed the rating on debt programmes and bank facilities of Thomas Cook (India) Limited – ‘CRISIL A+/Negative 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 70.58% of its paid-up capital and is responsible for the execution of acquisition and investment opportunities.

About SOTC Travel:

SOTC Travel Limited (Formerly SOTC Travel Pvt. Ltd.) is a step-down subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings Group; held through its Indian listed subsidiary, Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL). SOTC India is a leading omnichannel travel and tourism company active across various travel segments including Leisure Travel, Incentive Travel and Business Travel. SOTC was established in 1949. Since then, it has escorted lakhs of travellers across the globe for more than 70 years to various destinations around the world. A new age innovative holidaymaker, SOTC strives to make holidays a priority for every Indian. ‘We are for holidays’ and we want Indians to prioritize their holidays.

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