To capitalise on the high demand during this peak festive period, Thomas Cook (India) Limited and its group company, SOTC Travel, have launched an extensive range of festive holidays across International and Domestic destinations.

Rajeev Kale the president and country head – holidays, MICE, visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said “We have introduced an extensive range of Festive Holidays across customer favourite destinations packed with unique experiences and special deals for our ready-to-book and personalised itineraries to ensure great value for money. Further, customers can make the most of our air-inclusive holidays with Vistara Getaways, Air Arabia Holidays and Emirates Holidays. And to accelerate demand, we have launched a range of unbeatable offers like Buy One Get One Free, Holiday Now Pay on Return, early bird specials, etc.”   

While Daniel D’Souza the president & country head at Holidays, SOTC Travel, added “India’s festive season presents the perfect opportunity to travel, especially for families with schools closing for their mid-term break and working professionals taking time off and travelling back to their hometowns to celebrate with their families. To inspire our customers across segments, we have announced an array of deals that are sure to give them the best value, and this is across our international, domestic and cruise holidays. ”

The festive season represents India’s second largest travel period and Thomas Cook and SOTC’s internal data reiterates the strong demand, not just from metros but also mini-metros, and tier 2-3 cities with a significant 74% respondents indicating intent to travel. Key segments driving demand for the festive season include:  Multi-generational families/couples: 78% looking for quality bonding time together. India’s migrant working professional segment: 66% keen to travel home and celebrate with their families. Millennials: 71% open to a mini-cation with their group of friends or a solo break

Destinations leading demand include short haul/easy visa destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Maldives, Mauritius; also Nepal and Bhutan in the Indian subcontinent. Most preferred long and mid haul destinations are USA (for visa holding customers), Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Europe, UK; domestic favourites include Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa.