Thomas Cook India : and SOTC win CIO100 Award for digital innovation

Thomas Cook India and SOTC win CIO100 Award for digital

innovation

Honoured for innovative use of technology to achieve business goals

Mumbai, March 3, 2022: Thomas Cook (India) Limited - India's leading omnichannel travel services company and its Group Company, SOTC Travel were honoured with International Data Group (IDG) India's CIO100 India Award. The recognition celebrated The Futuristic 100 - CIOs and technology leaders who have demonstrated a forward-thinking spirit by embracing new ideas, technologies and opportunities to digitally advance their organisations.

Thomas Cook India and SOTC have displayed impressive digital agility and acceleration, despite the challenges of the pandemic. The Companies were first to launch a virtual store to support customers with seamless and contactless services optimising centralised dialler applications and cloud based CRM technologies. To assist its corporate customers, a self-booking tool was also developed. With Foreign Exchange (Forex) classified as an essential service during the lockdown, the Companies leveraged technology to provide emergency Forex services to customers stranded overseas, with topping up of their forex cards, remittances to elderly parents, students based overseas, etc. An innovative digital tool, FX Mate, was launched that expanded the organisation's B2B reach and meaningfully supported Partners with virtual forex transactions during the successive lockdowns.

The entrepreneurial spirit and tech prowess displayed helped the organization deal with varying geographic uncertainties and extended lockdowns; equally address the critical customer concern of health and safety.

Thomas Cook & SOTC's transformation from brick & mortar to a unique hybrid Click & Mortar model, harnesses the potent combination of its invaluable real human expertise, reassurance and personal touch with the speed, efficiency and productivity enhancing capabilities of technology.

Mr. Amit Madhan, President & Group Head - Information Technology & E-Business, for Thomas Cook (India) & SOTC said, "We have continued to display an unerring focus on our Digital First strategy inspite of a very challenging environment. It is hence a special honour to receive the prestigious CIO100 Award that celebrates our agility and speed in delivering digital innovations."

He elaborated, "At the outbreak of the pandemic, we wanted to create a secure, seamless and contactless experience for our customers. Our aim was to leverage digital strategy in smart and relevant ways to best support our customers. And so, I am truly delighted with the exceptional delivery by our Teams at Thomas Cook India & SOTC - that enabled us get back on our feet starting almost immediately and provide customers much needed support- starting with emergency travel, Forex and repatriation to their home countries. Our agility in digital transformation has continued to help us leverage the opportunity of growing travel demand with easing of restrictions."

He concluded by highlighting, "I am particularly proud of our omnichannel model that empowers our consumers with the convenience of interacting with us via multiple channels, basis their preference - from holiday apps, virtual holiday store, portal, call centre to extensive retail outlets pan India. This is a unique hybrid clicks & mortar model that offers our customers a powerful advantage of human expertise with the speed and efficiencies of technology"

About Thomas Cook (India) Limited: Set up in 1881, Thomas Cook India) Limited. (TCIL) is the leading omnichannel travel services company in the country offering a broad spectrum of services including Foreign Exchange, Corporate Travel, MICE, Leisure Travel, Value Added Services, Visa and Passport services. It operates leading B2C and B2B brands including Thomas Cook, SOTC, TCI, SITA, Asian Trails, Allied T Pro, Australian Tours Management, Desert Adventures, Luxe Asia, Travel Circle International Limited (TCI 勝景遊), Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited, Distant Frontiers, TC Tours, Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI), Go Vacation, Private Safaris East & South Africa

As one of the largest travel service provider networks headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region, The Thomas Cook India Group spans 25 countries across 5 continents

TCIL has been felicitated with CNBC-TV18 & ICICI Lombard India Risk Management Award - Travel & Leisure Category 2021, The Best Travel Agency - India at TTG Travel Awards 2019, The Best Outbound Tour Operator at the Times Travel Awards 2018 & 2019 and Leading Company with Cutting Edge Travel Innovation at the Times Travel Awards 2018, Silver award for Asia's Best Integrated Report (First Time) category at the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards 2019, Best Risk Management-Framework & Systems at the India Risk Management Awards 2019; Best Cash Management Solution - India at the Asset Triple A Treasury, Trade, Supply Chain & Risk Management Awards 2018, Best Outbound Tour Operator at the SATTE Awards 2019, Excellence in Domestic Tour Operations at the SATTE Awards 2018, The French Ambassador's Award for Exemplary Achievements in Visa Issuance - 2015 to 2019 and the Condé Nast Traveller - Readers' Travel Awards from 2011 to 2019.

CRISIL has reaffirmed the rating on debt programmes and bank facilities of Thomas Cook (India) Limited - 'CRISIL A+/Negative on the long-term bank facilities of TCIL and CRISIL A1 rating on the short-term bank facilities and short- term debt of the Company.

For more information, please visit www.thomascook.in

Fairbridge Capital (Mauritius) Limited, a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited promotes TCIL by holding 65.60% of its paid-up capital and is responsible for the execution of acquisition and investment opportunities.

About Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited: Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited is a holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and investment management. Founded in 1985 by the present Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Prem Watsa, the company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Its common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol FFH and in U.S. dollars under the symbol FFH.U.

About Subsidiaries of Thomas Cook (India) Limited:

Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TCIL, is a leading Indian Leisure Hospitality company with 37 resorts across the country, providing a variety of offerings: Leisure holidays through FIT packages, Meetings & Conferences, Weddings, Reunions, Picnics and Holidays through Memberships.

SOTC Travel Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TCIL, is a leading omnichannel travel and tourism company active across various travel segments including Leisure Travel, Incentive Travel and Business Travel.

Travel Corporation (India) Limited (TCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of TCIL, is the leading Destination Management Company in India that offers tailor-made travel and related services to India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Thomas Cook India Group holds 51% stake in DEI Holdings Limited (DEI), one of the world's leading imaging solutions and services providers.

For more information, visit:

Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited: http://www.sterlingholidays.com

SOTC Travel Limited: http://www.sotc.in

About SOTC Travel: SOTC Travel Limited is a step-down subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings held through its Indian listed subsidiary, Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL). SOTC India is a leading omnichannel travel and tourism company active across various travel segments including Leisure Travel, Incentive Travel and Business Travel. SOTC was established in 1949. Since then, it has escorted millions of travellers across the globe for more than 70 years to various destinations

around the world. A new age innovative holidaymaker, SOTC strives to make holidays a priority for every Indian. 'We are for holidays' and we want Indians to prioritize their holidays.

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