Major travel operator cancels all July bookings

A major travel operator has cancelled all of its July bookings - causing chaos for many family summer holiday breaks. FTI Touristik filed for insolvency at the beginning of June.

YouTravel is owned by the company, and all those who booked trips away with the provider up to July 26 have now had their plans scrapped, as it made the "difficult decision" to cancel all bookings until then.

In a statement, YouTravel described it as a "challenging period", adding that it had a "dedicated task force" on hand to help all those who have been affected. For the latest analysis of the biggest stories, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

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A statement read: "We want to express our gratitude to all our partners for their unwavering support and patience since the announcement on June 3, 2024. The insolvency of FTI Touristik GmbH has had a significant impact on Youtravel.com. Over the past three weeks, our management has been actively engaging with the appointed administrator of the FTI group and undergoing the M&A process to secure our future.

"Whilst we are hopeful for a positive conclusion to these talks soon, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all bookings until and including July 26, 2024. We understand the inconvenience this may cause and sincerely apologise for any disruption. Any active bookings in the Youtravel system for arrivals up to and including July 26 will be automatically cancelled without any charges by Monday July 1, 2024.

"Please note that bookings from July 27 onwards will remain active at this time and will be subject to the cancellation charges as displayed. Our teams are fully operational, and our dedicated task force is here to provide support to our partners during this challenging period.

"If you require assistance, please reach out to us via email at escalations@youtravel.com or call +44 208 588 9914, select option 0, then option 1, and hold for further assistance. Alternatively, you can contact your account manager for any queries or concerns. We will continue to keep you updated as soon as we have any further news regarding the future of Youtravel.com. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated." Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.