Thomas Cook Germany is extending its 24-hour customer satisfaction guarantee, adding new destinations and expanding its premium offers for winter 2017/18.
Germany’s second-largest tour operator will step up its focus on service next winter. Germany chief Stefanie Berk announced that the group’s ‘24-hour customer satisfaction promise’, guaranteeing that hotel problems will be solved within 24 hours or customers get their money back, will be extended geographically. So far it covers most short-haul destinations. From next winter onwards, the service will cover all long-haul destinations offered by premium brand Thomas Cook Signature as well as all Neckermann Reisen hotels carrying the ‘mehr drin’ (‘more inside’) label.
Berk also described the launch of the Signature premium brand last year as a clear success. The decision to split the hotel portfolio clearly between mass-market brand Neckermann and the new Signature brand had been well accepted by customers and travel agencies, she said. The tour operator’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) is currently at 50%, which is well ahead of last year.
“The positive response to the Signature line obviously pleases us and strengthens us on the path of further expanding the premium portfolio and making it even more individual,” she commented.
New destinations in the winter 2017/18 programme are Aruba, Curaçao and Laos, along with Bahrain and Myanmar in the Finest Selection luxury portfolio. Hotel capacity has been increased for the Cape Verde Islands and Morocco, while flights to Egypt will be doubled. On the price front, winter holidays on the Canary Islands will be 4% more expensive on average and long-haul holidays will go up by 2-3% but Egypt and Tunisia will be cheaper.
In terms of current summer trends, Berk highlighted very strong demand for Greece, a clear comeback for Egypt and a sharp rise in last-minute bookings for Turkey, which is about 25-30% cheaper than Spain and Italy at present, as capacity tightens in other destinations.
Meanwhile, Thomas Cook Germany is finally integrating subsidiary Öger Tours, which mostly specialises in Turkey holidays, into its travel agency commissions scheme. The move, effective from October, is expected to boost Turkey bookings by German travel agents.
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