Gay travel firm ‘to call in administrators’
Gay travel company Mantrav International (UK) is preparing to call in administrators today following a 90% drop in bookings.
Managing director Malcolm Hardy said late last night that the East Grinstead-based company, set up 10 years ago, was "hours from going out of business".
The company claimed it had been the victim of a smear campaign by a former director, who was awarded more than £66,000 by an employment tribunal that found he had been unfairly dismissed (see previous story). Hardy has refused to pay Andrew Jones despite a court order.
Mantrav accused Andrew Jones of being behind a website that it says falsely accused it of mis-selling holidays to a gay resort in Gran Canaria. Jones has denied the accusations and a client of Mantrav's yesterday claimed he had reported the company to the website actionfraud.org.uk after it cancelled his holiday to the resort but failed to refund his money.
Tim Ferris said Mantrav cancelled his holiday to the Club Mancha resort in Playa del Ingles due to overbooking three days before he was due to travel in November but had failed to refund his cash despite promising to do so. He has since received abusive emails from the travel agency, which have been forwarded to TravelMole. The content of the emails are not suitable for publication.
On Monday, online reputation management company Kwikchex said Mantrav's membership had been suspended after it failed to provide information or undertake certain actions it had requested.
Kwikchex helps companies tackle inaccurate feedback posted online and deal with other reputation issues.
Kwikchex, whose members have to abide by its Code of Ethics and Good Business Practice, said it had changed Mantrav's status from 'pending' to 'suspended' on Monday. Mantrav is continuing to display the Kwikchex logo on its website.
Hardy said last night Mantrav had voluntarily withdrawn from Kwikchex and that the company had consulted solicitors Baines & Cohen with a view to taking legal action against individuals and websites.
In a later email, Hardy wrote: "(Mantrav) is hours from going out of business." He blamed an earlier article by TravelMole for the 90% drop in bookings.
"The end result, Mantrav has lost over 400 bookings, all going to be lost. Directors are calling in administrators tomorrow (Wednesday)."
*This article was updated 21/12/2011
By Linsey McNeill
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
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season