Safe Covid-19 travel programme in India extended
Thomas Cook India has extended its Assured Safe Travel Programme with the launch of a complimentary Doctor on Call 24/7 service, exclusively for their customers
The company partnered with Apollo Clinics - a member of the Apollo Hospitals Group - to reassure and assist customers while travelling. The Doctor on Call service is an initiative to support and reassure customers by addressing their health and medical queries via teleconsultation, by ensuring an effective way to connect with doctors while on holiday.
Even as travel recovery is being reintroduced, the biggest challenge remains re-instilling confidence and a positive sentiment towards leisure travel in most customers, who remain worried and cautious. The Assured Safe Travel is a comprehensive set of travel safety protocols for the ‘new normal’, encompassing not only internal processes, retail outlets etc., but also every partner and service provider across airlines, local travel service partners, hotels and attractions.
Covid-19 cover and cancellation refunds
Insured in partnership with ICICI Lombard and Go Digit General Insurance Limited, the programme has customers fully covered with a retail travel insurance programme that includes Covid-19 related hospitalisation up to the sum assured. The companies offer flexible date changes, rescheduling, cancellations and even guaranteed, accelerated refunds (subject to certain minimum criteria).
Madhavan Menon, Chairman and Managing Director of Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. Said: “As leaders in the travel industry, our teams across Thomas Cook India are focused on ensuring the health and safety of our customers, and our endeavour is to provide them the confidence to travel.
“Our Doctor on Call service in association with Apollo Clinics - a member of the Apollo Hospitals Group, is an extension of our Assured Safe Travel Program and yet another step towards reassuring our customers with dedicated and meticulous health care services, should the need arise at any point in time on tour. Through this initiative, combined with our Assured, Insured & Secured program, we seek to cover every aspect of physical safety, as well as mental and financial security - to give customers the total peace of mind they deserve when planning a holiday in the new normal.”
Teleconsultation services for travellers
Anand Wasker, Chief Operating Officer at Apollo Clinic, added: “We provide all primary healthcare services under one roof via the Apollo Clinic format and are committed to offering world-class healthcare services to our customers. We are delighted to partner with Thomas Cook to offer teleconsultation services to customers who are in need while travelling.”
After collapsing in September 2019, Thomas Cook relaunched this year as an online travel firm, selling holidays to customers via its website. The largest ever peacetime repatriation was executed after Thomas Cook collapsed in September 2019, with some 150,000 holidaymakers seeking repatriation from abroad, a feat which cost the Department for Transport £83 million.