Thomson bids for long haul growth
Thomson has outlined plans to take a bigger share of the long haul market as it continues its strategy to move into specialist areas.
The operator is aiming to position itself as more serious player in the sector and to challenge long haul specialists Kuoni, Hayes and Jarvis and Cox and Kings.
Unveiling a new-look and much expanded programme which contains 90 new four and five star hotels, Thomson Worldwide head of product Lisa Fitzell said the approach follows a review of the long haul sector.
“The expanded brochure is part of our business strategy to stretch the Thomson brand into specialist sectors,” she said. “We have done a complete review of the long haul market and really beefed up our range of destinations, hotels, services and content to make our offering much more competitive.
“It positions Thomson as a much more serious player in the scheduled long haul market.”
The re-think will further set it apart from its charter-based Faraway Shores programme, added Fitzell.
The operator declined to reveal its current market share, or its target share, but insisted it would go head-to-head with the established long haul operators.
Among the new features is Thomson Elite, a brand comprising five-star deluxe properties and Uniquely, that will offer boutique hotels including the Elephant Corridor in Sri Lanka. Both have been introduced to match the product range of competitors.
And in a move to become more authoritative, each country and resort will contain in-depth information, maps and guides in addition to advice on local food and costs.
New destinations include Oman and Bahrain on the Arabian Peninsula, with the aim of taking pressure off capacity-squeezed Dubai. There will also be a greater focus on Thailand and South Africa.
Report by Steve Jones
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