Businesses will not be as usual for anyone. Keeping such changes in mind and after taking feedback from customers, Thomas Cook and SOTC decided to address the concern of health with the help of Apollo Clinic. Integrated travel services company, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd and its group company SOTC Travel Ltd, jointly launched ‘Assured’ - a comprehensive programme to safe travel in the COVID-19 era.
For this programme, the companies have partnered with Apollo Hospitals Group’s Apollo Clinics to jointly set a benchmark for safety in travel. This association was based on the research the travel companies conducted with their customers to understand their concerns and priorities when it comes to travel in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Thomas Cook India & SOTC Holiday Readiness Survey survey showed that health and safety was the overriding concern of 75 per cent of the respondents.
It is then that the companies realised the need for health and safety protocols to make travel safer and build confidence among the aspiring travellers.
The protocol is expected to be at every stage of the customer journey - from the various contactless booking processes, safe physical outlets and processes at the sales/servicing pre tour stage, as well as the on-tour stage.
The assured programme also defines a series of comprehensive health and safety measures in place across every travel touch-point from airports, airlines, local transportation, hotels, restaurants and attractions and encompasses employees and suppliers, sellers and channels, including franchisees & customers.
Madhavan Menon, Chairman and Managing Director, Thomas Cook India said, “Across Thomas Cook India & SOTC, our customers have been clear that health, hygiene and safety is their prime concern when it comes to travel in the COVID-19 era. Hence, our teams have spent a significant time at the drawing board and worked jointly with key travel partners/stakeholders to create this very comprehensive initiative.”
The programme will serve as a handy guide/reference point that would assist all our stakeholders in the travel and tourism Industry achieve a single common goal i.e. ‘Safe travel for all Indians’.
Ajay H Gangoli, Director Medical Services, Apollo Health and Lifestyle Ltd., said “The Apollo group keeps patient and health professionals’ safety as a top priority. In these days of the COVID19 pandemic, the speed with which the virus has spread across the globe is very indicative that borders are not respected by these diseases. Apropos, the need to address issues to make travel safe fits into the Apollo goal.”
