Thomas Cook and NatWest in multimedia test

Thomas Cook and National Westminster Bank have unveiled a chain of multimedia-based information and sales kiosks located in their branches throughout the UK.

The Touch kiosks, developed in association with computer manufacturer Olivetti in London, are based on the Travel Kiosk system piloted by Thomas Cook last year.

Using the self-service kiosks, at the touch of a button customers are able to access information about a wide range of financial products including home insurance, credit cards and saving schemes.

Those who want to find out about travel can also “browse” a range of electronic, multimedia-based holiday brochures.

Customers driven to make a purchase can then call up a NatWest or Thomas Cook sales rep on screen, and a complete holiday can then be booked on the spot, paid for using a credit or debit card.

The experiment, as the service is still described, is designed to see how well consumers accept kiosk technology and are prepared to use it. For Thomas Cook, it will also determine how people feel about booking travel outside the traditional travel agency environment.