Mumbai, Aug 1, 2023: Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s leading omnichannel travel services company and its Group Company, SOTC Travel’s consumer data indicates significant and growing Indian demand of 82% for multiple mini-cations; hence closer to home destinations with easy visas are witnessing increasing uptick. To leverage this high potential market opportunity, Thomas Cook and SOTC have respectively signed a strategic agreement with Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), Singapore, the premier island resort getaway and Asia’s leading leisure destination. The strategic partnership aims at capitalizing on the Companies’ viable leisure segments. The multi-pronged initiative focuses on deepening product development and marcom to create top of mind visibility and drive visitations to Sentosa.
Singapore’s e-visa and extensive air connectivity offers easy/convenient access for multiple getaways to Sentosa. With Thomas Cook & SOTC’s consumer data revealing high Indian appetite for experiential travel, Sentosa’s diversity of unique leisure and entertainment makes it an Indian favourite. Exciting developments include The Palawan @ Sentosa, Shangri-La Group’s first standalone lifestyle and entertainment precinct which features eight distinct experiences like HyperDrive (electric go-kart circuit with gamification features), UltraGolf (an 18-hole mini golf course) and two beach clubs. Additionally, Tipsy Unicorn Beach Club (only beach club in Sentosa with live bands) to be launched in September. These new experiences add to perennial favourites like Madame Tussauds Singapore, S.E.A. Aquarium, Singapore Cable Car, SkyHelix Sentosa, Skyline Luge Sentosa, Trickeye Museum, Universal Studios Singapore, and Wings of Time.
The Memorandum of Understanding aims to deepen the relationship between Thomas Cook, SOTC and Sentosa, and drive destination awareness to increase Sentosa’s capture rates from the Country’s powerful metros-mini metros; equally the strongly emerging Regional India/Bharat’s tier 2 and 3 cities.
Mr. Abraham Alapatt, President & Group Head – Marketing, Service Quality, Value Added Services & Innovation, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said, “Indians are travelling like never before! With short hauls and exciting experiential travel steering demand, Sentosa is perfectly poised to capture the strong and growing appetite from the India market. Our MoU with Sentosa Development Corporation hence aims to showcase the premier island getaway’s engaging and enriching experiences – to India’s families/multigenerational families, Young India’s Millennials/Gen Z, couples, ad-hoc groups of friends/colleagues and our power driver corporate MICE segment.
Our strategic partnership with Sentosa will focus on extensive product curation, consumer engagement and promotions to drive visitations.”
Mr. Daniel D’souza President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel Limited said, “Singapore’s convenient e-visa and extensive air connectivity have served to drive demand for the premier island getaway of Sentosa – its diversity of attractions and experiential elements making it a preferred destination for Indians. Our strategic partnership is aimed at deepening our relationship with Sentosa while creating vibrant products that appeal to our customers from across metros, mini metros, and Regional India/Bharat’s tier 2 and 3 cities.
To inspire demand, our joint marketing campaign intends to promote the destination across optimal media platforms.”
Mr. Chin Sak Hin, Assistant Chief Executive, Sentosa Development Corporation said, “As a key leisure destination in Singapore with a diverse range of experiences to be discovered, Sentosa remains a favourite for travellers from around the world. We hope that the partnership with Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel will further enable Indian travellers to discover new possibilities in Sentosa, whether it be enjoying leisure time with the family or participating in extraordinary MICE events on Sentosa’s shores. The Sentosa team will continue to collaborate with our valued travel and MICE trade partners in India and position Sentosa as a destination of choice as the tourism industry recovers.”
About Thomas Cook (India) Limited: Set up in 1881, Thomas Cook India) Limited. (TCIL) is the leading omnichannel travel company in the country offering a broad spectrum of services including Foreign Exchange, Corporate Travel, MICE, Leisure Travel, Value Added Services and Visa Services. It operates leading B2C and B2B brands including Thomas Cook, SOTC, TCI, SITA, Asian Trails, Allied TPro, Australian Tours Management, Desert Adventures, Luxe Asia, Travel Circle International Limited (TCI 勝景), Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited, Distant Frontiers, TC Tours, Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI), Go Vacation, Private Safaris East & South Africa
As one of the largest travel service provider networks headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region, The Thomas Cook India Group spans 28 countries across 5 continents
TCIL has been felicitated with The Outbound Tour Operator of the Year 2022 & 2019 at the SATTE Awards, IAMAI India Digital Awards 2022, CNBC-TV18 & ICICI Lombard India Risk Management Award – Travel & Leisure Category 2022 & 2021, CIO100 Award for digital innovation 2022, ‘Innovation in Omni-experience’ Award at International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Industry Innovation Awards 2021, The Best Travel Agency – India at TTG Travel Awards 2019, The Best Outbound Tour Operator at the Times Travel Awards 2019 & 2018, Silver award for Asia’s Best Integrated Report (First Time) category at the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards 2019-2021, Best Risk Management-Framework & Systems at the India Risk Management Awards 2019; The French Ambassador’s Award for Exemplary Achievements in Visa Issuance 5 years in a row and the Condé Nast Traveller – Readers’ Travel Awards from 2011 to 2019.
CRISIL has reaffirmed the rating on debt programmes and bank facilities of Thomas Cook (India) Limited – ‘CRISIL A+/Negative on the long-term bank facilities of TCIL and CRISIL A1 rating on the short-term bank facilities and short- term debt of the Company.
Fairbridge Capital (Mauritius) Limited, a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited promotes TCIL by holding 72.34% of its paid-up capital and is responsible for the execution of acquisition and investment opportunities.