Detailed Narrative
Overall Performance Amidst Headwinds
Thomas Cook (India) Limited reported Q2 FY26 revenue from operations at INR20,738 million, marking a 3% year-on-year increase. For the first half of FY26, revenue reached INR44,818 million, growing 9%. Profit before tax after exceptional items📎 for Q2 FY26 was INR1,098 million, remaining largely flat compared to INR1,096 million in Q2 FY25. The company acknowledged a challenging quarter due to geopolitical flashpoints, global trade wars, and significant weather disruption🌐s in North India, which impacted domestic travel and leisure hospitality.
Financial Services Segment Highlights
The Financial Services (Forex) segment demonstrated resilience, with Q2 FY26 revenue at INR845 million, a marginal 1% increase year-on-year from INR839 million. EBIT for this segment stood at INR411 million, maintaining healthy margins of 49%, broadly in line with the previous year. The retail segment turnover grew by 13%, driven by a 13% increase in holiday sales and a 9% year-on-year rise in the education segment. The company also highlighted its market share of 31-32% in prepaid cards and innovative partnerships like Blinkit for 10-minute forex card delivery.
Travel and Travel-Related Services Performance
The travel segment recorded Q2 FY26 revenue of INR16,891 million, a 6% increase year-on-year from INR15,915 million. H1 revenue for this segment grew 12% to INR36,675 million. However, EBIT for the leisure segment was INR651 million, a 16% decline, resulting in a 4% margin. This was attributed to tepid demand, competitive pricing pressures, and increased marketing and sales initiatives. The B2B businesses, constituting 75% of the segment, saw a 12% H1 revenue increase, with corporate travel growing 27% to INR402 million in Q2.
Sterling Holiday Resorts Update
Sterling Holiday Resorts delivered its 23rd consecutive profitable quarter. Q2 resort revenue grew 13%, and RevPAR increased 11% year-on-year. H1 FY26 revenue was INR2,400 million, with an EBIT margin of 24.1% and standalone EBITDA of 32%. However, Q2 revenue was INR1,044 million with a lower EBIT margin of 16%, primarily due to severe weather impact🌐ing 40% of its rooms and the sunsetting of membership acquisition. Sterling's cash reserves grew 51% year-on-year to INR3,080 million, and the company remains debt-free. They expanded their portfolio to 56 destinations and 65 resorts, adding 7 new resorts in Q2.
DEI Business and Technology Transition
The Digital Imaging Business (DEI) reported Q2 FY26 revenue of INR1,958 million, a slight decrease from INR2,088 million in Q2 FY25. EBIT for Q2 was INR23 million, down from INR65 million in the previous year. H1 FY26 EBIT was INR129 million, compared to INR131 million in H1 FY25. The decline was attributed to geopolitical factors affecting the UAE market (50% of their business) and unplanned venue closures in Malaysia and Singapore. Management also noted increased costs due to running a new technology solution (WeC) in parallel with the existing system during the transition phase, with expectations for revenue growth from Q1 next financial year as the new system stabilizes.
Digital Initiatives and Customer Convenience
Thomas Cook emphasized its focus on digital adoption, with WhatsApp engagement growing 108% and app bookings up 25%. Key innovations include a partnership with Blinkit for 10-minute forex card delivery, eliminating physical documentation. They also launched TCPay, a new integrated mobile app for forex needs, and enabled contactless cross-border payments through Google Pay in partnership with Visa and Mastercard. These initiatives aim to enhance customer convenience and streamline digital processes, with the Blinkit service already live in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, with phased Pan-India rollout plans.