Thomas Cook, the iconic travel brand that collapsed this week, began with a modest 11-mile railway excursion from Leicester to Loughborough in 1841. The trip, costing a shilling per head (about £3 today), was organised by Baptist preacher Thomas Cook as a temperance event, offering working-class people educational entertainment without alcohol.
According to travel commentator Emma Coulthurst, the brand holds a special place in British memory. 'There's an incredible fondness for the brand. We have grown up with it. Booking was part of the whole experience,' she said.
From these humble roots, Thomas Cook expanded rapidly. By 1855, it offered tours to the Paris International Exhibition and soon to America, Asia, and the Middle East. The company thrived on the growing middle-class desire for travel, later adding winter sports, motor tours, and commercial air travel under Thomas's son, John Mason Cook.
The company changed hands several times, including a period of nationalisation during World War II. In the post-war boom, Thomas Cook became synonymous with package holidays abroad and operated a holiday camp in Prestatyn, Wales. It was taken private in the 1970s and expanded its High Street presence through acquisitions.
However, the digital age and rise of budget airlines posed challenges. Despite the enduring popularity of package holidays, price sensitivity squeezed profit margins, and the company's legacy of expensive shops and staff proved unsustainable. Thomas Cook's Indian, Chinese, German, and Nordic subsidiaries continued trading normally after the parent company's collapse.
