Cook reports jump in mobile bookings
Mobile bookings on Thomas Cook’s website, thomascook.com, have jumped 24% year on year, according to its latest Holiday Report out today.
They now account for 23% of online bookings on its tour operator website and 20% of bookings on the website of Thomas Cook Airlines.
Despite the dominance of booking online, Thomas Cook said there is still a place for its network of 600 traditional high street travel agencies.
"But their role is changing and Thomas Cook is adapting to this shift by ensuring its booking channels work seamlessly, no matter what a customer’s booking preference," said the report.
The report claims Thomas Cook’s new generation of Discovery stores is attracting new bookers, some of whom have never set foot in a travel agency before.
"No longer will you find racks of holiday brochures. Instead photo galleries and video tours of hotels bring them to life," says the report.
"Virtual Reality (VR) helps to make the intangible seem physical and real; VR goggles can provide a 3D view into hotel rooms, a look around destinations and even what it’s like to fly Premium. Since last year, the number of videos available to customers has increased by 50% to 60."
Thomas Cook has scaled back the number of shops in the last few years, with the latest closure of 27 shops announced in March.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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