The collaboration will focus on building awareness and boosting visitations to the destination

In a planned initiative to give fillip to travel to Turkiye in the high potential India market, Thomas Cook (India) Limited and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have signed an agreement with Turkiye Tourism. The collaboration will focus on building awareness and boosting visitations to the destination.

Thomas Cook and SOTC’s internal data reveals that with strong pent up demand and easing of entry/restrictions, Indian travel sentiment is at an all-time high. Destinations like Turkiye that offer an added advantage of a simple and easy visa process are seeing significant interest. To inspire Indians and catalyse demand, Thomas Cook & SOTC’s partnership with Turkiye Tourism focusses on both product development and wide-ranging marketing initiatives.

The product portfolio has been carefully designed by Thomas Cook and SOTC to showcase multifaceted Turkiye – and its unique position at the crossroads of both Europe and Asia. The extensive range features ready-to-book holidays, group tours, personalised holidays and covers price points from value, affordable luxury to premium. The holiday products incorporate Turkiye’s geographical formations, UNESCO world heritage sites, experiences such as hot air ballooning at sunrise over Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys, white water rafting at Köprülü Canyon National Park, paragliding at Oludeniz, Pamukkale’s natural thermal pools, traditional “hammam’ spa-wellness, a luxury cruise down the Bosphorus, turquoise beaches and lagoons, range of cuisine, entertainment and shopping options.

The partnership aims at targeting India’s high viable segments including millennials/young working professionals, families, couples, solo travellers, B-Leisure and corporate MICE groups from India’s key source markets – metros, mini-metros, as well as Tier 2 and 3 cities.

Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head – Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited said, “Turkiye is one of the world’s most culturally rich destinations renowned for its warm hospitality, unique history, immense natural beauty, breathtaking architecture and diverse gastronomy. We are delighted to collaborate with Turkiye Tourism to jointly promote the destination to our range of customer segments as an aspirational destination for Indians. To inspire demand, we will strategically focus on digital advertisements, branding at Mumbai and Delhi international airports and a joint marketing campaign across media platforms. Additionally, we have also extended special offers like Buy One Get One Free.”

Daniel D’souza President and Country Head - Holidays, SOTC Travel said, “From the upscale seaside resorts of Bodrum, magnificent monuments and exquisite museums in Istanbul, to the spectacular landscapes of Cappadocia, Turkiye has something for everyone. Our strategic intent will focus on highlighting the benefits/USPs of easy visa process, coupled with its eclectic vibe, stunning natural vistas, signature wellness experience and extensive range of local food and shopping attractions to drive demand. We invite our customers to explore the beautiful country and dive into its enchanting offerings.”

H. Deniz Ersoz, Culture and Tourism Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Turkey said, “Turkiye is one of the most popular tourism destinations for Indian travellers with the interest of Indian visitors in the country, being on a consistent rise over the recent years. In 2019, which was the pre-pandemic period, Turkiye welcomed 51 million international visitors of which Indians comprised a significant share. With Covid related travel restrictions easing up, Turkiye has been amongst the top travel destinations for travellers from India in the past months. This includes all segments such as FITs, MICE and even Wedding groups. We expect that our collaboration with Thomas Cook India and SOTC will further boost the demand for Turkiye's tourism in India, which is one of the most important and high potential markets for us. We are excited to host an even higher volume of Indian visitors in the course of this year, as a result of this partnership.”