Franchise company Cruise Holidays UK has responded to the swath of Thomas Cook redundancies by offering an agent the chance to win a franchise worth almost £13,000.
The company was inspired to offer one of its Virtual Home Office (VHO) franchises by the job cuts at Thomas Cook, but the competition is open to all agents.
Cruise Holidays UK, a member of Freedom Travel Group, has 56 franchisees in the UK including one high street shop.
“It’s fair to say that Thomas Cook has been the catalyst, but we are open to anyone who proves they have got what it takes,” said Tony Childs, managing director of Cruise Holidays UK.
“We are cognisant of the fact that there’s a lot of talented people in difficult conditions and we wanted to show there’s another option out there.
“We wanted to do something that would bring a little bit of cheer, and we want to demonstrate that you can make money out of working in cruise.”
To enter, agents must watch a presentation at Joincruiseholidays.co.uk and then send their CV and explain how – on a single sheet of A4 paper – they would run their business and what would make them a great franchisee.
The best five entrants will be invited to present their proposition to Childs and the chairman. The best will win the franchise.
The company said the VHO franchise contains everything an agent would need to start up their own agency, including full Abta and Atol bonding, technology and access to suppliers.
Originally known as Global Cruising when it launched in 2004, the business changed its name in 2011 after forging a partnership with US cruise travel giant Cruise Holidays.