B&Bs out of pocket as travel firm folds

HOLIDAY firm Exploring Vacations has gone under, leaving many B&Bs and tour operators out of pocket with one firm owed as much as €25,000.

The Exploring Vacations website was taken down, with visitors to the site encountering a statement that the company had ceased trading as of yesterday.

Exploring Vacations organised holidays in Ireland, liaising with a number of accommodation providers and tour operators.

Yesterday, one service provider, Cathal O’Donoghue of C&C Executive Travel, which employs around 20 people, said that Exploring Vacations owed it €25,000.

Mr O’Donoghue, speaking to RTÉ’s Liveline yesterday, said: ‘We did work for them last year. This year started off with them no problem paying.’

However, he said that gradually payment for services was coming later and later. As recently as Tuesday, Exploring Vacations was supposed to lodge €18,000 in C&C’s account, Mr O’Donoghue said. A number of B&B owners told Liveline host Joe Duffy about receiving emails from Exploring Vacations that cancelled bookings only for the guests arrive at the B&B, believing they still had a reservation.

A statement at Exploring Vacations’ website address said the company had ceased trading ‘as of September 13’.

‘We deeply regret the inconvenience that may be caused to our customers,’ the statement read, adding that a meeting of creditors will take place on October 3.