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Thomas Cook India partners Gen s Life to expand senior travel portfolio
MUMBAI: As India’s silver economy shines brighter, Thomas Cook (India) Limited is strengthening its focus on the growing community of senior travellers. The company is expanding its senior travel segment through product innovation and strategic tie-ups, recognising the increasing aspirations of India’s 55 plus population.
According to the Pwc-Asli senior care report 2024 and Unfpa 2023, India’s senior population (aged 60 and above) is projected to reach 347 million by 2050, accounting for 21 per cent of the total population. With higher disposable incomes and more leisure time, this demographic is emerging as a powerful travel segment that values comfort, safety and meaningful experiences.
To engage this audience, Thomas Cook India has partnered with Gen s Life, a leading lifestyle and community platform for the 55 plus demographic. As part of the collaboration, the two brands will host a free educational webinar titled “Making pilgrimage travel easy & enjoyable for 55 plus” on 29 October at 11 am on Zoom.
The session will feature choreographer and traveller Sandip Soparrkar, along with Thomas Cook’s expert tour managers, sharing travel insights, health guidance and destination tips tailored for senior travellers. Attendees will also gain exclusive access to customised pilgrimage packages and special senior group offers.
Drawing from its extensive spiritual circuits across India and the subcontinent including Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura, Bodh Gaya, Pokhara, Tirupati and Rameswaram, Thomas Cook India aims to make pilgrimages more comfortable and enriching. Features include guided tours, vip darshans, AC transfers, and aerial Char Dham helicopter journeys that complete the pilgrimage in four days, reducing fatigue compared to traditional road trips.
The brand’s ‘Pilgrimage plus’ portfolio reimagines spiritual travel as a holistic experience, blending darshans with cultural immersion, from sunset views on the Ganges to local culinary trails and artisan village visits.
In addition, Thomas Cook India is set to launch specialised group tours for seniors to international destinations, offering elder-friendly hotels, porterage, curated meals, entertainment evenings and easy-access transport.
“In India, the silver economy is expanding rapidly with rising longevity, digital inclusion and higher discretionary income,” said Thomas Cook (India) Limited MICE, Visa president & country head, holidays Rajeev Kale. “Seniors today are confident and eager to explore. Our partnership with Gen S Life combines our travel expertise with their understanding of senior lifestyles to create inclusive and empowering experiences.”
Gen s Life founder Meenakshi Menon added, “For many seniors, a pilgrimage is deeply personal, but logistics can be a deterrent. This partnership brings together safety, convenience and community, enabling seniors to travel with confidence.”
With over 40,000 app downloads and 15,000 plus registered users, Gen s Life provides curated services for the 55 plus community, covering health, finance, wellness, safety and travel. The collaboration with Thomas Cook aims to ensure that India’s senior travellers continue to explore the world, comfortably, confidently, and with a sense of connection.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
