A Review and Situational Analysis of Thomas Cook Business Failure, A Successful Business Model for 178 Years: A Case Study

Abstract

Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel brands with 19 million annual customers, operated and offered multiple services related to tourism and numerous one-stop-shops for all the travel demands. A 178 years old brand, trusted by travelers globally, and merged with My Travel group in 2007, was collapsed in 2019 due to failure to pay debts, acquiring higher costs, financial troubles, higher fuel prices and failure to meet customer demands. The study encompasses of a business review and a short analysis of Thomas Cook’s business model, reasons for failure and important lessons to be learnt.