Thomas Cook facing collapse, tourists hit
Service providers wracked with anxiety over company’s troubles
London: Thomas Cook’s 178year existence was hanging by a thread on Sunday after the iconic British travel firm struggled to find further private investment and is now relying on an unlikely government bailout.
London: The possible collapse of ThomasCook has “ruined” the holidays of thousands of tourists, who fear being trapped far from home despite official reassurances that they will be looked after.
Some 600,000 holidaymakers are currently abroad on trips organised by ThomasCook, including 150,000 British tourists. The mass travel pioneer is mainly active in Europe and around the Mediterranean, with Antalya in Turkey and Mallorca in Spain its flagship destinations.
Jackie and Amy Ward, a mother and daughter on holiday in Mallorca, told Britain’s Sky News that their holidays in the sun had been “ruined” by uncertainty over their return. Jackie Ward said that she had heart disease and would run out of medicine if she did not return home on Monday, as planned.
A stranger had offered to buy a ticket for the Newcastle tourist to ensure that she could return safely if
the firm collapsed, Sky News reported. ThomasCook’s hundreds of service providers were also wracked with anxiety over the company’s troubles, with some facing closure themselves if the tour operator goes under.
Managers of the hotel Les Orangers in Hammamet, Tunisia, briefly delayed the departure of a group of tourists until they could verify that payments owed by ThomasCook had been made, a Tunisian interior ministry spokesman told AFP.
The resort managers requested additional payments even though the
group had already paid the costs of their stay in full, a tourist told AFP.
“After an hour they left the hotel and are currently at the airport,” said the government spokesman.
“There are other ThomasCook groups in Hammamet, Sousse, Mahdia and Djerba — all payment procedures have been settled,” he added. In addition to travellers worried about their return, others are concerned that their much-anticipated holiday plans are about to collapse.
“Our wedding is costing almost £12,000 with things we have bought here, the wedding package, everything we have organised with the resort wedding coordinator,” she said.
“We’ve had constant questions from our family that we are unable to answer,” she added. “This is causing great concern, worry and stress to all of us involved.” Others poured out their frustrations on Twitter. “I’m supposed to fly on Tuesday and would really appreciate some info,” complained @JoshSmith1990.
“Very stressful flying out on 15 October for a wedding spent almost 2 years paying for the holiday will be so gutted if we can’t go please someone help them,” added @bullyforyou180. British authorities sought to reassure travellers, saying that all tour packages purchased in Britain and the European Union were protected by law.
In Britain, the “ATOL guarantee” covers repatriation and refunds for holidaymakers if the company goes bust.