FAR east specialist Asiaworld has become the first
travel casualty of 2004 after its parent company decided to shut the business
with immediate effect.
Westminster Travel Group pulled the plug on the St
Albans-based operator – which includes the Asiaworld, Caribworld and
Westminster Corporate Travel brands – to focus on interests in its home market.
Existing bookings will be honoured but the company
stopped taking new bookings from agents last Monday.
Hong Kong-based Westminster Travel Group owns tour operators,
corporate and retail travel agents in Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Asiaworld general manager Paul Tilling said he was
unable to reveal why the decision had been taken, but it is suspected that last
year’s SARS outbreak severely hit Asian bookings.
“We traded successfully under difficult circumstances.
We haven’t gone bust or into receivership – our owner has just chosen to focus
on its businesses in Asia,” said Tilling.
He was unable to confirm the number of customers with
forward bookings.
Asiaworld’s 10 UK-based staff have all been made
redundant, with notice periods ranging from one to six months.
The operator has been running for 15 years but was relaunched
in 2000.
Its Caribbean offshoot Caribworld began in October
2002 and had dramatically extended its product range for this year to 46
Caribbean islands with more than 200 hotels.
“These are sad days but I would like to thank travel
agents for their support,” said Tilling.