Tour operator United Europe has ceased operations as of June 21.
In a statement, the company says it had been a victim of a multi-million-rand internal fraud by a trusted employee and that it had not been able to recover the funds lost, forcing it to close.
Poor market conditions since the fraud have made it impossible for the company to continue running responsibly, says Mark Buck, md.
The company is working to minimise the impact of this closure on existing clients, says Mark. “Our team is listing all the affected passengers and advising our customers accordingly. I do however anticipate there will be some negative impact over the coming weeks, which I deeply regret.” He adds that the business’s directors are working to find alternative employment for their staff.
Asata says it is looking into what recourse is available for affected customers. Otto de Vries, Asata ceo adds: “We urge affected travel partners to determine immediately how the closure of United Europe impacts their customers and what their exposure is likely to be in the coming weeks, not only in terms of full payments that have been made, but also in terms of deposits.”
“Closing our doors really is the most responsible thing we can do as we would never willingly put in jeopardy the reputation of our partners,” says Mark.
Queries can be directed to help@unitedeurope.co.za.
