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Tag: Rajeev Kale

  • Thomas Cook India partners Gen s Life to expand senior travel portfolio

    Thomas Cook India partners Gen s Life to expand senior travel portfolio

    MUMBAI: As India’s silver economy shines brighter, Thomas Cook (India) Limited is strengthening its focus on the growing community of senior travellers. The company is expanding its senior travel segment through product innovation and strategic tie-ups, recognising the increasing aspirations of India’s 55 plus population.

    According to the Pwc-Asli senior care report 2024 and Unfpa 2023, India’s senior population (aged 60 and above) is projected to reach 347 million by 2050, accounting for 21 per cent of the total population. With higher disposable incomes and more leisure time, this demographic is emerging as a powerful travel segment that values comfort, safety and meaningful experiences.

    To engage this audience, Thomas Cook India has partnered with Gen s Life, a leading lifestyle and community platform for the 55 plus demographic. As part of the collaboration, the two brands will host a free educational webinar titled “Making pilgrimage travel easy & enjoyable for 55 plus” on 29 October at 11 am on Zoom.

    The session will feature choreographer and traveller Sandip Soparrkar, along with Thomas Cook’s expert tour managers, sharing travel insights, health guidance and destination tips tailored for senior travellers. Attendees will also gain exclusive access to customised pilgrimage packages and special senior group offers.

    Drawing from its extensive spiritual circuits across India and the subcontinent including Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura, Bodh Gaya, Pokhara, Tirupati and Rameswaram, Thomas Cook India aims to make pilgrimages more comfortable and enriching. Features include guided tours, vip darshans, AC transfers, and aerial Char Dham helicopter journeys that complete the pilgrimage in four days, reducing fatigue compared to traditional road trips.

    The brand’s ‘Pilgrimage plus’ portfolio reimagines spiritual travel as a holistic experience, blending darshans with cultural immersion, from sunset views on the Ganges to local culinary trails and artisan village visits.

    In addition, Thomas Cook India is set to launch specialised group tours for seniors to international destinations, offering elder-friendly hotels, porterage, curated meals, entertainment evenings and easy-access transport.

    “In India, the silver economy is expanding rapidly with rising longevity, digital inclusion and higher discretionary income,” said Thomas Cook (India) Limited MICE, Visa president & country head, holidays Rajeev Kale. “Seniors today are confident and eager to explore. Our partnership with Gen S Life combines our travel expertise with their understanding of senior lifestyles to create inclusive and empowering experiences.”

    Gen s Life founder Meenakshi Menon added, “For many seniors, a pilgrimage is deeply personal, but logistics can be a deterrent. This partnership brings together safety, convenience and community, enabling seniors to travel with confidence.”

    With over 40,000 app downloads and 15,000 plus registered users, Gen s Life provides curated services for the 55 plus community, covering health, finance, wellness, safety and travel. The collaboration with Thomas Cook aims to ensure that India’s senior travellers continue to explore the world, comfortably, confidently, and with a sense of connection.
     

  • Thomas Cook India identifies Punjab as a high growth market for its holiday business Delivers strong 30% YoY growth

    Thomas Cook India identifies Punjab as a high growth market for its holiday business Delivers strong 30% YoY growth

    MUMBAI: Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company, has identified Punjab as a high growth market for its holiday business. In an initiative to leverage this opportunity, Thomas Cook India has strengthened its presence with the launch of a new Gold Circle Partner (GCP) franchise outlet at Amritsar, inaugurated by Ms. Anita Patni, Associate Vice President – Leisure Travel, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. and Gold Circle Partner Mr. Vineet Bansal.

    This expansion augments Thomas Cook India’s distribution and reach in Punjab to 11 consumer access centres: 5 owned branches and 6 Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets. 

    The new Gold Circle Partner outlet in Amritsar offers consumers end-to-end travel solutions with a bouquet of travel and travel related financial services, including: International & Domestic Holidays (Group Tours, Personalised holidays, Cruises, etc.), Value Added Services like Travel Insurance; Visa Services, etc.

    Mr. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head Leisure Travel & M.I.C.E, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said, “Punjab has been identified as a high potential source market delivering a strong growth of 30% YoY for our Leisure Travel business. Our second outlet, at Amritsar’s Ranjit Avenue, was selected as it is a prime locality catering to a viable catchment of consumers across families, business travellers, students, senior citizens and NRIs.”

    Gold Circle Partner Mr. Vineet Bansal, is a travel and tourism industry veteran and his expertise in the industry along with his extensive network will assist Thomas Cook India to further strengthen its presence in this growing market. 
     

  • Thomas Cook India inspires travellers to join the Yoga Revolution

    Thomas Cook India inspires travellers to join the Yoga Revolution

    Mumbai, June 21, 2019: Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s leading integrated travel and related financial services company, is championing the spirit of Yoga with the introduction of “Travolution”, on the occasion of International Yoga Day. Giving impetus to physical and mental well-being, its Travolution wellness packages, invite Indians to travel to find inner peace; yoga being an integral component. In support of the Government’s drive towards celebrating health and wellness, the company plans to revolutionize holidays into transformational travel via its unique yoga and wellness experiences.

    According to Thomas Cook India's internal data, the demand for wellness tourism has grown by over 20% YoY over the last 3 years, highlighting the new age traveller’s growing investment in self-care holidays. The touchstone of Thomas Cook India’s Travolution initiative is self-discovery and rejuvenation of the senses- by incorporating some of the most powerful yoga practices set against India’s pristine locales.

    The Company is hence encouraging India to dare to disconnect through detox travel! The domestic market offers strong potential with over 26% growth in demand from metro cities and a 15% from mini-metro and Tier 2 towns. The company’s Travolution products have been designed to appeal to a wide range of consumer segments including India’s Millennials/young working professionals, couples, Gen S/Seniors, B-Leisure and corporate MICE groups

    Thomas Cook India’s customized rejuvenation programmes come with a diverse selection of special yoga sessions, ayurveda treatment, art therapy. Some of the best yoga retreats across the country have been selected, including Isola Di Cocco in Poovar, beauty/ anti-aging therapy at The Lake Village, Kottayam, yoga and well-being programmes in Gokarna and naturopathy at Prakriti Shakti near Kochi among others. In addition, Thomas Cook India’s portfolio incorporates a plethora of spa sojourns at Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Udaipur, Delhi, Chennai, Varanasi, Vishakhapatnam, etc. Itineraries are inclusive of meals, accommodation, and transport with emphasis on yoga by trained experts, and a variety of wellness programmes such as ayurveda, meditation, spas, natural therapies, consultations and art therapy, coupled with a special satvik diet for a holistic and enriching experience.

    Thomas Cook India’s wellness packages also focus on India’s women travellers, who are seeking personalized experiences that incorporate meditation, yoga, conventional & infra-red sauna, hot tubs & hydrotherapy and luxurious spa treatments.

    Mr. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., said, “Yoga offers immense tourism potential – a boon to the Travel & Tourism sector with cascading impact to the country’s GDP.
    Given the significant 20% YoY demand in wellness tourism that we have witnessed, and in keeping with the Government’s drive towards yoga and wellness, our aim is to encourage travellers to embark on a journey of rejuvenation via our Travolution initiative. With Yoga’s benefits being passed down to us from ancient Indian texts, Thomas Cook’s Travolution empowers customers to celebrate self-care with a hand-picked range of enriching yoga cum wellness offerings across India.”

  • Festival Tourism is driving Travel Demand Thomas Cook India observes 20% growth in bookings

    Festival Tourism is driving Travel Demand Thomas Cook India observes 20% growth in bookings

    Mumbai: Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s leading integrated travel and related financial services company, has reported a strong growth in ‘Festival Tourism’ as the Indian traveller seeks to combine spiritual elements with unique cultural experiences. This year, the Kumbh Mela and Holi have proved to be significant drivers, with over 20% growth from the previous year. The company has also recognized that a ‘smart weekend holiday’ concept (taking a day off from work to extend festival holidays) is creating a distinctive boost to travel demand.

    This year, Holi has reiterated the trend of Festival Tourism and this has been a boon to Thomas Cook India’s domestic travel business, with demand up by over 12%. Indians are showing significant interest in the celebrations at Vrindavan’s famous Banke-Bihari temple and Gulal Kund’s re-enactment of Holi by local Krisha-leela drama troupes in Brar; equally Mathura-Dwarka; or joining in Shantiniketan’s cultural events started by Tagore.

    Thomas Cook India’s customer data and analytics also reveal that Festival Tourism is no longer restricted to India, with the country’s new age travellers opening up to cultural experiences globally, and an increase in demand of approximately 20% for experiences including the water festival/ Songkran in Thailand, the lantern festival in Taiwan, Chinese New Year in Singapore, the Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong, the colourful Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Venice, Italy, Mardi Gras festivities in Louisiana, USA, the famed tomato festival/ La Tomatina in Spain, a colourful display of costume and culture – Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, and the Boryeong Mud Festival in Korea, amongst others.

    The concept of ‘smart weekend holidays’ is another significant trend being witnessed this Holi weekend, with work-weary millennials taking a Friday off to create an extended weekend from Thursday to Sunday. Short haul, no-visa or easy visa regime destinations are in high demand, with an increase of over 25% to destinations like Dubai-Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Bali, Thailand, Sri Lanka; also off-roading and adventure getaways to Uttarakhand, Corbett, Kufri, Neemrana, Kolad/Dandeli in Maharashtra, Andamans, Mysore-Coorg, and more. Growth is being witnessed predominantly from millennials/the DINKs-SINKs segment and ad-hoc groups of friends and families.

    Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head, Leisure Travel, MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. said, “Festival Tourism is the new trend, with India’s new age travellers rediscovering their roots and joining in the celebrations of festivals like Holi in India’s Vrindavan, Mathura-Dwarka; also Mardi Grass, Songkran, and several others in international locations. Extending the weekend by taking a day off from work, is giving rise to an interesting concept of ‘smart weekend holidays’. Both are catalysing our travel demand this year, and clearly trends that we are looking forward to!”

    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, 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, a team of over 8226 and a combined revenue in excess of Rs. 11,411.6 Cr. (over $ 1.75 Bn).

    TCIL has been felicitated with The Best Outbound Tour Operator and Leading Company with Cutting Edge Travel Innovation at the Times Travel 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 Diamond Award for Exemplary Achievements in Visa Insurance– 2015 to 2018 and the Condé Nast Traveller – Readers’ Travel Awards from 2011 to 2018.

    CRISIL has removed its rating from ‘rating watch with developing implications’ and reaffirmed the rating of ‘CRISIL AA–’ on the long-term bank facilities of TCIL, while reaffirming its ‘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 66.94% of its paid up capital and is responsible for the execution of acquisition and investment opportunities.