British tour operator Thomas Cook warned today that political unrest in travel hotspots Egypt and Tunisia would hit second-quarter profits by around £20m (€23.65m).

The proposed merger of the high street travel businesses of Thomas Cook and the Co-op was dealt a blow today after the Office of Fair Trading said the move significantly threatened competition.

Thomas Cook broke into the fast-growing Russian market today by unveiling a joint venture with one of the country’s oldest travel agencies.

A clearer picture on consumer spending may emerge this week as firms including Diageo are among those due to issue updates.

The founder of travel firm Gold Medal was set for a £47.5m payday today after Thomas Cook completed its buy-out of the firm.

Thomas Cook today said a flurry of late bookings in the UK – particularly for breaks in Turkey and Egypt – helped it meet targets for summer trading.

A proposal to end the row between management and staff at Thomas Cook's Dublin operations is due to be put to workers today.

Tour operators TUI Travel and Thomas Cook posted strong trading updates today as the pair showed signs of benefiting from the collapse of rival XL.

Tour operator Thomas Cook today said it was on course to meet expectations after trading for the summer remained strong in “all major markets”.

Tour operator Thomas Cook today said it was on course to meet expectations after trading for the summer remained strong in “all major markets”.

Travel giant Thomas Cook today said it had agreed to buy French firm Jet Tours in a €70m deal forming France’s third largest tour operator.

Bespoke holiday firm Elegant Resorts was in new hands today after being snapped up by travel giant Thomas Cook.

Rival British tour operators MyTravel and Thomas Cook are to join forces after revealing plans for a £2.8bn (€4.2bn) merger today in a move that has sparked fears of job losses.