Tayside travel agency boss John Stewart has successfully come through many challenges in his long business life.
He is also currently in a personal battle against cancer, but is not letting it get him down – and is planning to live a full life for many more years.
The entrepreneur has been in the travel trade for 38 years, including three decades with Thomas Cook.
He is now managing director of John Stewart Travel, which trades as Hays Travel from stores in Dundee and Broughty Ferry.
John said the travel sector has always faced big challenges. In his time they have included everything from a volcanic ash cloud to forest fires and terrorist events.
While he said the Covid pandemic was the biggest test, John added the industry is always resilient.
Thomas Cook collapse ‘hit us like a bereavement’
John was manager of Thomas Cook’s Dundee shop, with a team of 17 staff, when the tour operator collapsed in 2019 after nearly two centuries in business.
Dundee was the most profitable store in the entire Thomas Cook network, a title it held for 20 years until its demise.
John said his team was devastated at the company’s disappearance, the impact of which he compared to a bereavement.
He said: “We had all believed that our jobs would be safe after receiving upgraded in-store technology and uniforms.
“There had also been all the promises from the leadership team.
“My wife Joanne and I had spent decades with Thomas Cook.
“One of our sons was also working for them while studying at university in Edinburgh. We were devastated.
“Most of my team were long-serving staff members and we were like a family. It hit us like a bereavement, but we all supported each other.
“The personal impact was massive.
“Some of our customers even offered money to reopen the shop, which was heart-warming.
“Our loyal customers were also like part of the family and felt the same bereavement experience.”
Bouncing back by setting up own business
But John did not sit around feeling sorry for himself – he quickly made moves to set up his own travel operation.
Thomas Cook went into administration on September 23, 2019, and John Stewart Travel was set up just a week later.
A franchise deal to trade as Hays Travel was then agreed, and the Dundee store opened on November 4.
John said trading at the Dundee branch is currently way ahead of the last full pre-Covid year of 2019, with some months delivering double the Thomas Cook revenue numbers and breaking all records.
John Stewart Travel expanded into Broughty Ferry at the end of last year, when it acquired another local Hays Travel outlet.
The two stores now employ a total of 20 staff.
Cancer diagnosis
Away from work, John was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2015.
He said: “This is an incurable cancer, but is manageable.
“In July 2022, a scan identified activity that required immediate attention.
“I went through a series of treatments including chemotherapy from August last year until December.
“I now receive maintenance treatment every eight weeks for the next two years.
“All being well, I will go on to live another 30 years or more and experience many more holidays.”
Conversation