These days, traveling to other countries has become a common thing. In order to go to any corner of the planet, you just need to prepare a certain amount of money and find a travel agency. We are so accustomed to the concept of "tourism" that we think that this type of recreation has existed for a long time. However, he is actually only 170 years old. Tourism arrived in England on July 5, 1841. Today we will talk about its founder and the success story of this man, whose name is Thomas Cook. The founder of tourism lived a very interesting life. His success story is quite interesting.
Cook's origin and childhood
Cook's life began in poverty, like many great businessmen such as Thomas Lipton, W alt Disney, John D. Rockefeller. All of them had to experience deprivation in childhood. Perhaps that is why they have become purposeful and successful people. Thomas' father died when he was still very young. After his death, Cook was raised by his stepfather. He treated the boy like his own son.
The family does notthere was enough money, so Thomas started working from the age of 10. He became a gardener's assistant. The boy received 6d a week for his work. When he was 14 years old, he got a job in a carpentry workshop. At the age of 19, Thomas retired from there. Despite the heavy workload, he had some free time, which Thomas used to visit the school, located at the monastery. The knowledge gained here helped Cook a lot in later life.
Cook's baptism, missionary work
Faith has been one of Cook's main drivers of success. In 1826, at the age of 17, he was baptized and became a Baptist. The young man began to write actively in the Baptist magazine. He also taught Sunday school and preached around the town of Loughborough (where he lived) as well as in nearby villages.
Thomas Cook really liked the active missionary work. She brought the young man a lot of acquaintances. In addition, he received 10 shillings a week for her, which was considered a good income at that time. However, the fund of the Baptist organization dried up by the end of 1830, and Thomas had to look for another source of livelihood.
Marriage, workshop work, vow of sobriety
Cook decided to continue his carpentry business. In a small town, located next to Loughborough, he rented a carpentry workshop. By the way, Thomas did not move here alone. He brought with him Marian Maison, a young wife Cook had met while attending Sunday school.
Thomas, despite the difficult work in the workshop, continuedconduct missionary work. In addition, he actively advocated the rejection of alcohol. Thomas Cook took a vow of sobriety in 1833.
Cook becomes Teetotal Society secretary
Cook's workshop by the end of 1836 began to flourish. He could already hire assistants. Then Thomas Cook became the secretary of the Temperance Society. This organization conducted its activities in the city of Harboraf. After this, Thomas began to promote the refusal of alcohol even more actively. He began publishing the Monthly Sobriety Bulletin in 1839. And a year later, Thomas set about publishing the country's first magazine for children, which also de alt with the rejection of alcohol.
Preparing for the first trip
When Thomas Cook learned in 1840 that a railway line was opening that would pass near his city, he decided that this was his chance to do something more to promote a sober lifestyle. Thomas decided to hire a train to take his associates to Loughborough. Here the congress of the association of teetotalers of central England (southern counties) was to be held. Thomas Cook approached this decision with all responsibility and ingenuity.
First of all, he spoke of the upcoming trip so eloquently that John Fox Bell, secretary of the railway society, was filled with enthusiasm. He even agreed to pay the necessary upfront costs. Secondly, Cook prepared very carefully for the upcoming trip. Thomas arranged for a cultural program and food at Loughborough, printed and distributed tickets and advertising posters. Furthermore,he decided not to confine himself to his hometown. Cook sent out invitations to travel to other places as well. It should be said that careful preparation has become the key to the prosperity of the Cook company.
Tourism birthday
So, on July 5, 1841, 570 people went to Loughborough. They occupied 9 wagons of the train. It is this day that is considered the birthday of tourism in its current concept. The trip was a huge success. Cook was inspired by her and decided to organize new trips. For example, he constantly conducted excursions for the poor. Their cost for an adult was only 1 shilling, and for children - 6 pence. Cook's guiding principle was to get the greatest possible benefit for the greatest number of people at the lowest cost.
Care for customer comfort
In addition to the fact that each excursion was carefully planned, one of the main components of Cook's success was that he personally participated in the trips. Many people traveled by train for the first time and did not know what to do and how to behave. Thomas Cook briefed them all and made sure they were as comfortable as possible.
Contract with Railway Authority
After a while, with the popularity of travel and an increase in the number of customers, Cook entered into a contract with the railway department. Under this agreement, he was given significant discounts. Thomas even came up with a slogan that read: "Railways are for millions!" He decorated almost all fences, poles and storefronts.
The ability to "catch the wave"
Cook's ability to "catch the wave" has become an important factor in the success of his company. The first time an important event for the activities of Thomas occurred in the 1840s. At this time, the unions secured that the workers were granted annual leave. The people who received it didn't know what to do in their free time. And then Thomas offered them a tempting pastime.
Cook then developed tourist routes to Scotland. Fans of the works of Robert Burns and W alter Scott went here. Almost everyone in England read these authors at the time, and Cooke's marketing calculation turned out to be correct. Everyone wanted to personally visit the places that were described in the works of these writers.
Thomas was the first to open castles and palaces of aristocrats for tours. What seems to us today as an ordinary thing was once a revolution in the public consciousness. It was Thomas Cook who did it. Traveler's checks as a type of financial document, by the way, were also invented by him.
The ability to "catch the wave" and develop new routes all the time is one of the main factors in the popularity and development of Cook's company. We will not describe in detail all the trips that this entrepreneur organized. Let's just say that he managed to "rediscover" their country (Ireland, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man) to the British. But not only her - all of Europe, the Holy Land, America and even India were included in Cook's tourist routes.
By the way, a branch of the agency created by him ("Thomas Cook and Son") in Americaheaded by his son John Mason Cook. Mark Twain became one of his first clients. He strongly recommended this company to President Grant himself. Agree, this says a lot!
Thomas Cook's Travel Guides
Cook's "discoveries" don't end there. It was he who first set about publishing guidebooks. They described in detail the main attractions, gave advice on how to behave in a particular country or city. In addition, Thomas Cook published a magazine called The Excursionist. He went out until the beginning of World War II. This magazine was the first of its kind.
Trips to Mecca
The role of Thomas Cook in the development of tourism does not end there. In 1878, the governor-general of India turned to the entrepreneur. He asked him to open a new direction of tourism especially for Muslims - the pilgrimage to Mecca. Of course, the trip was a success. After that, a new branch specifically for pilgrims was opened at the headquarters of the Cook company, located in London.
Trip around the world
Thomas Cook & Son is the first tour operator to use aviation to transport customers. It happened in 1919. Thomas Cook organized the first world tour in 1872-73. Its duration was 222 days. Travelers during this time overcame 25 thousand miles. To commemorate the round date, Cook's firm in 1991 organized a round-the-worldtravel. This time it only took 34 days.
The fortune of Cook and his heirs
We should pay tribute to the prudence of this entrepreneur, his ability to delve into the details, to predict a variety of situations. When the founder of tourism died (this happened in 1892), his fortune was estimated at a large sum - 2497 pounds. Not bad for a man who started working for only 6d a week. Father's work was continued by John Mason Cook. He died 7 years later, leaving a legacy of property valued at £663,534. After his death, the business passed into the hands of his grandchildren - Thomas Albert, Ernest Edward and Frank Henry. Thomas's descendants owned the company until the end of the 1920s. After that, the management of the company passed to the Association of Entrepreneurs.
Cook's company today
And in our time, the business started by Thomas Cook is flourishing. The tour operator he created is today the largest and most respected tourism company in the British Isles. In terms of economic indicators, the company is the second in Europe, and the third in the world. In the UK, as well as in many other countries, there are more than a thousand of its agencies. Now more than 16 thousand employees work for this company.
By the way, a very young company "Intourist - Thomas Cook" operates in Russia. This is the result of the merger of two companies, the oldest in their field. Intourist was founded in 1929. Created as a resultmerger, the company operates in the field of servicing foreign businessmen and tourists, and also offers a wide range of individual and group tours to St. Petersburg, Moscow, the cities of the Russian North and the Golden Ring, etc. Intourist - Thomas Cook is located in Moscow at and Donskoy proezd, house 15 (p. 5). But not only in the capital there is a company associated with the name of our hero. And in other cities of our country you can find an organization in the name of which appears "Thomas Cook". Murmansk is one of them.
