Thomas Cook & SOTC eye strong pent up travel demand - Organise physical consumer roadshows across 30 cities pan India

· Holiday experts present at the venue - to guide and assist customers plan and book holidays

· Range of Holidays available across domestic and international destinations

· Attractive Offers/Deals on offer

Mumbai, March 7, 2022: In a strategic initiative to capitalize on the high pent up travel desire post the third wave, Thomas Cook (India) Limited - India’s leading omnichannel travel services company and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have organised India’s first physical consumer roadshows - across over 30 cities pan India. The holiday roadshows have been organised over weekends at viable catchment areas of India’s metros, mini metros like Pune and Tier 2 markets, including, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Hubli, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Indore, Bhopal, Mangaluru, Coimbatore, Kochi, Vijayawada, Surat, Baroda, etc.

On the back of positive announcements on easing of restrictions, reopening of borders, vaccine acceptance and reduced infection rates, the Companies’ internal data reveals high pent up travel demand from Indian consumers. With the upcoming long weekends and school spring and summer breaks, over 85% of its customers have expressed keen interest to plan their holidays.

To support its customers, Thomas Cook and SOTC’s holiday roadshows have been organised at central locations across high potential catchments across over 30 of India’s key cities. Weekends have been selected to offer families the convenience to walk-in at leisure and plan their holidays together with the companies’ experts present on-ground to guide/assist them on travel and health & safety related queries. The Companies’ product range includes India and international favourites, and a diversity of options to delight consumer segments across multigenerational families, millennials/young professionals and couples/honeymooners. In addition to special group tours (accompanied by an experienced Tour Manager), the holiday portfolio includes personalised tours for a group of friends/extended family, individual/solo trips and customised options, specially designed based on the customer’s unique preferences.

Special Offers:

· Buy One Get One – Companion Free* across select India & International holidays

· Early Bird offer on select tours

· Holiday Now, Pay on Return benefit

· Risk free holidays (Zero cancellation charges, easy & free rescheduling*, Safety Program in association with Apollo Clinics, Comprehensive Travel Insurance, On Ground Teams & Expert Tour Managers)

· Discount of Rs. 3000.00 on payments via select digital payment platforms

Range of Holiday Options:

· Domestic favorites: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Andamans, Goa, Rajasthan, Leh-Ladakh, the North East, and domestic cruises

· International: Dubai, Abu-Dhabi, Maldives, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, USA (for visa holding customers), Egypt, Mauritius, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Nepal

· Outdoor adventure activities like biking, trekking, hiking, wild-life/safaris, and more

· Wellness/Spiritual programs

· Group Tours/ Customized holidays

“With customer confidence in travel being at an all-time high, we are witnessing a significant uptick in demand. In addition to our omnichannel network offering customers the convenience of selecting their preferred mode of contacting us, our multi city holiday roadshow is aimed at personalised service at the customer door-step. Our holiday experts at each venue will assist, reassure and guide customers in planning their weekend breaks, special celebrations/occasions and the much awaited spring/summer school vacations.

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

And to accelerate demand, we have launched a range of unbeatable offers like Buy One Get One – Companion Free, Holiday Now, Pay on Return, family discounts, early bird specials and many more.”

“Indian customers have always preferred human interactions, more so given the complexities of travel in the Covid-era. And so to help our customers plan and co-curate their dream vacation, our multi city holiday roadshows have been conveniently organised on weekdays, offering the personalised service of our holiday experts. Our roadshows offer a diverse range of holiday options: from wellness/spiritual, outdoor adventure, culture-heritage, culinary trails and more.

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

Additionally, to restore customer confidence in travel, our “Assured” Safe Travel Program - developed in association with Apollo Clinics, ensures best in class travel safety protocols covering every distribution, delivery and partner touch point in the travel ecosystem. “TravShield” an upgraded safety commitment of only vaccinated staff and co-passengers among many other precautions, ensure traveller safety in the pandemic era.”

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 2021, The Best Travel Agency – India at TTG Travel Awards 2019, The Best Outbound Tour Operator at the Times Travel Awards 2018 & 2019 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 – 2015 to 2019 and the Condé Nast Traveller – Readers’ Travel Awards from 2011 to 2019.

About SOTC Travel

SOTC Travel Limited is a step-down subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings 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 millions 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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