Media reports on offers made by several British companies to acquire the Thomas Cook's tourism division, and even the entire company, increased the value of shares of the world's oldest tour operator by more than 16% on Tuesday. Among its potential buyers are such companies as American KKR and Swedish EQT Partners, as well as the Chinese company Fosun International. Thomas Cook recruited AlixPartners consultants to develop cost reduction plans and identify financial risks. Earlier it was reported that since the beginning of 2019, the tour operator closed a number of representative offices after the demand for hot tours had declined due to the strong heat in northern Europe last summer. The company also offered for sale its business of air travel.