Inks agreement to expand destination visibility and drive increased tourist arrivals from India
Mumbai, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s leading omnichannel travel services company, has signed a strategic agreement with Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) in a sustained endeavour to promote the Maldives by boosting visibility and visitations from the high potential India market.
The partnership will leverage Thomas Cook India’s diverse segments of leisure, MICE and B-leisure, coupled with the strength of its unique omnichannel/ phygital model – the significant size-scale of its extensive retail presence pan India, its portal, holidays app, unique virtual holiday store and call centre.
This partnership between Thomas Cook India and MMPRC will deploy a multi-pronged strategy focussed on product development, knowledge-training and marketing. The marketing campaign will extend across a viable range of external media and owned properties, including print, digital and social media platforms, web messages, emailers, etc. to position the Maldives as a top-of-mind destination and accelerate demand from India’s families, couples/honeymooners, millennials, young professionals, MICE and B-leisure segments.
Thomas Cook’s product portfolio offers ready-to-book holidays and personalised options, specially curated – based on each customer’s unique preferences; and a handy build-your-own holiday tool. Aimed at targeting every size of wallet, the Company’s product range extends across budget/value tours, affordable luxury and premium holidays – designed for India’s HNI-UHNI segment with stays at exclusive uber-luxury resorts.
Mr. Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said, “Maldives is a valuable and strategic partner for us at the Thomas Cook India Group and we are delighted to sustain our collaboration with Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). Our agreement has been timed perfectly to leverage India’s key booking season for the upcoming Summer holiday season. Our multipronged approach is strategic and long term: with an unerring eye on knowledge/education of our front line teams, strong product focus and attractive promotions to showcase Maldives.
We plan to maximise our powerful omnichannel network to benefit this partnership – offering customers the choice and convenience of selecting their preferred mode of contacting us: via our holiday app, virtual holiday store, website, call centre or extensive retail network pan India.
He added, “This valuable and sustained partnership would not have been possible without Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, CEO & Managing Director of MMPRC and Ms. Fathimath Afra, Chief Marketing Officer and I want to specially thank them for their strong support.”
Speaking on the partnership with Thomas Cook, MMPRC’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr Thoyyib Mohamed, highlighted that “India has been a top source market to the Maldives in the past couple of years, citing that the market played an imperative role in the recovery of the tourism sector post Covid.
Thoyyib further expressed confidence that “this campaign with Thomas Cook would further boost bookings and arrivals from India for the upcoming summer season and beyond.”
About Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC)
MMPRC is the government body mandated with the promotion of Maldives as a tourist destination, with its presence all over the world with engagement based on studies of market potential.
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 T Pro, 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 65.60% of its paid-up capital and is responsible for the execution of acquisition and investment opportunities.
Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited is a holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and investment management. Founded in 1985 by the present Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Prem Watsa, the company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Its common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol FFH and in U.S. dollars under the symbol FFH.U.
About Subsidiaries of Thomas Cook (India) Limited:
Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TCIL, is a leading Indian Leisure Hospitality company with 37 resorts across the country, providing a variety of offerings: Leisure holidays through FIT packages, Meetings & Conferences, Weddings, Reunions, Picnics and Holidays through Memberships.
SOTC Travel Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TCIL, is a leading omnichannel travel and tourism company active across various travel segments including Leisure Travel, Incentive Travel and Business Travel.
Travel Corporation (India) Limited (TCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of TCIL, is the leading Destination Management Company in India that offers tailor-made travel and related services to India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
Thomas Cook India Group holds 51% stake in DEI Holdings Limited (DEI), one of the world’s leading imaging solutions and services providers.
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.
This article was shared with Prittle Prattle News as a Press Release
