The Great British holiday finds itself to exist in many different states. From city breaks across Europe to Grand Tours (not THE Grand Tour, or the Top Gear series…) of historical pathways not yet lost to time, trekking the Silk Road or gazing upon the Parthenon. There fortunately exists a near perfect middle ground for the majority. No longer does holidaying require a journey to “expand your mind” or seek grand adventure, the age of lounging on beaches drinking local wine in copious amounts has fell upon Britain. Throughout this blog I want to show any and all readers that the holidaying middle ground is a fantastic place to be, avoiding the hiccups and potential pitfalls of worryingly cheap holidaying enjoyed by some, and equally skirting past the criticism and snobbery of a skiing holiday with the family butler. It just so happens that Italy, in its grand hospitality and scenic landscapes, provides a fantastic setting for relaxation without expectation.
The Package holiday prototype!
As I’m sure many people know, Thomas Cook is often accredited with offering up the first package holiday, slightly less known is his stance as a devout Baptist with a strong stance against the consumption of alcohol (Barrowden County Council call him a “pioneer of packaged international tourism”) and make reference to the company which still bears his name. The humble beginnings of Cook would be shocking to most considering the scale the company operates on today. In 1841 he arranged a notably sized rail excursion to Leicester (advocating for the abstinence from alcohol as previously mentioned) he continued to expand his operations quickly however, still remaining in the UK for now. 1846 saw him arrange travel for a group from Leicester to Liverpool, 1846 saw him arrange a (relatively) small group to tour Scotland. Suddenly however, we see an increase in operation size quite massively for Mr Cook. in 1851, 10 years on from his first expedition, he arranges for 150,000 people to attend the Great Exhibition in London. Finally we see Cook expand into European exploration with his incursions. Taking customers to Belgium, Germany and finally France to then cross back into England. These European tours led to the development of two things that defined Cook within the travel industry. The hotel coupon that came about in 1868 which allowed travellers to cover their accommodation while abroad far more easily (avoiding currency related issues and the hassle of carrying a lot of cash). The second ingenious product was the circular note of 1874, the note allowed travellers to obtain foreign currencies (where possible) in exchange for the note issued by Thomas Cook.
The Italian Job (relative to package holidays)
In Charles Owens “Britons Abroad” he takes himself to Italy as he says his wife is a fan of the country and of course, it is a popular tourist destination by the mid twentieth century without a doubt. His first thoughts clearly summarise why Italy is so popular, and why it only cements itself as a tourist destination further and further as time passes by. Hospitality is a requirement of tourism regardless of the perceived class of the traveller themselves, and as Owens says “The Italians are professionals”. He also reinforces the need for good tourism practices and hospitality by saying that a dissatisfied tourist is “bad for business” but also that it is a reflection of the treatment they receive. The text says that the booking agent used in this particular instance only had three available locations, all beautiful and picturesque enough to satisfy any reasonable tourists, but Owens and his wife chose Venice (The City of Love) which is as good a choice as any.
With the views showcased above, it is not hard to see why Venice is a prime choice for travelling, especially for romantic ventures. The cost for the trip has a £10 deposit that must be paid and the cost Owens quotes is £124 per person for the ten-day ventures. Converted to a modern cost this comes in at just over £2500. Not a cheap venture by any measure, and this highlights a glaring issue with the snobbery that surrounds modern package holidays. This amount of money is more than many people could afford to throw out on a holiday, and the more affordable end of package holidays receive a lot of criticism for the “class” of people who purchase them. I too, once viewed cheap package holidays through a lens of snobbery but in comparison to this trip to Venice Owens embarks on. The cheap package holidays that many people choose in the modern day are far more accessible and provide arguably more value for the amount that you spend.
Another clear difference is shown as Owens mentions the care that the travel agent takes when providing the resources (travel tickets, insurance, hotel vouchers) which have been phased out as holidays have progressed, showing that the money Owens pays covers more than just a holiday, it is a more tedious and careful act than it is now. Owen seemingly shares the views of the more expensive travellers of modern package holidays. He intends to enrich himself in Venice and enjoys the culture and beauty of the city, much akin to modern travel he talks about the cheaper wine in the city and the abundance of delicious food him and his wife can access.
The beauty of the package holiday however, is that the tour Owens has booked for himself and his wife does not just consist of their trip to Venice, the next stop on their fairly fantastic tour, was followed shortly by the time they spend in Florence which was as he says was a fairly lazy Sunday and allowed him to get the “real flavour of Florence”.
The final leg of their journey sent them to Rome (The “Eternal” City, which is far less catch than “The City of Love” which by Owens’ account was far less of a delight. The city was far busier, especially with vehicles and ultimately he says the first day was “not a success”. After that however, venturing away from the city centre “retracing the steps of an ancestor” allowed Owens to have a far better time, engaging with the culture and hospitality of Italy as he has documented he loves previously.
Italy Now
Thomas Cook offers a package holiday, once again to Venice. For an astounding £1,156 per person. Staying at a Hilton hotel for a seven day stay. Not quite the tour of Italy Owens embarks on, but I believe this to be a showing of how far the tourist industry, and package holidays in particular have come. While not a direct comparison, this holiday is cheaper than the one Owens partakes in, and the hotel would likely provide far more comforts than they did 70-80 years ago. Ultimately in reading and comparing between Owens’ journey to Italy, and the modern holidays that I could purchase on a whim (finances allowing), nothing has truly changed for the average person. Owens may have took this journey for the culture, hospitality and beauty of Italy as many people would holiday to Italy even now for the same reason. The lower end of package holidays, to cheaper hotels and resorts designed for the masses of holiday goers, or the vast travelling holidays of the upper-middle class on their gap year have change far more in the past 80 years, than the cultural enrichment holiday than Owens embarks on which remains relatively unchanged in both goal and end result. I like to think that although he no longer facilitates such holidays, the legacy of his work, and the fact that Thomas Cook still operates in the package holiday space, affordably and comfortably, would make him more than proud considering the humble beginnings he once found himself in. Owens perhaps would be shocked to know, as many people may be, that tourism in Italy brought in an estimated 190 billion Euros in 2022. This makes up 10% of the GDP of the country. A far cry from the budding tourism that Owens is part of, and an even further comparison to the first package holidays into Italy from Thomas Cook, who likely never predicted such success for himself nor the industry he worked so hard to excel within.
Tom Bould (2024)
References
Figure 1: WorldAtlas (2021) Italy Maps & Facts, WorldAtlas. Available at: https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/italy
Figure 2: Coming demise of Traveler’s checks – numismatic news. Available at: https://www.numismaticnews.net/paper-money/coming-demise-travelers-checks
Figure 3: Looking to explore Venice? these are the best hotels to try for every budget (2023) The Independent.
Available at:https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/hotels/best-hotels-cheap-luxury-venice-italy-b1975731.html
Figure 4: Swallow, N. (2019) How to spend an artistic weekend in Florence, The Telegraph. Available at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/tuscany/florence/articles/florence-travel-guide/
Figure 5: Brown, N.F. (2018) 10 insider tips for your trip to the Eternal City, Travel. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/top-activities-things-to-do-77
Hilton Molino Stucky Venice, Italy, Venice, Venice (no date) Thomas Cook. Available at: https://www.thomascook.com/holidays/italy/venice/venice/hilton-molino-stucky-venice-21951/
Inflation rate between 1968-2024: UK inflation calculator (no date) £124 in 1968 → 2024 | UK Inflation Calculator. Available at: https://www.in2013dollars.com/uk/inflation/1968?amount=124
The National Archives (2023) Cabinet papers, The National Archives. Available at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/cabinet-papers-1915-1984/
Owen, C. (1968) Britons abroad: A report on the package tour. London: Routledge & K. Paul. p55-67
Published by Statista Research Department and 30, J. (2024) Share of travel and tourism GDP in Italy 2022, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/628849/tourism-total-contribution-to-gdp-italy-share/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20travel%20and%20tourism,more%20than%20190%20billion%20euros.
Thomas Cook’s Leicester (no date) story of leicester. Available at: https://www.storyofleicester.info/city-stories/thomas-cooks-leicester/
Tim Callen is a former Assistant Director in the IMF’s Communication Department. (2019) Gross domestic product: An economy’s all, IMF. Available at: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/Series/Back-to-Basics/gross-domestic-product-GDP#:~:text=GDP%20measures%20the%20monetary%20value,the%20borders%20of%20a%20country.
Travel agent Thomas Cook introduces ‘Circular notes’, a precursor of traveler’s cheques (no date) Travel Agent Thomas Cook Introduces ‘Circular Notes’, a Precursor of Traveler’s Cheques : History of Information. Available at: https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=1717
Britons Abroad 