October 25th, 2008
Do You Know How Package Holidays Started?
A package tour or package holiday consists of accommodation and transport advertised, promoted and sold together by a vendor or an agency also known as the tour operator. A package holiday may also include other services such as rental car, outings or activities during the holiday. How did it really start?
The first package holiday started on the 5th of July 1841 when Thomas Cook hired a train to take a group of campaigners to Loughborough from Leicester. This was how the package holiday started. Thomas Cook grew to become one of
the most well known and largest travel agents in the England before it finally became nationalized in 1948.
However, because of the gradual decline of the number of visitors visiting the British seaside resorts after the World War II, Thomas Cook started promoting and offering foreign holidays in the early 50s particularly in Spain, Italy and Switzerland.
Thomas Cook was followed by Vladimir Raitz, one of the founders of the travel agent Horizon Holiday Group. This was the very first company that offered the first mass package tours and holidays overseas with charter flights between Corsica and Gatwick Airport in 1950. It also organized the first package holiday in Palma in 1952, in Lourdes in 1953 and Sardinia and Costa Brava in 1954.
Soon after, package holidays have become so popular that up until now, have been continuously patronized by many people who wish to have an affordable and all-in-one holiday.
