July 5, 2018 TnH Global 1

Thomas Cook’s domestic business seeing robust growth

Travel services firm Thomas Cook (India) Ltd today said its domestic business is growing at a robust pace of 35-40 per cent, and its share in the total revenue is expected to rise in the next few years.

The outbound (international) business currently contribute 80 per cent and is growing at 20-25 per cent, while domestic travel generates the rest, but over the next two-three years, the revenue ratio is expected to change, Thomas Cook (India) VP Romil Pant said.

“I think the share of domestic business is ideally expected to move up to 30 per cent from 20 per cent now in the next two to three years, looking at the growth rate,” he said.

Pant was here to promote special regional Bengali tours in the city during the Durga Puja festivities. In these tours, managers will use the local dialect, and more such tours in other languages are also planned, such as Assamese, Pant said.

Deepening reach is another step to maintain growth momentum, he said, adding, Thomas cook presently has 268 exclusive outlets across 30 cities, of which 70 are owned and managed by the company.

“In the next two to three quarters, the total number of exclusive outlets will touch 300. The major focus would be to expand in tier-II and tier-III cities,” he said.

Pant said about 60-70 per cent of the tours are in the packaged-tour segment, while the rest are customised. Customised leisure travel has got traction in recent years and is growing at 30-40 per cent. In the January-June period, the company grew in excess of 25 per cent, both in terms of bookings and revenue, he said.

The eastern region contributes about 10 per cent of the business of Thomas Cook (India), and this share is also expected to improve in the coming years.