Thomas Cook China has been officially unveiled at an event in Shanghai as a joint venture between the European travel group and Chinese investment conglomerate, Fosun.
The business, which opened offices in Shanghai last October, aims to be a full service travel company, offering inbound travel to and within China, as well as holidays and tours for Chinese customers.
The focus is on the growing travel sector in China, as Chinese consumers start to move away from traditional group tours towards more premium, personalised experiences.
A programme of 90 holiday offerings across over 40 destinations including South East Asia, Europe and the Americas have been unveiled on the company’s Thomascook.com.cn website.
The joint venture also seeks to promote China as a destination for global leisure and corporate customers. This includes tailor-made tours and new travel routes for holidaymakers, as well as catering for the growing meetings, incentives, conferences and events market.
Thomas Cook China managing director, Reto Wilhelm, said: “We have made excellent progress with our plans and we’re pleased to officially launch the Thomas Cook brand in China.
“There is a great opportunity to bring our strengths and experience to this exciting market, offering customers a reliable travel company providing unique, personalised holidays delivered by knowledgeable travel professionals who put customers at the heart of what they do.”
Group chief executive Peter Fankhauser added: “As we enter this highly competitive market, I am confident that the combination of Fosun’s fantastic local knowledge and Thomas Cook’s travel experience and 175-year brand heritage is a winning one.”