The well known travel agency Thomas Cook has been growing over the years. However, this is not enough for them. Now the company has its sights on becoming the third biggest online travel agency in all of Europe.

Apparently Thomas Cook has identified online travel as a major growth area. Thus, the company plans to expand this area with a range of Thomas Cook branded online agencies across Europe, as well as local sites for other brands like Airtours.

As of right now, the top four brands as far as online travel agency goes include Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity and Opodo. In 2009, the online travel market was worth around €68 billion. It is estimated that this will rise to €79 billion by 2011. Thus, this is a part of the travel industry that is worth looking into.

Thomas Cook has partnered up with Expedia to offer up to 80,000 city center hotels. However, it is also setting up its own hotel purchasing operation. Right now the company is targeting on £3.5 billion of online sales creating revenue of up to £450 million over the next few years.

Simon Breakwell, who is an E-commerce advisor, said that work is well underway with Thomas Cook’s website. The company’s UK independent product sales are already up 30 percent year-on-year.

Many companies are turning to the internet nowadays to increase their sales. This is because the internet offers a cheaper way to reach more people across the globe. Not only this, but more people view the internet than almost any other form of media. Thus, it is the perfect place for companies like Thomas Cook to set their sights on to increase sales.