Thomas Cook is outsourcing its Thomas Cook Tours business to one of the US’s oldest escorted touring specialists.
Thomas Cook, which started as an escorted touring business, has agreed an operating and brand license agreement with Collette Travel Service, parent company of escorted tours specialist Collette Worldwide, for a minimum of five years.
It is understood that a small number of Thomas Cook product roles are under review
Thomas Cook’s UK tour operator, including the charter programme and its scheduled business, remains unchanged. Cook will continue to market Thomas Cook Tours as part of its ‘Signature’ offering for the duration of the agreement.
The deal with Collette Travel commences from today for all tours departing after March 1, 2014.
Following this, Collette Travel will operate the business, which will be ‘white labelled’ and continue to be known as Thomas Cook Tours.
The brand will continue to sell through Thomas Cook and independent travel agencies. A new 2014 brochure out this week will include new tours exclusive to Thomas Cook Tours, which will not be available through Collette Worldwide Holidays.
Collette Worldwide UK general manager Peter Traynor said: “The most successful itineraries will be retained and there will be a lot of new tours.
“We are delighted to have been selected by Thomas Cook. We are one of the oldest tour operators in the US and it’s a good match in terms of heritage and values.”
The tours will now operate under Collette’s Atol and bookings will be made via its call centre.
Traynor does not anticipate the move affecting Collette’s sales through independent agents. “We will continue to market and sell Collette as normal and our intent is to grow the size of the Thomas Cook Tours business,” he added.
Thomas Cook Tours generated revenues of £10 million in the past year.
Thomas Cook started its business in escorted tours before it grew to become a large mainstream operator and travel agency chain.
Group chief executive Harriet Green said: “Outsourcing our tours activity to an established specialist like Collette Travel enables us to continue to offer our customers the widest possible range of personalised experiences to meet their needs.
“The arrangement with Collette Travel Service is consistent with our objective to simplify and focus our business on our core offering”.