Thomas Cook Sees Solid UK Travel Bookings, Slowdown in Europe

Thomas Cook reported a solid 19% rise in UK holiday bookings thanks to a renewed marketing campaign and improvements to its website, the company said Wednesday.

Europe's second-largest travel group, which was rescused by a £200m bank life-line late last year, said UK bookings had improved substantially thanks to its marketing and website efforts.

Political developments in holiday destinations such as Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco had impacted its business in Northern and Western Europe.

Earlier this month, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Swiss travel group Kuoni Reisen Holding had interested in buying parts of Thomas Cook's business, including its Indian currency-exchange operations. The UK's Sunday Times also reported that the unit was attracting interest from buyout firms including Carlyle Group and KKR & Co.