Former Black Tomato staff to launch rival luxury travel business
Two former travel executives at the online travel agency Black Tomato have left to set up a rival business, which will launch in September.
Tom Harding and James Wales said Nemo Travel will offer luxury holidays worldwide.
They claim their website, created in partnership with a Cape Town design agency, will have an innovative search tool to make alternative recommendation to customers browsing for holidays.
For example, if users are searching for the Caribbean it might suggest Mozambique instead.
The pair say they have also selected hotels ‘based on ethical practices’, they plan to plant one tree for every trip, and give 1% of the profit to the charity Hello World.
"The idea for Nemo came from seeing client frustrations first hand. Our website gives the power back to the customer and we think people are going to really enjoy building their own trip. A personal experience is also key, so James and I are going to be on hand to chat things through and personalise each trip to perfection," said Harding, left.
Harding previously spent two years as a ‘travel expert’ at Black Tomato while James Wales was a ‘travel specialist’ for four years with the OTA. Harding left in May this year and Wales quit in June, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Both are directors of Nemo.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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