British tour operator Thomas Cook is back and this time around with a different business model.

 

They re-launched on Wednesday as an online-only venture, one year after a collapse that left hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded.

 

The company has reinvented itself as a digital booking platform as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hobble global demand for travel.

 

Its new website caters only to "quarantine-free destinations" from the United Kingdom, such as Corfu, Cyprus and Rome.

 

Thomas Cook went bust last September, leaving 600,000 travellers grounded and wiping out thousands of jobs. The company's previous business was centred on selling flights on its own airline, along with hotel rooms, from brick-and-mortar stores.

 

The 179-year-old brand was acquired in November by Fosun Tourism, a Chinese company that also owns Club Med.

 

Its chair and CEO Qian Jiannong said that the brand's British revival followed the launch of another online platform for Thomas Cook in China.

 

In a statement he said: "As one of the world's leading tourism and leisure groups, the group values Thomas Cook's 180 years' heritage and global brand influence."

 

"Supporting the growth of the brand in China and its relaunch in the UK is a big step in our plan to turn Thomas Cook into a global success story."