Up to 9500 Polish tourists stranded as tour operator goes bankrupt

Sky Blub, Katowice branch: photo - PAP/Andrzej Grygiel

Emergency preparations are under way to bring the holiday makers back home to Poland.

Polskie Radio and TVP are reporting 6,000 tourists stranded, while wp.pl reports 9,500 - the locations of which are unclear.

Sky Club, which also trades under the name Triada, said in a statement released on Tuesday that it requested the courts to begin the bankruptcy process, citing “lack of funds” to continue to operate and consequently “has suspended operations and sales”.

“All tourist events taking place from 4 July 2012 are cancelled. Customers who have tourist trips starting tomorrow will be informed not to turn up at airports,” the statement continues.

A guarantee fund of 25 million zloty [around 5 million euro] is available to “cover the costs of customer returns and payment for those who have already paid for holidays but who will not now be going on vacation as planned,” Sky Club spokeswoman Kalina Paluch has said.

Asked if this is the biggest travel agent bankruptcy in Polish tourism history, Paludal said, “Frankly, we think so.”

The task of locating and helping customers return to Poland will be coordinated by the Mazowieckie Province offices based in Warsaw.

"Sky Club Management Ltd stands ready to help and cooperate with the [the Mazowieckie province] in order to facilitate the return of tourists to the country and minimize the disadvantages associated with an early termination of their vacation,” the company says in its statement.

General information about Sky Club on its web site still says that it has been trading for 20 years, servicing over 1 million customers and “is one of the most stable travel agents and tour operators on the Polish market”. (pg)

source: IAR/wp.pl/tvn24