Thomas Cook, (born November 22, 1808, Melbourne, Derbyshire, England—died July 18, 1892, Leicester, Leicestershire), English innovator of the conducted tour and founder of Thomas Cook and Son, a worldwide travel agency. Cook can be said to have invented modern tourism.

Thomas Cook is widely considered the "Father of the Tourism Industry." A British businessman and Baptist missionary, Cook revolutionized travel in 1841 when he organized a successful 12-mile train excursion for 500 temperance supporters from Leicester to Loughborough. This event is credited as the birth of organized mass tourism. He later founded Thomas Cook & Son, the world's first travel agency, which pioneered the "package holiday" concept by negotiating bulk rates with railways and steamship companies. Cook introduced groundbreaking travel tools such as "circular notes" (an early form of traveler's checks) and "hotel coupons" to simplify international travel for the growing middle class. His belief that travel could expand the mind and provide a healthy alternative to alcohol transformed what was once a luxury for the elite into an accessible global industry that serves millions of people today.