February 9, 2017 TnH Global

Thomas Cook India’s guide to the best retreat this Valentine’s Day

India’s leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company, is witnessing a strong growth in the Romantic Travel Segment with a 33% growth in demand over the previous year.

The Company has observed a clear shift in demand from traditional pure romantic packages to unconventional itineraries that incorporate romance and fun!

Another significant trend witnessed by Thomas Cook India in its consumer analysis is that uptake is no longer restricted to young honeymoon couples, but now extends across age groups from Gen Y to Gen S with 3 high potential segments emerging:

1. A DINKS/Millenial segment leveraging romantic travel to break away from the drudge of everyday work routine via romantic weekend breaks/ for occasions like Valentine’s Day

2. Empty Nesters with grown-up kids and hence free from family responsibilities, rekindling romance with their spouses on a romantic getaway

3. India’s Gen S/Silvers segment with disposable income and plenty of leisure time to indulge in their dreams of indulgent romantic trip

To tap this high potential opportunity, Thomas Cook India has launched delightful romantic packages timed to target India’s last-minute weekend travellers during Valentine’s Day (the occasion coinciding with a long weekend from work). The Company’s “Love Trails” portfolio offers over 25 International and Domestic destinations.

The exclusively curated Thomas Cook Love Trails hence includes private island stays, fine dining on luxury yachts, champagne breakfasts on a safari, romantic wine trails, sea-plane rides, scenic self-drives, and more. To cater to the discerning Indian couple’s palate, Love Trails packages include ‘RomTime’ elements covering romantic bonding moments including, an enchanting Belgian wine and caves experience at the unique Grottes de Hann, Hawaii’s, breathtaking Hana adventure tour or an unforgettable drive incorporating South Africa’s Route 62 and Garden Route. And as a special offer- wine & dinner complimentary are included complimentary (on one of the nights) – across all its Love Trail packages.

The allure of ‘braggable rights’ is powering Millennial travel and hence Thomas Cook has incorporated brag-worthy experiences like ranch stays with cowboy experiences in USA’s Wild West, a decadent spa-wellness vacay in Baden Baden, Germany, or a chateaux/castle stay in Picardy, France. Indian travelers are increasingly opting for romantic escapades with a taste of the quirky/quixotic and hence Thomas Cook’s Love Trails includes engaging elements like fun tuk-tuk tours and pub crawls in Amsterdam, Michelin dining with a twist-courtesy Singapore’s famed street hawkers, Harley Davidson biking tours in New Zealand or an unforgettable spa experience in Iceland’s geothermal Blue Lagoon.

Exotic locales featured in Thomas Cook India’s Love Trails are France, Greece, Hawaii, New Zealand, Seychelles, South Africa, Bali, Argentina, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Germany, Belgium and Mauritius. To optimise on the upcoming Valentine’s Day weekend, India’s travellers are capitalising on visa free (visa not required) or visa-on-arrival destinations like Bali, Jordan, Thailand and Kenya and Islands like Mauritius, Maldives, & Seychelles.

Thomas Cook India’s domestic segment has also launched exclusive Romantic Getaways across 16 different destinations in and around India. Explorers tend to consider Kerala & Goa as one of the most sought-after Indian destinations in the travel sector. However, couples looking for a more personal romantic getaway can pick and choose from scenic mountain vistas of Himachal Pradesh to soft adventure trips in the Andamans and Goa’s beaches. New-age travelers who are more adventurous are choosing serene landscapes like Bhutan or slightly off beat North East and Sikkim. In terms of high-end luxury indulgence, the most favored destinations remain the sandy terrains of Rajasthan and the tropical island of Maldives.

Commenting on the launch of Love Trails, Rajeev Kale – President and Country Head – Leisure Travel, MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. said, “At Thomas Cook India, given that the Romantic Travel segment is seeing growth of over 33%, this is a market that has been earmarked as a key element of our Strategy 2017. We have been observing a distinctive shift- increasing demand for adventure, fun and unconventional experiences along with romance. For Indian millennials a great romantic vacation is all about offbeat and quirky brag worthy elements as a means of falling in love all over again. Our intent, through Love Trails, is to cater to the unique and discerning palette of travellers from this highly growing segment by offering packages that are tailor-made to offer an exclusive romantic getaway coupled with some much-needed bonding time with their loved ones.”