HELP, advice and alternative travel arrangements for those holidaymakers affected by the news that yet another tour operator has gone bust this summer is being offered by a Hatfield businessman.

The collapse of the tour operator Sun4u, which specialised in Spanish holidays, last week and the closure of Kiss Flights, a budget firm which sold flights across Europe, yesterday morning (Tuesday), follows the failure of Goldtrail, which left thousands of holidaymakers marooned last month.

As news broke of each, Richard Briggs, who works as part of independent travel company Travel Counsellors, was able to offer advice and reassurance to any travellers affected.

He said: “We wanted to let people know that we are willing to help in any way we can, from helping those stranded to get home, to advice on how to claim a refund on holidays booked, and we can also offer alternative travel arrangements for those now left without a holiday.”

Kiss Flights currently has about 13,000 tourists overseas and 60,000 customers who have forward bookings, while Sun4u left approximately 1,200 travellers stranded abroad as it ceased trading on Friday.

Richard will be offering support including help on filling out claim forms for those seeking refunds for their cancelled holidays.

“This unfortunate situation highlights the importance of knowing your money is completely protected,” the Green Lanes resident said.

“Travel Counsellors is one of the few travel companies in the industry to operate a financial trust, a unique financial guarantee that covers absolutely everything the customer books via their Travel Counsellor including hotels, low cost airlines, scheduled flights and car rental.

“It means that my customers can be sure when they hear news about a travel failure, such as that of Sun4u or Goldtrail, that they can be 100 per cent sure that they have not lost their money.”

Since 2006, ABTA has ceased to guarantee payments to consumers in the event that its retail members go bust.

Richard added: “Scanning the news for profit warnings is unlikely to be many people’s idea of planning for a holiday, customers are now realising the value in booking with agents who can offer complete financial protection.”

Working from home and using award winning technology, Richard is available at a time to suit his customers – meaning he can be contacted during the evenings and at weekends.

Call 0845 058 7225 or email richard.briggs@travelcounsellors.com