Master of Business Administration

IIP PROPOSAL

Name of the Student : Jayaram G

E-mail : gjayaram@bus.alliance.edu.in Phone : 09900281829

Area of Specialization: Marketing

Faculty Guide : Dr. Maninder Sudhiir

E-mail : maninder.sudhiir@alliance.edu.in Phone : 080-3093-8264

Organization : Thomas Cook (India) Ltd

#70 Thomas Cook Building, Next To Deepam Silks,

M G Road, Bangalore - 560001

Project Title : Customer response towards Thomas Cook services

Industry Guide : Ms. Saraswathi Muniswamy

Designation : Service Delivery Head Phone : 080-6717-8835

E-mail : saraswathi.muniswamy@in.thomascook.com

Duration of Internship

Weeks : 9 Start Date : 27th April 2015 End Date : 28th June 2015

Study on

Customer response towards Thomas Cook services

Thomas Cook

Submitted by

Jayaram G

Registration No:

14010121268

Under the Guidance of Dr. Maninder Sudhiir

In partial fulfillment of the Course- Industry Internship Programme-IIP

in Semester II of the Master of Business Administration (Batch of 2013)

Masterof Business Administration

Industry Internship Programme (IIP)

Declaration

This is to declare that the Report titled “ Customer response towards Thomas Cook services” has

been made for the partial fulfillment of the Course: Industry Internship Programme (IIP) in Semester

II by me at Thomas Cook under the guidance of Dr. Maninder Sudhiir.

I confirm that this Report truly represents my work undertaken as a part of my Industry Internship

Programme (IIP). This work is not a replication of work done previously by any other person. I also

confirm that the contents of the report and the views contained therein have been discussed and

deliberated with the faculty guide.

Signature of the Student :

Name of the Student (in Capital Letters) : JAYARAM. G

Registration No : 14010121268

Master of Business Administration

Certificate

This is to certify that Mr. Jayaram G Regn. No. 14010121268 has completed the report titled

Customer response towards Thomas Cook services under my guidance for the partial fulfillment of

the Course: Industry Internship Programme (IIP) in Semester II of the Master of Business

Administration.

Signature of Faculty Guide :

Name of the Faculty Guide : Dr. Maninder Sudhiir

Chapter No

Table of Contents

Page No.

1. Executive Summary 6

2. Introduction

2.1. Industry Overview

2.1.1. Market Players in Indian Tourism

2.2. Company Overview

2.2.1. Mission

2.2.2. Group Vision and Value

2.2.3. Organisational Structure

2.2.4. Product and Service Profile

2.2.5. Porter’s five Force Model

2.2.6. SWOT Analysis

7

8

11

13

14

14

15

16

18

19

3. Project Profile

3.1. Objectives of the study

3.2. Methodology

3.3. Theory and Practice Matched

20

20

20

21

4. Observations & Analysis

4.1. Regression Analysis

22

34

5. Findings & Recommendations 36

6. Conclusion 37

7. Learning Outcome 37

8. Annexure

8.1. Questionnaire

38

38

9. References 41

1. Executive Summary

The report is based on a quantitative research conducted to study and analyze the response of customers

who have travelled with Thomas Cook. The main objective of this research is to reveal the solutions

and tools which would be required and beneficial in the market expansion for the services provided by

Thomas Cook India Ltd. A questionnaire is prepared which has open ended and close ended questions

to understand what products and services are satisfying customers more and what are the big letdowns.

The research survey is based on the customers of GCP Jayanagar branch, Bangalore. The research is

intended to understand the amount of customer retention and the frequency of travel plan made by

customers. The survey aims to relate the services and product offerings of Thomas Cook to its

competitors which helps to understand how customers perceive different travel operators in Bangalore.

The questions are related to the major activities of Thomas Cook with its customers which includes

Leisure Travels, Foreign Exchange and Visa processing. The customers are more interested to avail the

services of Thomas Cook despite the fact that they are not satisfied at certain services. The research

proves that Thomas Cook can better its competirors in their offering of overall services but it is difficult

to satisfy in all its activities. It throws an insight into the flaws in synchronsation of all its activities

which comes as a package to the customers. Thomas Cook as a brand is well accepted by the customers

which can be considered as the driving factor behind the sales. The brand name has been rooted in the

minds of customers for its legacy of 130 years of service in India. The promotional itineraries and the

reachability all around the globe are the major reasons which makes the post tour experience more

successful. Thomas Cook India Ltd is able to justify the international reputation of its parent company

through its activites.

2. INTRODUCTION

The main objective of this research is to understand the needs of the customer and the solutions which

would be beneficial in the market expansion of the services provided by Thomas Cook India Ltd.

The survey would help the Leisure Travels (Outbound) sales department to enhance its market share

by providing better services to the existing customers and attract prospective customers.

The research was conducted in company itself by sending survey questions to the e-mail of existing

customers. The customer details are collected from the database of GCP Jayanagar branch,

Bangalore. A sample size of 62 customers within the sample frame of GCP Jayanagar office were

contacted during the period of the research to learn about the reaction of customers towards various

services offered by Thomas Cook India Pvt Ltd.

The sample size is determined on the basis of the customers who have travelled with Thomas Cook

in the past. It was intended at around 100 customers and around 62 have responded so far. It is able

to understand that the Thomas Cook officials are not able to satisfy the customers with appropriate

response to their queries in the initial stages.

Research also proved that Thomas cook India ltd has an edge over the its competitors as the

customers feel that Thomas Cook is considerably better in providing overall service mostly due

to the differential products added to the strong advertising.

2.1. Industry Overview

Travel and Tourism is the largest service industry globally in terms of gross revenue and foreign

exchange earnings. It is also one of the largest employment generators in the world. It has the potential

to stimulate other sectors in the economy. In the global scenario, Travel and Tourism industry is a

leader in some countries and one of the fastest-growing industries in many countries. It is expected to

generate around 9.8% of world GDP and 9.09% of total employment in 2014. Its growth rate of 3.6%

is faster than the wider economy and many of the leading sectors in 2014. It is supporting around 277

million people in employment which is more than 1 in 11 jobs. While the industry faces new challenges

every year, the sector is forecasted to grow at a sustainable annual rate of 3.8% for the next ten years.

Globally, Tourism industry is experiencing growth every year. International tourist arrivals are

expected to touch 1.8 billion by 2030. Europe is recieving maximum tourist arrivals. The below statistic

shows the direct and total economic impact of travel and tourism on the global economy from 2006 to

2014. The direct economic contribution of travel and tourism amounted to approximately 2.36 trillion

U.S. dollars in 2014. The direct contribution includes transportation, accomodation, entertainment and

attractions.

The Indian travel and tourism industry is likely to shoot up in growth this year on the back of new visa

reforms. It is poised to grow at 7.5% in 2015, exceeding the 6.9% growth that the global forum has

predicted for the South Asian regions. It is expected to generate around 37.4 million jobs which are

almost 9% of total employment in the Indian economy by the end of 2015. But the overall contribution

of 6.7% of GDP in 2014 is still relatively low against a global average of 9.8%. India ranks 42nd in the

United Nations World Tourism Organization rankings for foreign tourist arrivals. Security and safety

of tourists remain the major concerns. India has a diverse portfolio of niche tourism products – cruises,

adventure, medical, wellness, sports, MICE, eco-tourism, film, rural and religious tourism. Government

strategy is required to offset the damaging impact on the country’s international reputation, from the

negative perceptions of the treatment of women and women travelers in the country.

The below statistic shows the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in India from 2008 to

2025, by segment. The direct contribution of travel and tourism to Indian GDP was forecasted to rise

to approximately 85.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2025.

The statistic below depicts the number of foreign tourist arrivals in India from 2000 to 2013. In 2013,

the number of foreign tourist arrivals in India was 6.97 million.

Tourism is the third largest foreign exchange earner for the country with contribution of 6.7% to GDP

in 2014. The statistics below shows the foreign exchange earnings from tourism and the contribution

of domestic and international tourists to Indian tourism. The total foreign exchange earnings from

tourism grew to US$ 18.1 billion in 2013. The domestic travellers are expected to contribute around

84.7% to total tourism revenues by 2024.

2.1.1. Market Players in Indian Tourism

Major market players in Indian tourism industry are Thomas Cook, Cox & Kings, SOTC and various

online travel operators which include Cleartrip.com, Yatra.com and MakeMyTrip.com as the popular

names. These 3 online tour operators hold more than 90% of the total market share in the OTA (Open

Travel Alliance) market. They have started dominating the tourism market in India slowly.

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd (TCIL) is the leading integrated travel and

travel related financial services company in the country offering a

broad spectrum of services that include foreign exchange, corporate

travel, MICE, leisure travel, insurance, visa and passport services and

e-business. The company set up its first office in India in 1881. TCIL’s

footprint currently extends to over 234 locations (including 23 airport counters) in 96 cities across

India, Mauritius & Sri Lanka and is supported by a strong partner network of 110 Gold Circle Partners

and 112 Preferred Sales Agents in over 134 cities across India.

Cox & Kings (C&K) is the longest established travel company in the

world. Its distinguished history began in 1758 when it was appointed

as general agents to the regiment of Foot Guards in India under the

command of Lord Ligonier. In 1947, the British administration

departed, but bound by strong ties to India, C&K stayed on and

flourished. Today, C&K is a premium brand in all travel related services in the Indian subcontinent,

employing over 5,000 trained professionals. Its India operations are headquartered in Mumbai and has

the status of a limited company. It has over 12 fully owned offices in India across key cities such as

New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Hyderabad, Pune, Goa, Nagpur and

Jaipur.

SOTC, India’s leading outbound tour operator, was acquired by Kuoni

Travels – one of the world’s leading premium tour operators – in 1996.

SOTC is a leader in several travel segments, namely escorted tours, free individual travel and domestic

holidays, among others. SOTC Corporate Tours is also a leader in incentive, trade fair tours and sports.

The Indian government has realised the country’s potential in the tourism industry and has taken several

steps to make India a global tourism hub. Some of the major initiatives taken by the Government of

India to give a boost to the tourism and hospitality sector of India. “Make In India” is one such

campaign that has attracted many foreign investors understanding the hugegrowth potential of Indian

tourism. Some of the foreign investors are:

The Four Seasons Group (Canada)

Starwood Hotels (USA)

Marriott Hotels (USA)

Expedia (USA)

Premier Travel Inn (UK)

Accor (France)

Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong)

Jumeirah (UAE)

2.2. Company Overview

Thomas Cook has widely been acclaimed as the founder of world tourism, and in addition to the world‘s

first package tour in 1841, Thomas Cook introduced a number of customer empowering innovations

that we take for granted today: pre-paid hotel coupons (in 1868), holiday brochures (in 1858) and

travelers cheque (in1874). The world got around and by the early 1900s, the who's who of the era -

kings, politicians, bishops and professors patronized Thomas Cook's travel itinerary.

Since establishment, Thomas Cook has been a well-known name in the travel industry. The group's

strategy has been to enhance the mainstream of the business. Thomas Cook operates in six geographic

segments in 21 countries with 22.5 million customers. The customers are spoilt with choice of pre-

designed travel packages or altering packages as per their requirement. Furthermore, the company also

acts as an intermediary between the suppliers and the agents to provide the ability to design

holidays/travel for their customers. The main focus of their business is the Customer and they believe

in delivering more than what is expected from them. In order to live up to this objective the company

engages in hiring expert personnel.

Thomas Cook, being a market leader in travel and tourism service industry, has been chosen for the

discussion owing to the huge customer base it possesses. It is vital for the company to keep its

customers satisfied for the purpose of customer retention and customer acquisition. With the increase

in consumer spending power and rapid burgeoning of new travel agencies in the market, Thomas Cook

faces fierce competition in the market. In order to encounter this successfully, it is imperative for the

company to be cognizant of the level of satisfaction of its existing customers, the nature of their

dissatisfaction (if any) and the areas of improvement.

2.2.1. MISSION

To be the best Travel Company in the world to Travel with, work for, and invest in.

2.2.2. GROUP VISION AND VALUE

Working to a consistent vision and an agreed set of values helps a company to set itself apart from its

peers. Since 2003, Thomas Cook UK has been living the PROUD values and in 2007 we decided to

roll these out to the whole newly merged Thomas Cook Group. Together with our vision, „We go

further to make dreams come true, ‟ the PROUD values ensure that all employees across the Group

are united in their approach to delivering the very best service to our customers.

The PROUD values are:

Pioneering our future: We inspire energy and enthusiasm. We seek constantly to be creative

and innovative and challenge constructively the status quo. We thrive in an ever-changing and

dynamic world.

Results orientated: We take responsibility for achieving results. We are reliable and always

deliver what we promise. We are committed and determined to challenge and overcome barriers

and solve problems. We always work to improve our own and others' performance and

capabilities.

Obsessed with customer service: We deliver the best-possible experience for our customers

at all times. We listen and respond to their personal needs.

United as one team: We support and respect each other and work openly and collaboratively

with our colleagues as a single, worldwide team. We trust each other and always demonstrate

integrity and honesty.

Driving robust decisions: We strive for quality, speed and clarity of decisions. We

learn from the past. We ensure our decisions are based on facts and are fair.

2.2.3. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

There is a hierarchical structure of the people in the company. Various departments are formed for the

execution of tasks. All the decisions and policies are approved and directed by the Board of Directors,

and Senior Level Management which are later on formulated throughout India. The various

departments are like:

Financial Services

Leisure Travel

E-Business

Foreign Exchange

Visa and Passport Department

Operations

Finance

Human Resource

Marketing Thomas Cook has devised various internal policies for administering and controlling the

information being dispersed through the organizational hierarchy. These include the Information

Systems Security Policy, Policy on Prevention of Insider Trading and Anti Money Laundering

Policy. Moreover, the Company has formulated a Policy on Ethics and Integrity, which is binding on

all the employees of the Company.

2.2.4. PRODUCT & SERVICE PROFILE

Thomas Cook India Ltd with 132 years of operational experience offers absolutely every possible

services related to travel and tourism accross the globe. Following are the services offered by Thomas

Cook India Ltd.

Leisure Travel: Leisure Travel forms a dominant share of overall travel businesses of our

company. We manage the travel budgets of several large National and Multi-National

Companies. Our large scale of Operations enables us to effectively manage travel budgets of

several multi-national companies, blue chip companies and multi-national banks to their

advantage. Our company provides integrated travel management/advisory services to more

than 300 Corporates. Our company provides customers a complete basket of products for all

their travel needs.

Air Reservation

Hotel Reservation

Land Arrangements which includes site-seeing, car-rental, transfers, etc.

Passport and VISA Services

Conference and Incentive Tour Arrangements

Foreign Exchange

Travel Insurance

MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Events): One Stop Shop for all the travel

needs i.e. air tickets, accommodation, event management, forex, visas, travel insurance etc.

Hands on approach of senior management, including travelling along with the group

Dedicated team in each hub providing specialized services Most experienced and cooperative

Tour Managers in the industry Operations geared up to handle large groups. Thomas Cook

have successfully handled several groups of over 300 in the year 2008 A specialized quality

control department that would ensure smooth delivery of services at every stage.

VISA and Passport: Thomas Cook provides assistance to various customers for getting Visa

and Passport which are

Online applications

Consultations on required documents

Obtaining appointments for submission

Consultation on correct documents

Attestation, Authentication

Immigration assistance

Attestation

PIO / OCI

Translation of Documents

FRRO

Foreign Exchange: Thomas Cook provides Safe & secures transactions and is Convenient of

ordering from comfort of home with Free Home Delivery with wide range of currencies and

prepaid cards having Branch presence across India.

Travel Insurance: Thomas Cook in association with Bajaj Allianz, Tata AIG and ICICI

Lombard presents Travel Insurance policies that covers personal accident, medical expenses

and repatriation, loss/delay of checked baggage, loss of passport, curtailment/ Cancellation and

much more. We also provide specially designed Insurance policy for senior citizens.

Cruises: SuperStar Virgo offers so much more than first class dining and entertainment - it

takes to places where the sun, sea, people and culture blend colorfully well. Every deck onboard

SuperStar Virgo teems with endless fun, entertainment and activities. It cruises to the most

exotic parts of Asia on this floating five-star resort, its more than 25 outlets of food and

beverage, entertainment and recreation outlets will impress the customers. In fact, it is the only

cruise ship in the world that has an authentic Indian restaurant on board that is certified 'halal'!

2.2.5. Porter’s five Force Model

Threat of New Entry

Government regulation of direct FDI restricts entry of new travel operators. The itineraries and

packages can be implemented without much knowledge. This makes it relatievely easier for new

players to enter industry but cannot challenge the existing players in a premium level without much

investment.

Competitive Rivalry

Rivalry in Travel industry is intense. The reasons can be because of comparatively low differentiation

in products and services. Moreover the switching cost is too low and the products are non perishable.

Hence the market growth is equally good for all competitors.

Buyer Power

Switching costs for buyers are also low. Customization of products gives reasonable buying power.

Brand loyalty is a criteria for premium products and better service quality.

Threat of Substitution

Possible substitutes are more but the threat is comparatively low. It is generally due to the priorities of

household spending which is dominating the brand loyalty. But in case of a premium experience, brand

loyalty is a criteria for high quality service.

Supplier Power

Cost switching for suppliers are not significant. Travel operators cannot easily buyout the supplier

products like airlines, rentals and hotels. At the same time, suppliers cannot sell packages and

itineraries of travel operators.

2.2.6. SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Thomas Cook has been India’s top travel solution company for years which has helped them to build

a strong distribution network and operating performance over years. By the years, it has created a

brand reputation in the minds of customers through substantial advertising and aggressive marketing

tactics. Along with that the parent company before 2011 has been doing successful business around

the globe satisfying millions of customers. Fairbridge has taken over its Indian operations but has

least affected its operational activities in India due to the brand image it has held for years. Most

importantly, the product itineraries and packages are broader which offers customers variety of

services to seek from. The core activities of Thomas Cook is so large that complementary benefits

are provided to the customers seeking a service which include the foreign exchange currencies, hotel

reservations, air ticket booking, passport documentation etc.

Weakness

Since after Fairbridge has taken over its parent company after 2011, there is a limited financial leverage

flowing towards Thomas Cook India Ltd. The company is providing no refund for the unutilized

services which is mainly in the case of a bundled service. Most of the customers prefer a bundled

service while planning a vacation. Due to its brand name, the foreign exchange and Leisure travels

prove to be costly while comparing with smaller market players. Since profit can be acquired through

International packages, Leisure Travels Outbound is given more focus than the domestic services

which includes Visa processing, Passport documentation and regional tours.

Opportunity

There is a larger scope of business expansion as the sales are increasing in every existing branches.

They are expanding themselves to meet the demands of people in regional areas. The tourism industry

is rapidly growing due to many promotional activities from the part of government. Tie up with ICICI

Lombard for Travel insurance business can improve its existing business by gaining more customers

seeking bundled services.

Threats

There is a dip in consumer spending in India on travel and tourism compared with global consumers

during 2014. Low cost travel agents can gain business over regional packages which can reduce their

market share in their regional activities. A better strategy from its competitors like Cox & Kings and

SOTC can be a threat to Thomas Cook India Ltd. The foreign exchange service rate is larger compared

to other banking institutions.

3. Project Profile

3.1.1. Objectives of the study

By doing the survey, it is expected to get fruitful information regarding the customer perception towards

the service of a travel operator. By involving firmly with the customers, much things can be learnt

about the customer expectation towards a particular service. It can help to understand where the

company has failed in delivering a service properly or how a customer can be satisfied by exceeding

his expectations thereby creating a rapport with the customers. The survey helps to retain existing

customers for Thomas Cook by making improvements in their service level. It is expected that the

results generated from their responses gives credibility to the conducted survey.

3.1.2. Methodology

The customer database from GCP Jayanagar is the sampling frame from which atleast 62 customers

are selected as sample size. More the sample size, a general opinion can be generated adding to the

credibility. This is a descriptive research design where the characteristics of the selected sample size is

unknown. The participitants are assessed individually without influencing them externally to know

their preferences. Simple random sampling technique is used here as the basic intention is to understand

the reaction and attitude of the customers towards the various services of Thomas Cook. It is a

quantitative survey where the questionnaires are send to the email of the selected samples. The

following questionnaire has been designed to identify satisfaction level with its current service level.

The main focus is to understand the areas of dissatisfaction and those requiring improvement. While

designing a questionnaire, the closed questions are generally easy and time saving for the customers

while open questions can gather a detailed response from them.

For a sample size of 62, the analysis that would be done is regression where the dependent variable is

Consumers prefering to travel through Thomas Cook and the independent variables are the Tour

Experience, Support services, value for money, foreign exchange, VISA processing, Payment

Collection and Customer service.

3.1.3. Theory and Practice Matched

Theoretically, conducting survey is a good option for Thomas Cook as it allows data collection from a

large number of respondents relatively cheaply, quickly and efficiently. Surveys are conducted to

understand their views and attitudes towards the services offered to them. The questions are designed

from the perspective of a customer which should be easily understandable and answerable but at the

same time must cover the important aspects that the company wants to know from the customer.

Furthermore, the responses of the survey can be easily quantified and analyzed to get the desired

output. A large sample size helps to yield a general opinion and hence the credibility is even higher.

Most importantly, various statistical analysis can be employed to get different perspective of how

efficiently the organization is working. All these things can be applied practically to a brand which is

well conceived by the customers. A company with such a strong customer base can conduct any kind

of survey fo3.1r anything the company is looking at and results can be yielded with precise accuracy.

It is practicable to design a questionnaire to understand their attitude and satisfaction level towards the

services offered to them by Thomas Cook. All the customers have travelled earlier with Thomas Cook

and they have a reaction towards the services they have received. Hence selecting a sample size or a

sample frame or a sampling strategy is know from the theoretical knowledge. Finally any kind of

statistical analysis that can be applied theoretically and practically to generate the results. Analyzing

these results will help Thomas Cook to understand where they stand in the market as of now and in

what direction they must focus to improve sales.

4. Observation and Analysis

Out of the 62 customers responded to survey, 80.65% are males. Only 19.35% females responded to

the survey for evaluation of the services from Thomas Cook.

Most of the customers responded to the survey are in the age group of 56-65 years which comes around

31%. 26% of the customers are in the age group of 46-55 years while the respondends in the age group

of 25-35 years, 36-45 years and over 65 years contributes 14%, 16% and 13% respectively.

14%

16%

26%

31%

13%

What is your age?

25-35 years

36-45 years

46-55 years

56-65 years

Over 65 years

Most of the customers of Thomas Cook fall in the annual income group of 10-25 lakshs which is around

63% while 31% customers are in the annual income group of below 10 lakhs. 6% of the respondents

have an annual income between 26-45 lakhs.

35% of respondents who have travelled with Thomas Cook are full time employed while 31% of

customers seem to be either businessman or retired. 3% housemakers also responded to the survey to

rate the services.

63%

6%

31%

What is your family annual income?

10 – 25 lakh

26 – 45 lakh

Below 10 lakh

31%

35%

3%

31%

What is your current working status?

Businessman

Employed

Housemaker

Retired

Most of the respondents are interested to travel once in a year which is around 71% while 26%

customers use to travel twice in a year. 3% customers are frequent travellers.

Respondents around 53% are interested to travel during the summer holidays which falls during April

to September while 47% comes up with either winter holidays or summer holidays.

3%

71%

26%

How often do you travel in a year?

More frequently

Once in a year

Twice in a year

47%

53%

During which period you wish to undertake a tour?

Both

Summer Holidays(April to September)

Around 50% of the customers always consider the service of a tour operator while 40% of teh customers

prefer tour operators once in a while and 10% rarely consider the tour operators.

69% of customers have considered other tour operators other than Thomas Cook while 31% of

customers have approached only Thomas Cook for vacation plans.

50%

40%

10%

How often do you consider the service of a tour operator when making vacation plans?

Always

Once in a while

Rarely

31%

69%

Have you considered any other Tour operators for your travel plans before

coming to Thomas Cook?

No

Yes

48% of customers are satisfied with the Pre tour experience with Thomas Cook. 13% are extremely

satified or dissatisfied with the experience. 10 % are extremely dissatisfied while 16% have a neutral

opinion.

60% of the customers are satisfied and 29% are extremely satisfied with the On Tour experience. A

very few 5% are extremely dissatisfied and 6% carry neutral opinion regarding the On tour experience.

13%10%

13%

16%

48%

How satisfied you are with Thomas Cook in terms of Pre Tour experience?

Dissatisfied

Extremely Dissatisfied

Extremely Satisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

5%

29%

6%

60%

How satisfied you are with Thomas Cook in terms of On Tour experience?

Extremely Dissatisfied

Extremely Satisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

42% are satisfied and 26% are extremely satisfied with Post tour experience. 22% of people carry

neutral opinion and just 5% are extremely dissatisfied with the Post tour experience.

48% of the customers believe that Thomas Cook succeded in delivering the promises made to them

while 27% believe that Thoams Cook have exceeded their expectations. 8% are dissatisfied while 10%

carry a neutral opinion.

5%

5%

26%

22%

42%

How satisfied you are with Thomas Cook in terms of Support Services?

Dissatisfied

Extremely Dissatisfied

Extremely Satisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

7%8%

27%

10%

48%

Did you get what was promised to you?

Dissatisfied

Extremely Dissatisfied

Extremely Satisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

56% are satisfied and 18% are extremely satisfied with Thomas Cook in terms of Value for money

while 15% believe that Thomas Cook is not providing value for money services.

48% are satisfied and 27% are extremely satisfied with overall experience in Thomas Cook while 15%

are extremely disatisfied with the experience.

15%5%

18%

6%

56%

How satisfied you are with Thomas Cook in terms of Value for money?

Dissatisfied

Extremely Dissatisfied

Extremely Satisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

15%

27%

10%

48%

How satisfied you are with Thomas Cook in terms of Overall Experience?

ExtremelyDissatisfied

Extremely Satisfied

Neutral

Satisfied

82% says that Foreign exchange services are excellent in Thomas Cook while 14% believe that they

are moderate.

Visa processing is good according to 58% of customers while 20% believe they are excellent. 14%

believe that the visa pocessing department is performing badly.

4%

82%

14%

How do you rate Foreign Exchange service of Thomas Cook based on your

experience?

Excellent

Good

Moderate

14%

20%

58%

4% 4%

Rate the Visa Processing service of Thomas Cook based on your experience

Bad

Excellent

Good

Moderate

Poor

The itineraries of Thomas Cook are excellent according to 31% customers and good fro 44% customers.

12% say they have a poor product category.

47% of customers believe that Thomas Cook employees has a good understanding of their travel

requirements while 24% say excellent. 11% believe they have a poor understanding.

12%

31%

44%

10%

3%

How do you rate the Product category/Itinerary service of Thomas Cook

based on your experience?

Bad

Excellent

Good

Moderate

Poor

11%

24%

47%

15%

3%

Understanding your travel requirements

Bad

Excellent

Good

Moderate

Poor

Payment collections are good for 61% and excellent for 18% of customers while 5% believe that the

payment collection methods are poor.

The customer service of Thomas Cook are excellent for 29% and good for 31% of customers. 24% say

customer service is very poor.

18%

61%

16%

5%

How do you rate the Payment Collectionsservice of Thomas Cook based on your

experience?

Excellent

Good

Moderate

Poor

24%

29%

31%

11%

5%

How do you rate the Customer Service of Thomas Cook based on your experience?

Bad

Excellent

Good

Moderate

Poor

60% of customers want to travel with Thomas Cook again in the future while 19% customers never

want to travel with Thomas Cook.

44% are likely and 31% are very likely to recommend Thomas Cook to others. 14% are very unlikely

to recommend Thomas Cook.

21%

19%60%

Would you prefer to travel through Thomas Cook again in future?

May be

No

Yes

44%

6%

5%

31%

14%

Based on your experience, how likely would you recommend Thomas Cook to

your family/friends?

Likely

Not sure

Unlikely

Very Likely

Very Unlikely

4.1. Regression Analysis

Variables Entered/Removed

Model Variables Entered

Variables

Removed Method

1 Customer Service, Foreign Exchange, On Tour experience, Visa

Processing, Payment Collections, Value for money, Pre Tour

experience, Understanding your travel requirements, Support

Services, Post Tour experience, Overall Experience, Product

category/Itinerary, Getting what was promised to you

. Enter

a. All requested variables entered.

Model Summary

Model R R Square

Adjusted R

Square

Std. Error of the

Estimate

1 .924a .853 .797 .364

a. Predictors: (Constant), Customer Service, Foreign Exchange, On

Tour experience, Visa Processing, Payment Collections, Value for

money, Pre Tour experience, Understanding your travel requirements,

Support Services, Post Tour experience, Overall Experience, Product

category/Itinerary, Getting what was promised to you

ANOVAb

Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.

1 Regression 26.173 13 2.013 15.235 .000a

Residual 4.493 34 .132

Total 30.667 47

a. Predictors: (Constant), Customer Service, Foreign Exchange, On Tour experience, Visa

Processing, Payment Collections, Value for money, Pre Tour experience, Understanding your

travel requirements, Support Services, Post Tour experience, Overall Experience, Product

category/Itinerary, Getting what was promised to you

b. Dependent Variable: Preference to travel through Thomas Cook

Model

Unstandardized

Coefficients

Standardized

Coefficients

t Sig. B Std. Error Beta

1 (Constant) .126 .304 .414 .681

Pre Tour experience .475 .144 .632 3.294 .002

On Tour experience -.005 .177 -.005 -.030 .976

Post Tour experience -.188 .218 -.189 -.865 .393

Support Services -.151 .190 -.171 -.797 .431

Getting what was promised to

you

.061 .232 .085 .264 .794

Value for money .246 .155 .301 1.588 .122

Overall Experience .081 .172 .126 .473 .639

Foreign Exchange -.222 .186 -.117 -1.198 .239

Visa Processing -.020 .115 -.025 -.171 .865

Product category/Itinerary -.170 .224 -.215 -.759 .453

Understanding your travel

requirements

.203 .199 .242 1.022 .314

Payment Collections .130 .158 .124 .823 .416

Customer Service .086 .095 .127 .904 .373

a. Dependent Variable: Preference to travel through Thomas Cook

5. Findings and Recommendations

As per the regression analysis done, the independent variables have 79.7% effect on the

dependent variable considered. As per the survey result, it can be understood that GCP Jayanagar

branch of Thomas Cook is doing a stupendous work in retaining customers and services offered. The

company is able to generate many repeat customers and able to provide a satisfactory service to almost

80% of the customers. The services offered are compared by the customers to its competitors favoring

Thomas Cook. The sales generated during the period of April- September is comparatively higher than

the rest of the year. The customers are finding it extremely difficult to cope up with the pre tour

experience. The customers have rated the code of conduct of its employees satisfactory which is helping

Thomas Cook to acquire more customers.

The company needs to improve its services during pre-tour. The customer finds it extremely

difficult to tolerate the response from Thomas Cook during this period. The company needs to fasten

the processing time of visa, passport and other documents. The company has an edge over its

competitors in terms of the differentiated itineraries and products. Most of the customers feel it

comfortable with Thomas Cook. The brand image has an impact on the customer expectation and the

current advertising strategies is more enough to attract new customers as well as retain the existing

customers. Sales can be expected to grow if the pre tour inconveniences are sorted out.

6. Conclusion

Thomas Cook is one of the most trusted brands when it comes to Travel and Tourism industry. It has

been phenomenal for the past few years when it comes to reliability and comfort. The Leisure Travels

is one of the major areas of Thomas Cook which has managed to attract maximum amount of customers

to the company. It is their major source of revenue for Thomas Cook. The activities of Leisure Travels

starts from generating customers to processing of various documents through the concerned consulates

till the travel plan of customer is completed. The foreign exchange and generation of visa are additional

supports provided to the customers as their travel requirement. These are the service experience gained

during the summer internship with Thomas Cook.

7. Learning Outcome

The survey results can be used by the company to determine the factors that affect their sales favorably

and unfavorably. They can relate their sales to the response of the customers. The company can analyze

the survey result to understand how customer perceive their services. The survey can be used by the

company in the future to analyze their sales and customer retention. The company can use the survey

to generate results for a prolonged period of time to estimate customer retention and the actual growth

of company in the market. These feedback can help the company to offer new products as per the

recommendations of the customers.

Thomas Cook is one of the most trusted brands when it comes to Travel and Tourism industry. It has

been phenomenal for the past few years when it comes to reliability and comfort. The Leisure Travels

is one of the major areas of Thomas Cook which has managed to attract maximum amount of customers

to the company. It is their major source of revenue for Thomas Cook. The activities of Leisure Travels

starts from generating customers to processing of various documents through the concerned consulates

till the travel plan of customer is completed. The foreign exchange and generation of visa are additional

supports provided to the customers as their travel requirement. These are the service experience gained

during the summer internship with Thomas Cook.

8. ANNEXURE

8.1. Questionaire

Title Full Name Email ID Mobile No. Age

1) What is your current working status?

О Employed

О Businessman

О Retired

2) What is your family income/annum?

O Below 10

lakh O 10 – 25

lakh O 26 – 45

lakh O 46 – 60

lakh

O Above 60 lakh

3) How often do you travel in a year?

О Once in a year

О Twice in a year

О Thrice in a year

О More frequently

4) During which period you wish to undertake a tour?

O Summer Holidays (April to September)

O Winter Holidays (October to March)

O Both

5) How often do you consider the service of a tour operator when making vacation plans?

O Always

O Once in a while

O Very Rarely

O Never

6) What kinds of tour services you prefer from tour operators? Please tick mark the

options you choose.

GIT – Group Tours (All Inclusive)

Customized and Guided Tour

Flight Bookings

Hotel Reservation

7) Is it the first time you have travelled through Thomas Cook? (If your answer is No, Please

specify how many times you have travelled through Thomas Cook over the past 24 months in

the Text Box.) O Yes

O No

8) How do you know about Thomas Cook? Please tick mark the options you choose.

Online Ad

Television Ad

Newspaper Ad

Friends or Family

Direct mail/Newsletter

9) Was it easy for you to reach Thomas Cook? (If your answer is No, Please specify why in the

Text

Box.)

O Yes

O No

10) Were the officials helpful and respond to you in time when you tried to reach Thomas Cook?

(If your answer is No, Please specify why in the Text Box.)

O Yes

O No

11) Have you considered any other Tour operators for your travel plans before coming to Thomas

Cook?

O Yes

O No

12) Do you think Thomas Cook is any one of the following when compared with other tour

operators that you may/may not have considered? Please tick mark the options you

choose.

O Economical

O Comfortable

O Instant Response and Service

O Variety in Itineraries and Product categories

O Other(Please Specify)

39

13) How satisfied you are with Thomas Cook in terms of the below aspects?

Extremely Satisfied

Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied

Extremely Dissatisfie

d Pre Tour experience

On Tour experience

Post Tour experience

Support Services

Did you get what was promised to you

Value for money

Overall Experience

14) How do you rate the following services of Thomas Cook based on your experience?

Excellent Good Moderate Bad Poor

Foreign Exchange

Visa Processing

Product category/Itinerary

Understanding your travel requirements

Payment Collections

Customer Service

15) Would you prefer to travel through Thomas Cook again in future?

O Yes

O May Be

O No

16) Based on your experience, how likely would you recommend Thomas Cook to your

family/friends?

O Very Likely

O Likely

O Not sure

O Unlikely

O Very Unlikely

17) Kindly give a honest feedback about the overall service experience with Thomas

Cook? Do you find any areas for improvement?

40

9. References

1. http://www.ukessays.com

2. http://www.thomascook.in

3. http://www.safalniveshak.com

4. http://www.wttc.org

5. http://www.livemint.com

6. http://www.statista.com

7. http://makeinindia.com

8. http://www.ibef.org

9. http://www.businessinsider.in

10. http://www.euromonitor.com

11. http://top10companiesinindia.co.in

12. http://redseerconsulting.com

13. https://www.dnb.co.in