Schools operator goes bust
Independent specialist tour operator Visions Holiday Group confirmed today that is has acquired some of the assets and goodwill of failed schools operator Pinnacle Travel.
It will take over the forward bookings held by Pinnacle, which went into administration earlier this week.
The company sent 5,500 pupils a year on trips to Europe, America and beyond on sports, ski, performing arts and science trips. At the time of its collapse, no passengers were overseas.
Pinnacle was fully ABTA bonded and held an ATOL licence and all customers with forward bookings will be protected. School groups with trips booked will be offered a refund or given the option to switch their bookings to Visions Holiday Group.
Visions' Robert Atkins said: “We can see an opportunity to take on this high quality school group programme within our portfolio of travel products and are looking forward to working with schools around the country, to meet their students’ tour requirements."
Visions Holiday Group is an independent tour operator, based in Bolney, West Sussex, specialising in tailor made holidays to Africa and Europe. Its brands include Visions of Africa, Ilios Travel and Islands of Greece.
Pinnacle Travel’s managing director Nigel Parker, one of three owners of the company said: “We are devastated at the collapse of the company we built up over 13 years to be one of the leading brands in the quality school travel market.
"I am relieved, however, that this happened so early in the school year, which has meant there are no trips overseas at this time and no young people have been left distressed or stranded. “
Parker said the collapse of Pinnacle Travel was due to exceptional circumstances, such as the disruption caused by the volcanic ash cloud last year and also consolidation within the airline industry, which resulted in an escalation in air fares.
Antony Batty and Stephen Evans of Antony Batty & Company have been appointed as joint administrators.
By Linsey McNe
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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