Thomas Cook India enters Jammu and Varanasi market

 

Thomas Cook, a travel firm has inaugurated its first Gold Circle Partner franchise outlet in Jammu‘s Bahu Plaza with a focus to leverage the growth potential of the region it has been on an expansion spree despite the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic. Jammu‘s consumers will benefit from Thomas Cook India’s range of end-to-end travel solutions, including international and domestic holidays (group tours, personalized and luxury holidays, cruises, etc.), travel insurance and visa services.

“We have been observing strong and increasing travel appetite from Jammu and hence we are delighted to announce our first Gold Circle Partner franchise outlet in Jammu. We have selected Bahu Plaza given its prime location that provides us with a viable catchment across families, young working professionals and corporate travellers." It said.

The firm has also expanded its footprint in Uttar Pradesh with the launch of a new Gold Circle Partner franchise outlet in Varanasi at RathYatra Chauraha. This expansion augments Thomas Cook India‘s distribution and reach in Uttar Pradesh to seven consumer access centres, which includes one owned branch and six Gold Circle Partner (franchise) outlets–across Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Prayagraj and Varanasi.

In its Holiday Readiness Report, Thomas Cook India highlighted two key insights: a significant 67% respondents are keen to travel in the next six months and a sizeable 84% prefer reputed brands—especially when travelling amid the threat of covid. The company said that it will continue to enter new markets leveraging the growing demand for trusted travel brands.

 

Carlson Rezidor Hotel eyes south India's religious centres to boost business

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is eyeing major pilgrimage centres in south India to set up hotels as part of its expansion plans, a top company official said today. 

Carlson Group is one of the world's largest hotel chains. South India has vast potential for religious tourism and the group is focusing its attention to develop hotels in major pilgrimage centres like Tirupati, Madurai and Rameshwaram, said Raj Rana, CEO, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, South Asia. 

"The group has already tapped the pilgrimage tourism potential in northern parts of the country like Ajmer, Varanasi and Haridwar and as part of the expansion of footprint, south (India) is an important destination for such activities," he said. 

Depending upon availability of partners and locations, we would set up at least 20 heritage hotels in these centres in five to seven years, he said. As the group functions on franchise, management and operation basis, the investments would purely depend on arrangements based on partners and number of hotel rooms, he added. The group is also open to conversion of existing hotels and their renovation, he said. 

Rana was here to inspect progress of work on the group's five-star hotel under Radisson Blu brand. 

The Coimbatore facility wold commence operations next year, he said. 

The group presently has 74 hotels across the country, including two in Chennai, one in Mahabilipuram and one in Salem in Tamil Nadu under different brands and 40 more hotels are in the pipeline.