Castle Hill agency closes

ITALKTRAVEL Castle Hill in Sydney has confirmed it is currently in the process of shutting down after operating for as long as it could with little income and ongoing expenses.

Owner Michael O’Leary told Travel Daily that its primary focus since purchasing the business four years ago was to honour its customers and staff, which is why the travel agency is making the decision to wrap things up now so it can avoid leaving anyone out of pocket.

“When [the pandemic] hit we took a different approach to a lot of owners and tried to keep our people on as long as we could,” O’Leary said.

“While JobKeeper was in we were surviving with no income, unfortunately as soon as that finished it was only a matter of time, even with the state and federal grants - but hey we lasted quite a while,” he added.

O’Leary also said he was pleased to declare all of the business’s customers have been looked after and its staff have had plenty of time to find alternative employment, with team member Joanne Miller moving on to TravelManagers where she will take care of customers with future credits.

When the closure is completed, the business will be liquidated so that its staff can access the Fair Entitlement Guarantee.