Tag Archives: Rajeev Kale

Thomas Cook has been expanding its presence across various locations in India.

Thomas Cook India opens 13th outlet in Delhi-NCR

Thomas Cook (India) Limited has inaugurated its new franchise outlet in Greater Noida, to leverage the high-growth market of the Delhi-NCR region and surrounding areas.

This new store, further strengthens Thomas Cook’s network in the Delhi-NCR region to 13 locations (6 owned stores and 7 Gold Circle Partner outlets), reaffirming its strategic commitment to expansion in viable growth markets.

The location has been carefully selected: the vibrant residential and business hubs of Greater Noida, offering Thomas Cook a diverse customer base of families, professionals/business travellers and senior citizens. The location also provides access to NCR’s HNI-UHNI segment, offering expertise for their personalised travel requirements.

Thomas Cook’s Greater Noida outlet will provide end-to-end travel services: International & Domestic Holidays (Group Tours, Personalised holidays, Cruises, etc.), Value Added Services like Travel Insurance, etc. In addition to the holiday experts at the outlets, Thomas Cook’s omnichannel strategy equips customers with digital tools like its AI platform to assist customers plan and book their personalized vacations in real-time.

Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said, “Delhi-NCR is an important source market for us and our new outlet in Greater Noida aims at targeting a range of viable segments, offering them ease and convenience. My team and I look forward to co-curating memorable holidays for each of our customers – both within India and International. We are all about offering great experiences, whether it’s the Northern Lights in Finland, soaking in S. Korea’s thermal Jjimjilbangs, mud baths in Azerbaijan, autumn and gastronomy in France or cricket via our new Border-Gavaskar tours!”

Thomas Cook India opens franchise outlet in Chennai’s Chromepet

Thomas Cook (India) Limited has inaugurated its new franchise outlet in Chromepet, Chennai – to leverage the high-growth market of the city and its surrounding catchments.

Chromepet is a preferred residential locality in Chennai – with proximity to the airport and connectivity to prominent areas, including IT and business parks. The new Chennai outlet expands Thomas Cook India’s network to 9 locations in the city and 15 across Tamil Nadu.
In its commitment to enhance access and convenience, Thomas Cook’s new outlet will address diverse customer segments – families, couples, Young India’s, millennials & Gen Z, business professionals and seniors.

This outlet offers end-to-end travel services: International & Domestic Holidays (Group Tours, Personalised Holidays, Cruises, etc.), Value Added Services like Travel Insurance, etc. Additionally, Thomas Cook’s AI booking platform assists customers in planning their personalised vacations in real time by checking availability, and making reservations in a matter of minutes.

Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said, “Chennai is an important source market for us, and we are witnessing a significant demand from the city. Hence, we are delighted to announce the opening of our Gold Circle Partner franchise outlet at Chromepet. Strategically chosen for its central location, this new outlet will enhance our ability to serve the growing and diverse needs of customers in the region, offering easy access and seamless services to our customers – right at their doorstep! We also have exclusive Tamil group tours with co-travellers from the State, accompanied by a Tamil speaking expert Tour Manager and the comfort of select Tamil cuisine while on tour.

On behalf of my Team, I extend a warm welcome to our customers from Chennai. My Team and I look forward to co-curating memorable holidays for each of our customers – both within India and international.”

Thomas Cook India launches store in Kolkata’s New Town

With a strategic intent to capitalise on the strong and growing demand from Kolkata, Thomas Cook (India) Limited has inaugurated a new branch in the high potential market of New Town and its surrounding catchments.

In addition to the customers from the city of Kolkata, the new branch will also service customers from the surrounding catchments of Action Area 1, 2 and 3 and Rajarhat. The new outlet expands Thomas Cook India’s network to 8 locations in the city and state.
New Town’s position as an important market offers a range of valuable consumer segments including – business professionals, families, couples, Young India’s millennials & Gen Z, and seniors alike.

Thomas Cook’s new outlet offers end-to-end travel services: International & Domestic Holidays (Group Tours, Personalised holidays, Cruises, etc.), Value Added Services like Travel Insurance, etc.

Kolkata Travel Trends for the festive season
• Top destinations:
o International: Japan, Europe’s Switzerland, France, Finland, Spain-Portugal, Czech Republic-Hungary, Australia, Finland & Scandinavia and Kenya
o Domestic: Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal, Andamans, North-East
• Holiday duration has increased from 3 days to 5 – 8 days for short trips; from 5 days to 10 -15 days for longer trips
• Emergence of fresh new destinations: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea
• Top traveller segments: Multi-generational families, couples, Young India’s millennials & GenZ, GenS (seniors)
• Top source markets for Pujo Tourism: West Bengal Cities like Kolkata, Siliguri & Durgapur & adjoining States Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand & Odisha

Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said, “Kolkata is an important source market for us, and we deeply value our discerning customers who are passionate about travelling! Durga Pujo is a very special festival for our customers from the City of Joy and so, we have selected this Pujo season for the inauguration of our Gold Circle Partner franchise outlet in New Town. This central location will offer easy access and seamless services – right to our customers’ doorstep! We have introduced a range of unique tours designed to delight our Bengali customers this festive season.

On behalf of my Team, I extend a warm welcome and special Pujo greetings to our Kolkata customers, and look forward to helping them plan memorable holidays, both domestic and international.”

 

Thomas Cook, SOTC unveil AI-powered platform for cutomised holidays

Thomas Cook (India) Limited and its Group Company, SOTC Travel have launched an AI-powered platform to help customers plan their customised holidays, check availability and book – in minutes.

The platform has been deployed with sellers initially. Over the next few months, end customers will have direct access to the platform via the company websites thomascook.in & sotc.in and the company apps.

Creating a customised travel programme has traditionally been an arduous task for holiday experts: from the discovery-research stage to creating an itinerary and then pricing and booking. This involves coordination with several disparate sources, with multiple external suppliers for various components, be it air, hotels, attractions, local transportation, etc. The average time frame involved being between 48 – 72 hours, or more. With the Thomas Cook and SOTC AI-based platform, customised trip planning will now become seamless – in under 10 minutes!

Leveraging a combination of Deep Learning & AI algorithms, intelligent recommendations intuitively tailor travel itineraries by analyzing unique customer preferences. With access to a global network of partners for flights, hotels, experiences and transport, holiday planning and booking is now more personalized and streamlined than ever before.

Capabilities of the AI platform:
• Inspire Engine: AI-driven suggestions to optimize time and budget based on customer interests
• Swift Personalization: Build a customized trip in just minutes with tailored recommendations
• Speed: Turnaround time reduced – to under 10 minutes
• Convenience: Curate a trip at ease – anytime, any day
• Flexible Customization: Book recommended options or adjust every element of the itinerary to suit individual preferences.

Key Features:
• Theme-based destination rankings
• Flight price predictions and recommendations
• Activity ranking and scheduling
• Hotel price predictions and recommendations
• Optimization within budget

Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said, ”The new age Indian consumer is increasingly demanding personalized trips – unique, tailor-made programs based on their preferences. Extending our digital-first strategy, I am delighted to announce our AI-powered platform, to help customers plan their customised holidays, check availability and book – in real-time. This will empower both our frontline and customers to create deeply personalized programmes in minutes. This cutting-edge AI technology will transform how Indians plan their travel, and as travel pioneers, we continue to improve our customer experience.”

Daniel D’Souza, President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel said, “We are excited to unveil our AI-powered platform to help customers plan their customised holidays in real time. This platform will ensure the delivery of real-time recommendations and optimize every aspect of trip planning – personalizing travel like never before. We believe that AI is the key to unlocking intuitive, efficient, and personalized experiences in this new age of travel, and we at SOTC are excited to lead the way.”

Thomas Cook, SOTC see 25% growth in demand for monsoon travel

Indian consumers are displaying sustained interest in travel post the traditional peak summer season. With the onset of the monsoons, ushering in pleasant weather and nature at its best, Thomas Cook (India) Limited and its Group Company, SOTC Travel’s has reported an increase in demand for monsoon travel – with a growth of 25% compared to last year.

Thomas Cook India and SOTC have also announced value-options that make monsoon travel an attractive value proposition for Indians.

Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Leisure Travel, MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, said, “Monsoon travel is seeing growing popularity from Indians. We are witnessing a 25% increase in demand for this monsoon season compared to last year. Short driveable holidays; weekend & extended weekend getaways are witnessing an uptick from young professionals/millennials & GenZ, couples, families. Our customers are showcasing interest in offbeat & adventure experiences like bike trips, hiking, rafting, waterfall rappelling/trekking. To cater to this demand we have curated a diverse portfolio of over 150 monsoon holidays designed to inspire travel hungry Indians.”

Daniel D’souza, President & Country Head, Leisure, SOTC Travel, added, “The monsoon season offers travellers a unique opportunity to explore India’s greener locales, cooler and serene wellness retreats. With our rich heritage of 75 years, we firmly believe that no one understands the Indian traveller better than SOTC. India travellers are maximizing their holidays with off-season rates and incredible monsoon discounts to unique monsoon destinations like Ooty, Coorg, Wayanad, Coonoor and Munnar, Western Ghats. Our Monsoon Holidays are curated for customers who want to experience India’s untapped beauty amidst the rains.”

Thomas Cook India adds new outlet in Pune, now at 26 locations statewide

 

Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s leading omnichannel services company, has inaugurated a new franchise outlet in Pune to leverage the high-growth market of Pune and the surrounding catchments of Wanowrie, National Institute of Bank Management, Magarpatta, Hadapsar, and Kondhwa.

This new outlet expands Thomas Cook India’s network to 6 locations in the city and 26 in Maharashtra State.

The new Wanowrie outlet is part of Thomas Cook’s strategy to increase access and convenience for a range of customers, from business professionals and families to couples, young millennials-GenZ, and senior citizens. The outlet offers end-to-end travel services, including International & Domestic Holidays (Group Tours, Personalised holidays, Cruises, etc.) and Value Added Services like Travel Insurance.

Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head, Holidays, MICE, Visa at Thomas Cook (India) Limited, stated that Pune is a high-growth market for the company, with a 30% surge in demand from the city. The new franchise outlet in Wanowrie was carefully selected based on its proximity to corporate offices, IT/ITeS hubs, shopping-entertainment, and residential areas, to provide easy access and seamless services to customers right at their doorstep.

Kale extended a warm welcome to Thomas Cook’s customers from Pune and expressed the team’s excitement to co-curate memorable holidays for each of their customers, both in India and internationally.