Thomas Cook : 12 March 2019 Thomas Cook China partners with Hanatour to strengthen Japan holiday offering

Thomas Cook China partners with Hanatour to strengthen Japan holiday offering

March 12, 2019

Thomas Cook China, the joint venture between Thomas Cook Group and Fosun Tourism Group (FOLIDAY), has signed an agreement with Hanatour Japan, a leading inbound travel agency in Japan and part of the Hanatour Group, to establish a Destination Management Company (DMC).

The new joint venture company will initially focus on inbound tourism business from China, combining Thomas Cook China's technology and distribution channels in the Chinese market with Hanatour's local resources and experience to develop new products and services for the growing number of Chinese independent travellers.

Japan is the fastest growing tourist destination for Chinese travellers and is already one of the largest destinations of Thomas Cook China's outbound business. In 2018 over 8 million Chinese travellers visited Japan, an increase of 12% over the previous year.

This partnership is part of Thomas Cook China's strategy to develop high quality products and build its presence in key destinations for Chinese tourists.

Alessandro Dassi, CEO of Thomas Cook China, said: 'Our new partnership with Hanatour Japan will give Thomas Cook China greater access and better control of the hotels and services we offer in Japan, allowing us to accelerate growth into this key market for Chinese travellers. We are excited by the prospect of working closely with Hanatour Japan to offer more choice and improved quality to our Chinese customers.'

Byung-Chan Lee, President and CEO of Hanatour Japan said: 'We are delighted to partner with an iconic brand such as Thomas Cook. We believe that inbound tourism from China will continue to grow over the next 5-10 years. Our new joint venture with Thomas Cook China gives us an opportunity to better leverage our existing resources to gain a share in this market'.

About Thomas Cook China

Thomas Cook China (Thomas Cook 托迈酷客) is a joint venture company between Thomas Cook Group, one of the world's leading travel groups, and Fosun Tourism Group(FOLIDAY), a China rooted leading company in the leisure tourism industry for families worldwide. The venture combines Thomas Cook's brand heritage, know-how and expertise in international travel with FOLIDAY's in-depth local market knowledge and operational resources. The ambition is to grow Thomas Cook China into a major brand in the China travel market, leveraging the existing technology and destination resources to reach a size that is comparable with other key source markets in Europe.