Holiday operator Thomas Cook has defied expectations by posting a 6 per cent increase in revenue for the year ending 30 September 2009, despite the recession and the impact of the swine flu outbreak.

According to the company, there has been continued growth in demand for medium-haul destinations like Turkey and Egypt as a result of the weaker pound, with bookings for 2010 remaining in line with expectations. Thomas Cook chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: "Looking ahead, the late booking trend is still evident but our winter 2009-10 trading position continues to improve and trend towards our planned capacity.

"Although it is still early in the cycle, bookings for summer 2010 are also in line with our expectations. Recent customer research shows that UK consumers remain intent on taking their holidays abroad next summer and we continue to see strong growth in bookings to medium haul destinations such as Turkey and Egypt."