Thomas Cook India boosts customised holidays
Thomas Cook (India) Ltd is aiming to leverage the high growth segment of travellers opting for personalised holidays, with a unique technology platform designed to build instant customised holidays that are bookable on the go.
Customer research by India’s leading integrated travel and travel related financial services company – which also owns RCI-affiliate Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited (SHRL) – has shown that Indian travellers increasingly use the mantra ‘My Holiday, My Way’, with a clear demand for bespoke, tailor-made itineraries that offer a range of options and experiences.
In addition, being both last-minute and impatient travellers, Indians are keen on immediate pricing, coupled with the ability to book and confirm instantly. Thomas Cook’s internal data highlights significant opportunity with a strong year-on-year growth of more than 36 per cent for this segment.
The company has now launched Voyager, an innovative technology platform, to address the needs of this high potential segment of personalised holidaymakers. The platform empowers Thomas Cook India’s front line teams – across its call centres, branches and franchise partners – with the ability to build, price and book personalised travel packages that include key elements of flights, hotels, ground transport and sightseeing experiences/attractions – instantly.
Amit Madhan
Unique platform
Voyager’s platform is able to compare rates obtained for over 600,000 hotels, sightseeing attractions and transportation options, in addition to more than 450 airlines worldwide.
Voyager is the first platform of its kind that provides a range of available options (across flights, accommodation, transfers, sightseeing) at competitive rates and then bundles all elements into a comprehensive package. Post customer approval and payment, Voyager, also enables prompt booking of the package and confirmation.
Amit Madhan, the company’s president and group head, Technology and eBusiness, said, “Voyager’s cutting-edge technology significantly reduces the entire build to book process of a customised holiday by eliminating usage of multiple engines/multiplicity of availability checks, booking scenarios, etc.
“The single platform allows us to condense the traditional turnaround time of 28-36 hours to a mere 15-20 minutes. I am delighted that we have been able to equip our frontline staff with this innovative technology.
“In the first phase, we have empowered our retail outlets and call centre agents. In the next phase we look forward to empowering our end customers.”
