Travel firm at risk of being struck off by Companies House
A company that claims to be the UK’s leading gay travel specialist is in danger of being struck off by Companies House, the Advertising Standards Authority said today.
Upholding three separate complaints against Mantrav, the ASA said the company traded under several names, one of which – Mantrav International Ltd – has already been dissolved. The others, Mantrav International (UK) and Mantrav Tours, are under proposal to be struck off Companies House register, it said.
Such action could lead to all Mantrav’s cash and assets being seized by The Crown and the company, founded by Malcolm Hardy, will be unable to trade. However, Mantrav International (UK) was registered to GLG & Co, a company allegedly based in the Seychelles, when it was investigated by the ASA and Hardy has switched ownership to another of his businesses, Andava Ltd.
On June 29, Hardy registered a new company, Mantrav International Destinations Ltd.
A police investigation into Mantrav following a complaint of harassment last March led to the arrest of a 72-year-old man, who remains on police bail. Hardy has twice said he planned to close down the company but last month he told TravelMole he intended to "fight to keep it going", claiming he had 273 forward bookings.
The ASA began an investigation into Mantrav following allegations by online reputation management company Kwikchex and members of the public that it was misleading customers on its website.
The site claims the company offers "100% financial protection" via First Fidelity trust and that it acts as an agent for ATOL holders. It also stated that it had been based in the UK since 2001.
However, the ASA said Mantrav had not provided it with any evidence of a bond or that it had booked flights through an ATOL agent in such a way that they would have been financially protected.
Also, the advertising watchdog said there was no evidence that Mantrav had been trading in the UK continuously since 2001. It said the company was not registered in the UK until 2009.
All three complaints against Mantrav were upheld and the company was ordered to not to state or imply that its company or its customers were financially protected or that the company had been trading since 2001 without evidence that was the case.
Mantrav appears to have ignored the rulings, however. Its website, www.mantrav.co.uk , is continuing to claim the company is "financially protected by First Fidelity Trust" and it carries the statement "serving the gay community continuously since 1990" with a further claim that it has been trading in the UK since 2001.
Mantrav was rapped by the ASA in March 2011 when it falsely claimed to be a member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association and was ordered to remove the IGLTA logo from its website.
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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