Railbookers’ future uncertain, Australian Escapes cemented

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The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has suspended Railbookers Australia’s ATAS accreditation following a sale of its parent company in the UK.

It is unclear what the future holds for the Railbookers Australian operations following the sale of the tailormade rail holiday operator to US tour operator, Yankee Leisure Group, for an undisclosed sum, Travelmole reports.

The sale includes alleged failed brand Travel Definitions, which the Civil Aviation Authority said had ceased trading last week. In addition, ex-Collette GM Peter Traynor has been appointed as the company’s new MD, the website reports.

According to AFTA, further enquiries are yet to be confirmed in relation to the Australian operations, and industry stakeholders will be advised as it comes to hand.

A statement from YLG’s president made no comment to the company’s Australian operations.

“During this short period of hand-over, customers travelling with Railbookers are our priority, and we’re working with the team to ensure the transition is seamless,” he said.

In other news, Australian Escapes Marketing has lost their ATAS accreditation, with immediate effect. AFTA announced the cancellation yesterday following news the company had gone into voluntary administration. AFTA said affected customers are being urged to contact John Greenbury with details on the federation’s website.

Travel Weekly were unable to contact either company at the time of publishing.

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