Thomson Holidays owner TUI Travel capitalised on the woes at Thomas Cook today by revealing that summer bookings outpaced the market during January.

Europe’s biggest tour operator said cumulative bookings in the UK as of January 29 were 7% lower, but this compared with an 11% decline as of November 29. Meanwhile, bookings were flat in January alone, compared with a 14% decline in the market as a whole.

However, weak demand for North African destinations, driven by the ongoing political turmoil in the region, saw operating losses in the three months to December 31 widen by 27% to £109m.

The results come after reports suggest Thomas Cook suffered a 33% decline in summer holiday sales in the first two weeks of 2012 as customers delayed their holiday plans amid uncertainty over the firm’s future prior to a £100m lifeline from its banks.