Boss Peter Fankhauser on Wednesday (June 20) reaffirmed the tour operator’s commitment to the eastern Med holiday hotspot.

Fankhauser was speaking in Crete alongside Greek tourism minister Elena Kountoura at the launch of Cook’s latest hotel brand, Cook’s Club.

The Cook chief executive said the group had opened up four new destinations and added more than 34 new routes in the last two years, making it the biggest holiday company operating in the country.

Cook’s Club launches in Hersonissos, taking the operator’s total own-brand hotels in Greece to 47 and full portfolio to 188. Thomas Cook hopes to operate between 10 and 15 Cook’s Club hotels by summer 2019.

MORE: Thomas Cook unveils new hotel brand Cook’s Club

The Cook’s Club launch comes after Cook premiered its “boutique lifestyle” brand Casa Cook in Rhodes in summer 2016 before adding Kos in summer 2017, with Chania due to follow later this year.

“Greece has grown fast in the last two years to become Thomas Cook’s second-biggest destination,” said Fankhauser.

“Since 2016, we have opened up new regions to our customers including northern Greece; added new airline routes into the country and its many beautiful islands; and innovated with the launch of our two new own-brand concepts, Casa Cook and Cook’s Club.

“Our relationships with our own-brand hotel partners locally here in Greece are some of our most important and we hope to accelerate the growth in our own-brand hotel portfolio in Greece with the launch this spring of our hotel investment fund.

“We are keen to talk to potential partners who are looking for hotel management agreements and franchise arrangements as well as owners of hotels in prime sun and beach locations that we can acquire and refurbish before re-launching as one of our portfolio of eight hotel brands.

”With more than 1,000 employees and many valuable partners in Greece, we remain committed to grow sustainably to the benefit both of Thomas Cook and the local communities in which we live and work.”