Читать книгу Global Experience Industries - Jens Christensen - Страница 36

Thomas Cook originated back in the 19^th century when it pioneered mass tourism in the UK.⁶¹ Throughout the 20^th century, it remained a leading international tour operator. In the 1990s, Thomas Cook was taken over by a German capital group that started a process of consolidation along with other tour operators. By its merger with MyTravel in 2007, Thomas Cook becomes one of the two worldwide leading tour operators. Most of its total $16 billion sales lie in Western Europe, with Germany and the UK being the two predominant markets. Thomas Cook comprises many firms within most parts of the travel value chain, including tour operators and their subsidiaries, travel agencies, airlines and hotels. The economic crisis of the early 2000s, forced Thomas Cook to carry out a radical reorganization process similar to other large tour operators. Focus is strengthened on its core business by introducing the dynamic packing strategy, by replacing much capital bindings with third-party purchases, and by upgrading the use of the Internet as sales channel. In this way, Thomas Cook is to a higher degree turned into a distribution company where customers, via its website, can book and buy travel, accommodation, car rental, etc.

With annual revenues in 2007 of $5.5 billion, the acquired travel corporation MyTravel is one-third the size of Thomas Cook.⁶² 60 percent of its sales stem from the UK, 25 percent from Scandinavia and 15 percent from North America. By merging with the two large Scandinavian tour operators Spies and Tjaereborg in the 1990s, MyTravel creates also a stronghold in Scandinavia. As a result of deficits in the early 2000s, MyTravel sells most of its airline fleet and reorganizes according to the dynamic packaging strategy and use of third-party providers. MyTravel complements Thomas Cook in its main markets making Thomas Cook a market leader in the UK and some other European countries.

In 2006, merged Thomas Cook and MyTravel have combined annual revenues of $21 billion, Thomas Cook 16 $bn and MyTravel $5 bn. The Thomas Cook Group is no. 1 in the UK, France, Scandinavia and Hungary, and no. 2 in Germany (after TUI and closely followed by REWE), Poland and Austria.