Leading travel company Thomas Cook has launched a nationwide PR and sales drive to reassure members of the holiday-buying public that it's safe to book with the company.

This follows eye-catching and sometimes damaging headlines about the world's best known travel brand and the company's finances - stories which made all the top national newspapers and TV channels. In the last couple of days Thomas Cook has been running a national advertising campaign and has cut up to £170 off holidays to try to recover from a recent 30 per cent drop in bookings, partly blamed from adverse publicity over financing. It placed adverts in every national daily newspaper trying to reassure the public that it's "safe to book with Thomas Cook."

Including the slogan: "We've delivered great value for 170 years. 2012 will be no different" the ads feature the ATOL logo in a prominent position, and the text of a letter from Chief Executive Sam Weihagen thanking customers for their support and assuring them that the company is solid.

Thomas Cook has been offering £170 off summer 2012 holidays costing at least £1,200 since last Saturday. It is also discounting December winter sun packages, based on a minimum spend, for bookings made online by December 5 and £75 per person off ski bookings made online.

The letter from the company's CEO, which is included on the Thomas Cook website, says: "Thomas Cook today is an even stronger and more confident company. You can be sure that your holiday really is in safe hands with us and so, we look forward to welcoming you to one of our stores, our websites, onboard our aircraft and into one of our many thousands of resorts worldwide very soon."