Thomas Cook launches online travel magazine

Thomas Cook has become the first holiday company to launch an online travel magazine which uses streaming video to take customers on a virtual tour of their chosen destination.

Be Inspired, which can be accessed through Thomascook.com, will feature three-minute video clips of 50 destinations from Costa del Sol to the Florida Keys, for a 13-week trial period.

Ten of the clips have been specially commissioned by Thomascook.com, while the rest have been edited from footage supplied by tourist boards.

At the end of the trial the company will decide whether to commission further footage or reduce the number of clips available, depending on customer demand.

The aim of the online magazine is to offer customers original ideas to inspire their holiday decisions and provide them with travel information on “unique corners of the world”.

It also features articles by “real people” giving their views on places which they have visited, as well as an “In the Know Guide” to little-known attractions in the various destinations.

“The rapid growth of the online travel market in the past couple of years has seen the appetite for travel information significantly increase,” says Natasha Walsh, editor of Be Inspired.

She adds: “Be Inspired is the first online travel magazine to address this need comprehensively, by providing consumers with easy access to the widest variety of up-to-date travel information, all sourced from a trusted and respected travel name.