Swan Hellenic, VOD collapse

ALL Leisure Group, the British operator of Swan Hellenic Cruises and Voyages of Discovery, has been placed in administration, impacting around 13,000 cruise pax booked on future departures.

The collapse follows confirmation that two voyages planned for this week were cancelled at the last moment for “operational reasons” ( CW Tue).

In Australia the brands are represented by Discover the World, with country director Jeannie Foster telling CW today she is surprised and disappointed by the unexpected news.

“We sincerely regret any inconvenience to our travel agency customers or passengers and are in the process of advising and assisting those affected”.

All Leisure Group also operated a number of tour brands including Travelsphere and Just You, which will continue trading after being sold to G Adventures.

However a spokesperson for administrator Grant Thornton said he had no choice but to close down the cruise operations which had been “significantly lossmaking over a number of years.

“The ongoing cost of funding these operations by the tours operation has created significant cash issues for the entire group, which has ultimately led to the administration of all businesses”.

All Leisure Group chairman Roger Allard said Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery had historically travelled to places like the eastern Mediterranean and Africa, and had struggled since the instability of the Arab Spring.

He said another key issue had been the devaluation of the British pound after the Brexit vote, with ship operating costs mostly denominated in dollars and euros.