Mumbai, January 25, 2023: On the occasion of National Tourism Day, Thomas Cook (India) Limited – India’s leading omnichannel travel services company and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have reiterated their Domestic Tourism focus. The Companies have expanded their India Holidays portfolio to showcase fresh new locales, engaging experiences, unique accommodation, spiritual & wellness getaways and domestic cruises in addition to culture and heritage holidays. The range extends from value to luxury vacations, with attractive deals to inspire demand.

Thomas Cook & SOTC’s sustained initiatives during the pandemic have led to a strong resurgence in domestic tourism. Further, the Companies’ consumer insights continue to reflect high demand of over 40% for their India Holidays. What is noteworthy is that this demand is emerging from not just India’s metros and mini-metros, but also tier 2-3 cities. This formed the rationale for the Companies’ extended India portfolio.

Thomas Cook and SOTC’s India Holidays has been carefully designed to cater to customers across every segment, from Gen Z to Gen S (seniors). From adventure experiences (including trekking, hiking, camping, biking, safaris, river rafting and paragliding); wellness getaways incorporating yoga/hydrotherapy/Ayurveda; spiritual journeys and gastronomy, the Companies have designed an impressive portfolio of products that offers immersive experiences.

Luxury and ‘Affordable Luxury’ have been a key focus area, with inclusions like the Palace on Wheels; unique accommodation in jungle lodges/tree houses or havelis, uber-luxury resorts, glamping and more.

Thomas Cook & SOTC have emerged as top sellers of India cruises (Cordelia), with over 6000 customers booked since travel restart.

The Companies have witnessed a discernible trend of customers booking mono destinations with longer stays and hence the Companies have focused on in-depth exploration with state specific itineraries via their India Extravaganza Holidays.

Thomas Cook & SOTC’s product range showcases India’s hidden gems: surreal landscapes of Kashmir’s Gurez and Doodhpathari valleys, Chenab Bridge – the world’s highest rail bridge or Dal Lake’s floating post office; Arunachal Pradesh’s Damro – the longest hanging bridge, Ziro Valley and majestic monasteries of Tawang; Maharashtra’s Lonar Lake – a meteoric marvel and Meghalaya’s awe inspiring living root bridges. For wellness and rejuvenation, India’s choices are plentiful: Kerala’s Ayurveda, yoga in the Himalayas to Tibetan medicinal therapy in Uttarakhand.

“India’s fascinating diversity offers a wealth of experiences to every traveller. Our India Holidays portfolio has been designed to inspire customers to explore our country’s myriad facets– be it culture, cuisine, local traditions or landscapes. Her hidden gems include quaint offbeat locales, spiritual sojourns, wellness getaways, outdoor-adventure experiences, and more. India is waiting to be explored and our India Holidays portfolio is intended to inspire Indians to set off on a voyage of discovery. And we’ve added special deals and exciting offers – to make for a truly attractive value proposition.”

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

“India’s landscapes are as enchantingly varied as her culture. Our exciting range of India Holidays offer unique and offbeat experiences: wildlife to beaches and backwaters, adventure, luxury getaways, cruises and spiritual holidays – quality time in scenic settings. We invite our customers to discover the diverse experiences our beautiful country has to offer.”

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

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 and Visa 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), 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 28 countries across 5 continents

TCIL has been felicitated with IAMAI India Digital Awards 2022, CNBC-TV18 & ICICI Lombard India Risk Management Award – Travel & Leisure Category 2021 & 2022, CIO100 Award for digital innovation 2022, ‘Innovation in Omni-experience’ Award at International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Industry Innovation Awards 2021, The Best Travel Agency – India at TTG Travel Awards 2019, The Best Outbound Tour Operator at the Times Travel Awards 2018 & 2019, Silver award for Asia’s Best Integrated Report (First Time) category at the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards 2019-2021, Best Risk Management-Framework & Systems at the India Risk Management Awards 2019; Best Outbound Tour Operator at the SATTE Awards 2019, 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

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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