Thomas Cook - Celebrates 170 Years of Travel
We began putting the whole world in your hands 170 years ago.
July 5th, 2011, sees the 170th anniversary of the first 'package holiday' when (Mr) Thomas Cook organized his first trip - a 12-mile rail journey for 500 people from Leicester to Loughborough costing one shilling. Things may have changed since 1841 but his legacy certainly lives on.
His legacy certainly lives on.
Today, the
Thomas Cook Group plc has more than 22.5 million customers, 31,000 employees throughout 21 countries, 93 aircraft and nearly 3,500 stores all operating under the founder's name. In Canada alone, Thomas Cook takes more than one million customers to destinations worldwide and has 1,500 people working for it.
Thomas Cook made travel more accessible to the world.
The first organized trip might have been 170 years ago, but it's not just the holiday itself that Thomas Cook has given to the world. In his attempt to make travel more accessible, Thomas Cook introduced a number of innovations and marketing initiatives such as pre-paid hotel coupon (in 1868), holiday brochures (in 1858) and travellers' cheques (in 1874).
Manny Fontenla-Novoa, Thomas Cook Group CEO said: "We are incredibly proud of our heritage. When Thomas Cook first started offering travel in 1841 he would never have believed that all these years on, his name would appear on hundreds of stores, aircraft and in holiday resorts all over the world. He would be delighted to see that he enabled millions of people to enjoy quality holidays around the globe."
Manny added "Very few companies in any industry sector can boast a rich history and heritage as strong as ours that positions us today as one of the world's leading travel companies in the 21st century."
"Over the years, Thomas Cook has evolved to meet the needs of today's travellers and still continues to be innovative whilst ensuring value for money and peace of mind that you will be looked after every step of the way. "
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