09 September 2008

Cancellations due to credit crunch

Holiday cancellations are rising due to the credit crunch, according to a specialist in holidays for the gay community.

Mantrav International has reported eight cancellations in the last six weeks, all of them blamed on the credit crunch.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe LGBT community is now feeling the pinch, despite paying off their cards at the end of every month banks have oversimplified and sliced all customersÃ¢â¬â¢ credit limits drastically,Ã¢â¬~ said Andrew Jones, Mantrav sales and marketing director.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœMany bookings are being cancelled last minute because peopleÃ¢â¬â¢s credit lines have been halved and people are relying on their credit card to go on holiday.Ã¢â¬~

But the company said the downturn has been outweighed to some a degree by a rise in bookings from overseas, particularly from Europe due to the growing strength of the Euro.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœUnfortunately the majority of European bookings are last minute and only for short breaks,Ã¢â¬~ Jones added.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœIt still doesnÃ¢â¬â¢t make up for the loss of UK bookings because banks are tightening their belts.Ã¢â¬~

* Are you also noticing more cancellations due to the credit crunch? If so, send a comment to Travelmole.com.

By Bev Fearis

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Your Comments (4)

No-one turns Gay

David, no-one turns gay...your are or your aren't, and who cares anyway...evryone is feeling the credit crunch!

By Jo Colman-Bown, Thursday, September 11, 2008
Gay or Straight, does it matter?

David, I think your comment was a little out of sorts, and in some way a little discriminatory. Surely whatever the market, cancellations are never a good thing and no doubt some companies whether gay or STRAIGHT are feeling the pinch?

By Stuart Holden, Thursday, September 11, 2008
what about straights

The straight community is doing ok thankyou, not a good time to turn gay

By david trunkfield, Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Mixed Results among Gay Travelers

Here at Key West-based Hanns Ebensten Travel (the oldest gay tour company) and Alyson Adventures, we're finding that our gay and lesbian travelers are getting more careful about making choices, but we haven't had too many cancellations for economic reasons. Egypt, Costa Rica, New Zealand, China and diving trips to Saba and Curacao are all selling well for us, while Morocco, Spain and Italy are a little slower than in recent years. With the recent rise in the US dollar, that should help our 2009 tours. And Key West got through Hurricane Ike just fine, so my neighbors in the hospitality industry will be welcoming back visitors by Thursday!

By Philip Sheldon, Wednesday, September 10, 2008