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Duo launch holidays venture
Chris Barry20/ 8/2008
TWO former executives of the north west holiday giant
MyTravel have launched a new cruise holiday business.
The pair - James Cole and Mal Barritt - have raised around £1m for their venture,
Cruise 118, which has created more than 30 jobs at its Chorley base and in Northern Ireland.
James and Mal took redundancy after last year's merger of Rochdale-based MyTravel with
Thomas Cook,
because they did not want to uproot their families and move to Peterborough.
They have both invested in the new venture, which has also gained the backing of a number of private investors.
James, 33, worked in My- Travel's cruise business for 11 years, and Mal, 35, was involved in the management of the company's call centres.
They believe the combination of their skills sector and operational skills will pay off, despite the spending downturn.
Cruise holidays are among the fastest growing sector in the travel industry.
James said: "The cruise market has been growing steadily for the past decade and is showing no signs of slowing down, with a predicted increase of 14 per cent this year alone.
"While certain sections of the travel industry are seeing the effects of the credit crunch, cruise remains buoyant as more consumers seek all-inclusive holiday options rather than run the risk of overspending or returning home to nasty credit card bills.
"More than 1.5m people in the UK take a cruise each year, and we believe there is a gap in the market for a new cruise retailer delivering exceptional customer service."
Mal says their `cruise concierge' service makes Cruise 118 different from its rivals.
Customers are given an individual service with a personal sales representative who will guide them through the research and booking process and remain in contact until after they have returned from their trip.
The company has invested heavily in staff training and a sophisticated IT system.
He says: "We are very excited. We feel out team brings together the best of travel industry talent in the north west, and we are committed to growing Cruise 118 into one of the UK's leading cruise retail business."
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