18 September 2008

Gay firm fails in wake of XL

Gay tour operator Throb Holidays has ceased trading as a direct result of the failure of the XL Leisure Group.

The company, which had been running for 14 years, specialised in holidays to Spain.

A statement on the companyââ¬â¢s website said: ââ¬ÅâœIt is with regret that we have to inform you that, despite our best efforts,
Throb Holidays Ltd has ceased trading.

ââ¬ÅâœAs a result of the collapse of XL Airways/XL Leisure Group (who were our main flight provider) we have unfortunately been unable to contain the damage this causes us in both the immediate term and in the future, where the lack of flight capacity we would have relied upon from XL Airways for new reservations makes continuing trading impossible.ââ¬~

ââ¬ÅâœOur thoughts and concerns are of course for all our customers caught up in this and we hope that you can understand that this was not a decision taken lightly after 14 years of responsibly serving the gay community.ââ¬~

The operator said it would be updating all clients by post or email within the next few days on their booking status ââ¬Åâœand these will be processed in order of date priorityââ¬~.

All travellers due to fly with XL Airways will have their bookings cancelled and refund claim forms will be sent out.

Those with flights on other airlines will be advised accordingly.

Mantrav International is offering special prices to holidaymakers who have been negatively affected by both the XL Airways/XL Leisure and Throb closures.

Sales and marketing director Andrew Jones said: ââ¬ÅâœIt is a dire shame that such a reputable company which has provided an excellent service to the LGBT community over the last 14 years has been forced to close.

ââ¬ÅâœThis adds further doubt into the stability of other LGBT travel agencies, considering their niche market and the consistent downturn in trade that the travel industry is suffering from because of the global economic situation and the high cost of fuel.ââ¬~

He added: ââ¬ÅâœMantrav has been in operation since 1990, we have a secure financial backbone and we are fully insured for any eventuality that may befall the industry. We donââ¬â¢t restrict ourselves to allocations on airlines and we have a dedicated customer base.ââ¬~

by Phil Davies

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