British global travel group Thomas Cook is doing away with a longstanding policy that assigned travelers of different nationalities to specific hotels on the heels of a telling survey, according to Bloomberg.
The recent poll of 18,000 clients in Britain, Germany, Scandinavia and Belgium uncovered that an overwhelming majority of travelers would embrace being part of a more diverse crowd amid their travels.
Ninety percent in each region indicated they would have no problem exploring a destination alongside someone from another part of the continent.
"We've exposed a myth that Germans want to be with Germans and Brits with Brits," Thomas Cook's CEO Peter Fankhauser said during a briefing in London via Bloomberg. "It seems most people are now willing to mix if the mix is right."
Moving forward, the company will work to ensure that each hotel features a blend of nationalities. However, the division will continue as it has for years in some places, including Magaluf, Majorca, a destination that appeals primarily to British visitors.
Bloomberg reports that the change will help Thomas Cook maximize occupancy levels in some of its most popular locales as demand increases due to recent terrorist attacks turning some travelers off to nearby destinations.
Fankhauser called the travel disruption brought on by terrorism and other global uncertainty the "new normal."
[READMORE] READ MORE: Thomas Cook Airlines Named World's Leading Charter Airline for Second Year Running [/READMORE]
Meanwhile, Thomas Cook Airlines also announced that its Belgian unit will transfer 160 pilots and crew members, flight slots and two aircraft to Brussels Airlines on the heels of slumping customers and profits.
The remaining three aircraft belonging to its Belgian carrier will be deployed across the Thomas Cook Group.
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