MUMBAI: Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s leading travel and integrated travel related financial services company is fostering family bonding through travel, with specific focus on Father-Child bonding tours, in a run up to Father’s Day. With an increasing trend of father–child travel to both domestic and international destinations, millennials are today opting to gift travel experiences rather than conventional options.

Thomas Cook India data has indicated a 30% rise in male travellers aged above 45 years and post- retirement as compared to 2018. With over 90% holidaying with their families, ‘Dad and Me’ travel is fast gaining ground today. For today’s cash rich, but time poor generation, the emotional appeal of travelling to spend quality time with their Dad is resulting in strong demand for outdoors-adventure, music and culture tourism; sports tourism being a significant driver.

This need for an emotional-connect is also seeing a surge in gifting of Instagram–worthy holidays to dads by millennial travellers. With add–on inclusions to pamper their fathers and ensure memories of a lifetime, the packages are usually upgraded with extravagant features like end to end chauffeur services, bookings in spa-resorts and fun-filled bonding experiences create an unforgettable trip.

To leverage this significant trend, Thomas Cook India had recently launched a digital video campaign #CricketDateWithDad close on the heels of Father’s Day (June 16, 2019) and in sync with the on-going ICC Cricket World Cup. The video brings to life the little nuances of a father-son bond, strengthened through the game over the years and taking one on a trip down memory lane to relive their precious memories.

Thomas Cook India’s campaign has since garnered over a million views across social media platforms. With a 36% growth in bookings for the World Cup, the brand aims to encourage father–child travel engagement through common passions like cricket.

Mr. Abraham Alapatt, President, Group Head - Marketing, Service Quality & Innovation, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. said, “The new wave of father-child bonding trips is a significant opportunity for our brand. Through our campaign #CricketDateWithDad, we aim to focus on the sentiment shared by father and child, and induce in our customers the need to take time out from their schedules and spend some exclusive time with their first hero – their dad. With cricket being India’s passion and Father’s Day coinciding with the ICC Cricket World Cup, we’ve combined the two to present it as a compelling proposition to our customers.”