The UK Embassy in Santo Domingo has informed the National Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores) that the British Civil Aviation Authority will be responsible for the repatriation of tourists affected by the bankruptcy of the British tour operator Thomas Cook.
Menzo Herwegh, manager of Thomas Cook in the Dominican Republic, told AFP that the stranded tourists are being sent on direct flights to Britain on different airlines. Some 1,650 tourists, including 670 from the UK on vacation in the DR, would be flown out on flights contracted by the British government.
The plan is that British tourists will be able to finish their vacations and return to their countries on flights that are being organized by the authorities. The first flight departed on Monday, 23 September 2019.
Thomas Cook was the second-largest international tour operator in terms of client numbers and had subsidiaries in France, Germany and Italy along with other markets.
As reported, the bankruptcy will further affect resort profitability this year. The bankruptcy means that some 5,000 British tourists that were booked to travel to the DR with Thomas Cook will be no shows.
In August, the BBC had reported that Thomas Cook would sell majority stake to China’s Fosun.
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BBC
25 September 2019