Thomas Cook (born the November 22nd 1808 with Melbourne, Derbyshire and deceased the July 18th 1892 with Bergen, Norway) was a British business man and a pioneer of the tourist sector. He is the founder of the tourist group of the same name.

Thomas Cook is a Baptist, a man of faith. July 5th 1841 it organizes the first voyage of group organized of Leicester to Loughborough for 500 militants fighting against the dependence with the alcohol their fellow-citizens. The first Travel agency was born.

In 1845, Thomas Cook organizes voyages to Liverpool. In 1855 it organizes, for the British tourists, the first tourist tour through Europe. The destinations are Brussels, Cologne, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Strasbourg and Paris. In 1868, it creates the first coupons of hotel. In 1869 it is the first Croisière on the the Nile. In 1874, Thomas Cook creates the check travels.

The tourist company Thomas Cook and His will be until 1928 a property of the Cook family.

From this date, it will be sold several times before being acquired in 2001 by the German tourist group C&N Touristik AG which since is famous in Thomas Cook AG.

Sources

• Die Geschichte von Thomas Cook - 1841 (a) 2001 : site of the group Thomas Cook AG (consulted page on April 11th, 2006), < http://www.thomascook.de/tck/TC_Konzern_Geschichte_Thomas-Cook.html >

External bonds

• the role of Thomas Cook in the development of tourism in Palestine and the Holy Land pilgrimage