Skift Take
Thomas Cook, the man, organized his first trip in 1841, and the travel company that bears his name is still going. After a series of mergers and acquisitions the company now has 17 key brands to focus on. Read our take on each.
As befits an organization that can trace its roots back almost two centuries, Thomas Cook Group has collected its fair share of brands.
A series of mergers and acquisitions in the 2000s created a bloated travel behemoth, eventually bringing the London-based company close to collapse.
Just barely surviving, management has worked hard to slim down the travel company and make it relevant for 21st century tourism.
A few things stand out: Thomas Cook has a much bigger focus on hotels than it did a couple of years ago and it also concentrates on fewer tour operator brands than it used to.
We've chosen to focus on the core group of 17 key brands and included Thomas Cook's take on each one (sometimes translated into English) versus our own view.
Hero Tour Operator Brands
Thomas Cook
Markets: UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, China
Thomas Cook Take: "There are no compromises to be made on a Thomas Cook holiday. Choose the holiday type that’s perfect for you; we have all inclusive holidays, cruise deals, beach breaks, family holidays and plenty more available to suit all budgets."
Skift Take: Thomas Cook Group takes its name from the travel brand that can trace its history back to 1841. Essentially, it is a vertically integrated tour operator that controls all parts of the holiday experience. In a number of European markets consumers can buy a Thomas Cook holiday in a Thomas Cook travel agency, fly on a Thomas Cook airline and stay in a Thomas Cook hotel. Although the Thomas Cook brand is mostly associated with the UK, it is present in other markets such as Germany and France. It became famous in the UK for the advertising slogan "Don't just book it, Thomas Cook it."
Neckermann
Markets: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland
Thomas Cook Take: "Neckermann Reisen makes it possible — under this motto, the tour operator has been making holidays for broad sections of the population possible for more than 45 years."
Skift Take: Another old brand. Founded in 1963. It became part of what is now Thomas Cook through an acquisition in 2000. Like many of the other brands in the Thomas Cook portfolio, it eventually adopted the sunny heart logo that the company introduced in 2012. Consumers once perceived Neckermann as old-fashioned but it is now much more of a generalist tour operator and has spread from Germany to become the main Thomas Cook brand across much of central Europe.
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