Thomas Cook expands financial services - report

FRANKFURT, March 2 (Reuters) - Travel group Thomas Cook (TCG.L: Quote, Profile, Research) is to expand its travel insurance and currency services and is eyeing the Indian market, according to a German newspaper report due to be published on Monday.

Margins in financial services were above those in the traditional travel business, which was prompting the firm to offer a wider range in Britain's six biggest airports and to plan to expand elsewhere later, Chief Executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa told the daily newspaper Die Welt.

He said he wanted to reach operating margins of 5 percent over the next few years. "I am sure we can accomplish that," he said.

Summer holiday bookings in northern and central Europe were especially strong, up 5 percent from a year ago, he said.

Although Britain was showing signs of the start of a housing market recession, this had not yet spilled into the travel industry, he said.

(Reporting by Vera Eckert; Editing by Erica Billingham)