TRAVEL: PARTY HARD TRAVEL

Splash down: Nathan, below, has seen bookings tumble with pool parties like this one unable to go ahead

When asked about how summer has been, Nathan Cable, CEO and founder of Party Hard Travel, just shrugs his shoulders.‘What summer?’ he asks.

The business, which specialises in clubbing and partying holidays for young people, had been on target for 20,000 customers back in February.

‘It ended up being less than a thousand,’ he says. The company suffered from initial lockdown and then, after lockdown was eased, from constantly changing quarantine restrictions.

‘We were about to launch into Ibiza the day before 14-day quarantine came in, and so of course that had to be cancelled.’

The customers who did travel with his company this summer went to Greek party destinations such as Zante and Malia, but were not able to go clubbing.

‘It was a different experience,’ he explains. In lieu of foam parties and other large-scale events, Party Hard offered VIP passes to remaining customers for seated events. ‘People were very understanding and we received five-star reviews.’

Party Hard has received government help in the form of the furlough scheme as well as loans. As furlough ends, he says he will have to make two of the eight staff redundant, but since one of them has gone back to university and another has a new job, this will not be as painful as it might have been.

‘We’ve had to become very lean, which has been hard as we had invested heavily in technology like RFID wristbands.’ Nathan says that he feels the travel industry needs extra support that has not been forthcoming. ‘It has been really hard, with the 14-day quarantines coming in as we were just getting going. We are effectively having to deal with a year with no income.’

He is planning on going on holiday himself, to Dubai and describes the process of travelling at present as ‘an absolute nightmare’, with the need to provide tests before you return from Dubai not negating the UK need for a twoweek quarantine.

Now Nathan is planning the company’s next season, which he hopes will save the company. He has launched

Covid Cover, aimed at reassuring those who are booking that they will get their money back if they cannot travel. ‘Young people really do still want to party,’ he says. ‘If restrictions are lifted I’m hoping this will be our biggest summer ever.

partyhard travel.com