Peterborough-based Thomas Cook hit by Turkey troubles

Summer holiday bookings for most destinations with Peterborough-based Thomas Cook were in line with expectations except for Turkey.
Thomas Cook. ENGEMN00120141202145948Thomas Cook. ENGEMN00120141202145948
Thomas Cook. ENGEMN00120141202145948

The travel giant says that overall holiday bookings last summer, excluding Turkey, were up by eight per cent.

But including Turkey, bookings were down by four per cent as a result of terrorism and political upheaval, the company has revealed in a trading update.

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Sales have been driven by demand for high-volume destinations including the Balearic and Canary Islands and the USA, alongside smaller destinations like Bulgaria and Cuba.

Peter Fankhauser, chief executive of Thomas Cook, said: “The summer season has progressed largely as expected.

“Customers’ desire to go abroad on holiday has remained strong with the exception of Turkey where demand continues to be volatile.

“To date, sales for the winter season are in line with last year while sales so far for summer 2017 suggest that customers are booking early in an effort to secure their first-choice destination and hotel.

Mr Fankhauser said: “We remain focused on ensuring that we have the right holidays available in the most popular destinations in order to meet changes in customer demand.”