It was a shock to many (including KarryOn) when Creative Holidays confirmed yesterday it would cease operations after more than 30 years in business.
In case you missed it: The Travel Corporation (TTC) revealed it will shut down its Creative Holidays brand from 31 December 2015.
The decision came after an ‘exhaustive review’ of the business, during which TTC Australia Chief Executive, John Veitch, said company found Creative Holidays was operating in a ‘fiercely competitive’ environment and it was difficult for a mass generalist FIT independent wholesaler.
Despite the decision, TTC has assured agents that the change does not affect other brands including Creative Cruising and Adventure World which remain fully operational and focused on growth.
BREAKING NEWS: Creative Holidays is shutting its doors.
Posted by KarryOn on Monday, December 7, 2015
With only 23 days until the brand officially ceases, TTC is working hard to relocate staff and contact agents with existing bookings. Read on.
KarryOn shared the story immediately after receiving the news from TTC and has since been overwhelmed with the number of comments from agents.
There were different opinions from the agents who actively voiced their opinions on KarryOn’s Facebook wall – some were in shock, some weren’t too surprised while others expressed concerned for staff.
Here is what the industry had to say:
Flight Centre offers its support
A spokesperson for Flight Centre told KarryOn:
“Creative was one of our preferred suppliers for many years and has been a great business with a lot of great people.”
Flight Centre spokesperson
“If any Creative people are interested in staying in the industry, we would be happy to talk to them about possible roles here.”
Reminiscing
A number of current and past staff reminisced on the experience and knowledge they obtained during their time at Creative Holidays.
Among them was Felicity La Terra-Allan who attributed the start of her career to Creative and said it ‘opened up so many opportunities’ for her.
There’s also Chenoa who said she was sad to see her former employer go, “as a former member of the Creative team this is sad”.
Disbelief
As we mentioned, a few loyal Creative Holidays users were in as much shock as we were. Among them was Krystal Brooks who says she ‘didn’t see it coming’ nor could Lauren and Samantha who described the news as ‘shocking’.
Hopes for staff
While Karen Hamilton admits to having not having used Creative Holiday for some time, she did express concern for staff, saying she hopes they find roles within the company.
Support for friends
At the end of the day we’re all friends in the industry and when something like this happens were bound to know one or two people affected. Unsurprisingly, agents have started sending out thoughts and prayers to friends including Jamie Schuster who offered her assistance where possible.
Focusing on the future
While Tracie Pascoe-Lark was sad to see Creative Holidays go, she did a bit of light at the end of the tunnel in Creative Cruises. She said she was happy that TTC could focus on building the niche brand.
“Oh wow well hopefully they can just focus on cruise and keep everyone employed and actually be good at what they do!”
