{"id":22124,"date":"2026-01-11T19:21:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/?page_id=22124"},"modified":"2026-01-11T19:21:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:51:29","slug":"from-diyas-to-destinations-how-thomas-cook-india-sotc-redefined-festive-travel","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/from-diyas-to-destinations-how-thomas-cook-india-sotc-redefined-festive-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"From Diyas to Destinations: How Thomas Cook India &amp; SOTC Redefined Festive Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Thomas Cook India &amp; SOTC turned festive celebrations into unforgettable journeys!<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Festivals in India have always meant family gatherings, delicious food, lights, laughter\u2014and home. But this year, many Indians packed their bags and took their festive spirit on the road, celebrating Durga Puja, Dussehra, and Diwali in new and memorable ways.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel\u2019s <strong>India Holiday Report 2025<\/strong> had predicted this exciting shift\u2014families and friends travelling together, staying longer, spending more, and seeking fresh, immersive experiences. From heritage stays and luxury resorts, to cruises and offbeat escapes, festival holidays became the highlight of the season.<\/p>\n<p>To meet this growing demand, <strong>Thomas Cook (India) Limited,<\/strong> and\u00a0 <strong>SOTC Travel<\/strong> had launched a vibrant range of festive tours, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Special group departures<\/strong> from Kolkata for <em>Durga Puja<\/em> and from Karnataka for <em>Dussehra<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Festive tours<\/strong> from high-potential markets like Gujarat and Maharashtra<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Pan-India Diwali departures<\/strong> for travellers eager to celebrate on the move<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And to make the celebrations even sweeter, <strong>HDFC credit card users<\/strong> enjoyed <strong>discounts of up to \u20b910,000<\/strong> per transaction on select holidays!<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Festive Travel Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Longer stays, higher spends:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Families stretched the traditional 3-day break into 6\u201312 day vacations, making the most of school holidays and long weekends. Millennials, Gen Z, and working professionals blended weekends with festival breaks for quick yet meaningful getaways.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Favourite destinations:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Domestic &amp; Indian Subcontinent:<\/strong> Andaman, Kerala, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Karnataka, North East, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Nepal.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>International:<\/strong> Thailand, Singapore with Bintan, Malaysia (including Sabah), Indonesia, Vietnam, Oman, Australia\u2013New Zealand, Switzerland, France, Finland, Japan, South Korea, Georgia, Germany, Spain, Austria, Kenya, South Africa, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Maldives, Mauritius.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Visa-free or easy visa favourites:<\/strong> Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Dubai\u2013Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Maldives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Spiritual Journeys:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Thomas Cook and SOTC\u2019s <strong><em>Spiritual Journeys &amp; Darshans<\/em><\/strong> portfolio featured the Char Dham, Kashi, Ayodhya, Rameswaram, Tirupati, Amritsar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Dwarka, and Sri Lanka\u2014with themed tours such as <em>Ramayan Anant Yatra<\/em> and <em>Ramayan Trails<\/em>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Premium &amp; Affordable Luxury:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Travellers opted for indulgent stays\u2014resorts, spas, and luxury villas in France, Switzerland, Scandinavia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Oman, Morocco, and Seychelles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Cruising:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">There was strong demand for sailings across South East Asia and the Middle East (<em>Costa Cruises, Resorts World Cruises<\/em>), as well as premium cruises like <em>Disney Cruise Line<\/em> in Australia and Singapore, and domestic voyages with <em>Cordelia Cruises<\/em>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Regional group tours:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Travellers showed great enthusiasm for <em>regional festive tours<\/em> such as <strong>Adhbhut Asia, Alokik Asia, Ashadharon Vietnam, Albelu Bali, Duronto Dubai O Abu Dhabi, Iconic Oman &#8211; Durga Puja Special, Japan Extravaganza Dussehra Special, Akorshonio France O Swiss, Albelu South Africa, Breathtaking Bhutan<\/strong>, and <strong>Kerala Delight<\/strong>, complete with regional tour managers, curated vegetarian meals, and even <em>on-tour pujas<\/em>!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Celebration Met Exploration<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rajeev Kale<\/strong>, President &amp; Country Head, Holidays, MICE &amp; Visa, shared:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravel has become non-negotiable, and festive tourism is a powerful cultural driver. Indians are now celebrating festivals while travelling. 85% of travellers are increasing their travel duration and budgets to celebrate culture in immersive ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cOur regional festival tours\u2014like Adhbhut Asia and Alokik Asia\u2014combine local and authentic experiences that truly meet the aspirations of India\u2019s new-age traveller.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>S.D. Nandakuma<\/strong>r, President &amp; Country Head \u2013 Holidays and Corporate Tours, SOTC Travel Limited, noted:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIndia\u2019s festive calendar is now a key travel motivator. Families and friends are using these holidays to create multiple trips a year, not just one big vacation. What\u2019s more exciting is that this trend extends far beyond metros\u2014Tier 2 and 3 cities are joining in too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From cruises and boutique stays to culinary trails and adventure activities, these festive tours truly blended <em>celebration with exploration<\/em>\u2014helping travellers create deeper connections and lasting memories.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Cook India &amp; SOTC turned festive celebrations into unforgettable journeys! Festivals in India have always meant family gatherings, delicious food, lights, laughter\u2014and home. But this year, many Indians packed their bags and took their festive spirit on the road, celebrating Durga Puja, Dussehra, and Diwali in new and memorable ways. Thomas Cook India and&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/from-diyas-to-destinations-how-thomas-cook-india-sotc-redefined-festive-travel\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22124"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22124"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22622,"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22124\/revisions\/22622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}