Thousands hit by All Leisure collapse
Thousands of holidaymakers have been affected by the collapse of All Leisure Holidays, run by industry stalwart Roger Allard.
All Leisure, which operated Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery, was placed in administation yesterday, with 13,000 passengers booked on future departures and around 400 abroad.
Allard had already orchestrated a deal to sell the company’s third cruise line, Hebridean Island Cruises, to a group of investors late last year. He remains chairman.
He has expressed sadness at the demise of the rest of the company and blamed a ‘geopolitical storm’.
ABTA confirmed that all future Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery cruises have been cancelled.
Both brands had earlier announced they were cancelling this week’s departures for ‘operational reasons’.
Approximately a third of the future bookings are ex-UK depatures, which are financially protected by ABTA. The remainder are protected under the company’s ATOL.
The CAA has posted details on its website for customers claiming refunds. It said All Leisure currently has 400 customers abroad, although due to this week’s cruise cancellations, none are currently on ships.
Arrangements are being made to repatriate all customers, said the CAA.
Andy Cohen, head of ATOL at the CAA, said: "We understand this will be concerning news for anyone who has booked to travel with the company. However, the ATOL scheme exists for exactly this kind of situation and we are making immediate arrangements so all ATOL protected customers can claim full refunds as quickly as possible.
"We are also arranging for people currently overseas to get back home to the UK at no extra cost – meaning no-one will be left stranded abroad.
"So while this situation is very disappointing for the customers affected, it is also a timely reminder of the importance of remembering to check for ATOL protection when booking holidays."
The CAA has also set up a dedicated helpline for affected customers on 0808 164 8810
Another member of the All Leisure Holidays Group, Page and Moy Travel Group Holidays, which operated the singles brand Just You and soft adventure firm Travelsphere, has been bought by G Adventures.
"Therefore holidays will continue to go ahead and are ATOL protected by G Adventures (UK) Ltd. Customers with queries about their bookings should contact G Adventures (UK) Ltd for more information," it said.
A spokesman for Travelsphere and Just You said existing staff will continue to work for both brands.
"Both Travelsphere and Just You will remain to be based in their head office in Market Harborough and the brand names will remain," he said.
"The announcement of the sale was made to staff on Tuesday. All tours are planned to go ahead and our customers."
Travel agents expressed sadness at the collapse of All Leisure, which one described on the Facebook site Travel Gossip as having ‘a great team’, while others said they were relieved that Just You and Travelsphere bookings would still go ahead.
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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