Skift Forum Europe Preview: Thomas Cook CEO on Reinventing Mass-Market Tourism
Photo Credit: Thomas Cook Group CEO Peter Fankhauser, pictured here, will speak at Skift Forum Europe 2018 in Berlin on April 26. Thomas Cook Group
Skift Take
Thomas Cook is an old dog in the travel industry that has definitely learned some new tricks. From Thomas Cook Money to offering the ability to book a specific hotel room, the company is personalizing the travel experience for the future.
Thomas Cook is one of the world's oldest travel companies, but some of its recent product launches and offerings have put a new spin on group travel and mass tourism.
Thomas Cook Group CEO Peter Fankhauser has said the company must keep pace in an increasingly digital world. Nearly 40 percent of Thomas Cook's UK bookings now take place online, and that mark hit 92 percent in Scandinavian countries last year, the company said.
Thomas Cook wants to offer an online booking experience or an in-person one in its stores or over the phone, and that's part of its goal to individualize the mass-market tourism sector depending on customer preferences.
Last year, the company announced it would let travelers choose their hotel rooms — the actual room — before departure, and launched a hotel brand to cater to families and an adults-only crowd, dependi
