South African agents have been wondering over the past four weeks about the fate of kulula holidays, since Comair, along with airline kulula.com, entered into liquidation on June 9.
Deolinda da Silva, GM of the Holiday Travel Group, told Travel News that kulula’s entire travel business – travel, incorporating MT Beds, kulula holidays and Holiday Travel – had been sold by the airline to independent shareholders under Section 197 (a transfer of a company as a going concern) in July 2021. That business is now renamed the Holiday Travel Group (Pty) Ltd and kulula holidays is now named Holiday Tours, having come something of a full circle.
Kulula acquired a controlling interest in Gavin Simpson’s business, Holiday Tours, in April 2010. At the time, kulula holidays said Holiday Tours was an important link to the retail travel trade and that Holiday Tours would keep its longstanding commitment to the retail industry. Within about a year the airline had bought up the entire business and merged it into its own online tour operator, kulula holidays.
Da Silva reiterated that the new Holiday Tours wants to deal with the retail trade. The business is still located at the Comair premises in Kempton Park, she told Travel News, but it could relocate in the future.
Speaking of the renaming of the company, da Silva said: “We’re going back to our roots! We still have intact our management structure, our excellent staff and all their skills and expertise.”
Da Silva herself has a long history with the name Holiday Tours. She started working for Holiday Holdings in 1989, beginning her career at Holiday Travel. She held a myriad financial positions at the company, becoming a Director in 1998. Some of the companies in which she was involved at her time at Holiday Holdings were World Leisure Holidays (a JV between Holiday Holdings and Kerzner Hotels), Holiday Tours, Holiday Travel, Holiday Africa and Holiday Aviation. Da Silva moved across to Comair with the Holiday Tours business when the deal was closed.
Travel News believes that Holiday Tours is seeking Asata membership, which is good news for the retail travel industry, as it definitely points toward an intention to engage with the travel agencies!
We will report further on this story as more details become available.
