Thomas Cook folds sites into single online location

Travel firm Thomas Cook is dropping four of its brands’ stand-alone websites as it prepares for a relaunch of Thomascook.com.

The sites for Manos, Panorama, Escapades and Aspro are being closed this week. Customers will be redirected to the parent firm’s website.

The four brands became part of the Thomas Cook portfolio following its merger with MyTravel last year. Thomas Cook says that although the companies will all continue to operate, their websites will be abandoned.

The move follows the transfer of another former MyTravel brand, Airtours, onto the Thomas Cook site earlier this year, which resulted in increased conversion rates.

Thomas Cook director of e-commerce Russell Gould says the Thomas Cook website will feature products from all the firm’s brands, as well as third party content.

“The strategy is that we offer one platform where all the products are available,” he explains. “The website operates like a retailer, so we need to offer everything that is available on the market.”

A rebuilt version of the website will go live next month with better search capabilities, more products and personalised content.

“We are consolidating as many sites as possible before we go live with the new version,” says Gould.

The redesign, developed with Accenture, aims to encourage customers to return by remembering their previous searches and bookings.

Extra products will include bookings with Eurostar and Hotels4U, which was bought by Thomas Cook earlier this year.