Steven Freudmann is to address the Institute of Travel and Tourism board to explain the circumstances surrounding the failure of Unpackaged Holidays.
It follows calls from some ITT members for Freudmann to step down until matters surrounding the collapse of Unpackaged, which has left creditors owed tens of thousands of pounds, are resolved.
The issue has already forced Freudmann to resign from the ABTA board while creditors have threatened to challenge administrators Shipleys over the pre-packaged sale of Unpackaged to The Travel Club.
The Travel Club is being bought by Alpha Prospects, of which Freudmann is non-executive chairman. Freudmann resigned as a director of Unpackaged shortly before it went into administration.
Freudmann said the discussion – to take place at this afternoon’s ITT board meeting – was his suggestion. He said: “I have written to all board members. This is at my request so that I can be open and frank with the directors.
“I want to explain the entire situation – I am not being forced to put it on the agenda. I felt it was something that had received significant publicity and that I had an obligation to discuss.”
He is hopeful the discussion will be “the end of the matter” and added that creditors’ concerns about monies owed are an issue for the administrator and “nothing to do with me”.
“What’s happened has happened. I don’t anticipate any further activity,” he said, who added he had more than 200 messages of support from members and non-members.
But some ITT members have said they think Freudmann should step down before the association’s annual conference in June. Meanwhile, one observer said: “Steven Freudmann is a like a cat with nine lives and he’s used up six of them.”