Ex-Thomas Cook Staff Open Own Travel Agency – HOLIDAY HOTSPOT!

Former Thomas Cook travel agents turn a sad situation into a happy one

When the devastating news of redundancy arrived one bleak Monday morning former Thomas Cook employees decided ‘let’s do it ourselves and name it Holiday Hotspot’.

Louise Magill of Holiday Hotspot comments: “I love the sector, it’s all we know, and I’m not afraid to say it but we are good at what we do. We know the places to travel, the best hotels and most of all how to get the best possible price and quality.”

She added: “We have a combined experience of over 80 years, this cannot go to waste.”

Thomas Cook went into Administration on Monday September 23, 2019 making 9000 employees redundant. This was a game changer in the world of travel agencies in Northern Ireland with many staff facing the daunting task of finding a new job in the run up to Christmas.

“We were just shell shocked, we were dedicated to the job but this news changed everything. We were so worried about our customers, those that had booked and paid for their holiday, we made contact with them re ticket collection etc and were overwhelmed by the requests of ‘why don’t you do it yourselves’?. This got us thinking more not only did we have the passion to do it but we also had the support of the customers that we had developed relationships with over the years,” said Caroline Hunter of Holiday Hotspot.

“We are so excited about opening our doors officially for business on the 16th November, we have learned so much over the years and have taken a number of measures to protect our customers and their money when they book with us. Our customers will not suffer financial repercussions if a tour operator ceases trading again, we have added insurances to safe guard them from this,” said, Ella Whiteside of Holiday Hotspot.

So Holiday Hotspot is having a launch evening on November 15, the same night as the Christmas tree light switch on in Larne. Louise Magill commented: “At least something positive has come for this sad situation for us, and we are extending an open invitation to new and existing customers for a sparkling reception from 3:30pm-6:30pm on the November 15 to show them our new offices and celebrate the opening.”

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