The Indian travel Industry is witnessing an unprecedented boom and Thomas Cook (India) 100% Holidays is presenting a unique opportunity to partner with the best with the launch of the ‘Thomas Cook Gold Circle’, a unique franchisee program for tour operators in India.

Thomas Cook’s Gold Circle franchisee program is targeted at strengthening company’s presence and penetration in tier-2 cities through a network of franchisee offices. The network of offices will cater to the discerning travelers and will have the same look and feel of the Thomas Cook service quality. The franchisee offices will provide the entire range of Thomas Cook products and services, including Thomas Cook 100% Holidays, its international travel brand.

Says Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., “Now the travellers in tier-2 cities can enjoy the Thomas Cook hospitality. With the Gold Circle we will be able to cater to the needs of larger number discerning travelers across India. This partnership programme presents a unique opportunity to partner with the best in the industry, and reap the benefits of the proven business model of ‘Integrated Travel Service Provider’. Though the journey has just begun, we are confident of achieving greater heights over a period of time.”

Thomas Cook plans to open 35 Gold Circle franchisee outlets across India by December this year including NOIDA, Greater NOIDA, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Chandigarh, Karnal and cities in Punjab, UP and Madhya Pradesh.

The program is a win-win situation for the franchisee as they will reap the benefits of brand association with the no.1 travel company in India, along with knowledge sharing, training and expertise to manage the business. They would also get wide range of products & services to offer to their customers, including sales & marketing support for customer acquisition, thereby enabling them to reach out to a larger customer base. On their part the franchisees will provide fully furnished retail outlet in prime location as per TCIL specifications, IT and tele-communication setup at location they will also recruit staff and manage administrative and payroll costs.

The first franchisee under the program was inaugurated in Ulhasnagar near Mumbai.

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About Thomas Cook (India) Limited

Thomas Cook (India) offers a broad spectrum of leisure travel-related services such as package tours, currency exchange and travel insurance as well as hotel and flight reservations. Thomas Cook has been present in India for 125 years and operates a total of 200 offices at various locations in the country and has operations in Sri Lanka & Mauritius. It employs close to 3,000 staff and generated revenue of (annualized) Rs. 234.7 crores in the 2006/07 financial year. The company was acquired by Dubai Financial LLC in 2006.