Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. is likely to post a 20-25% growth in its leisure travel business during 2018, due to a surge in outbound travellers from tier-II to tier-IV cities, said a top official.
“For the last few years, we have been posting 13% to 17% growth in outbound tours, particularly from South India,” said Romil Pant, senior VP, Leisure Travel. “This year, we will post 20-25% growth triggered by outbound passengers from tier-II to tier IV cities.” “During the calendar year, we expect South India to contribute 30% to our revenue. Last year, we posted revenue of ₹1,600 crore and this year, it would touch ₹2,000 crore,” he said.
Tamil Nadu was a critical source market and formed a vital part of its strategic plan for 2018-19, he said.
“We have identified the State as a key strategic focus for our company. The demand from cities such as Chennai, Coimbatore and Salem continues to show impressive growth and this is complemented by the emerging potential witnessed from Madurai, Erode and Tiruchi,” he said.
‘40% growth’
According to him, tier-II to tier-IV cities would post a growth of 40% this year against 15% recorded in the last three years. Passengers from six southern states preferred to visit Europe, South East Asia and the U.S. in the international circuit and Gujarat, Andamans and Sri Lanka in the domestic circuit.
