Lake-based Isle of Wight Tours ceased trading on 7 October. It is the latest coach operator to fall victim to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the company says that “over 90%” of its trade for 2020 was wiped out by the virus. As a result, it has been forced to cancel, postpone or refund almost 30,000 bookings. “With cancellations now coming in for 2021, we find that we are unable to continue,” the operator adds.
Isle of Wight Tours was a member of the Bonded Coach Holidays (BCH) scheme. Its customers’ money is thus safe. BCH has appointed Protect Claims to manage the refund process.
The operator’s Managing Director Shirley Winn (pictured) has been a vocal advocate of government support for the coach industry since the pandemic broke.
Ms Winn worked with local MP Bob Seely and other stakeholders on the Isle of Wight to publicise the sector’s plight, and she discussed coach tourism on BBC local radio stations in July.
Ms Winn was also one of over 550 members of the coach industry who co-signed a letter sent by the Confederation of Passenger Transport to Chancellor Rishi Sunak in June. It warned that tens of thousands of jobs in coaching would be at risk if no government support was forthcoming.
Isle of Wight Tours celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019. It held a standard international O-Licence for two vehicles. In signing off, the company thanked its customers for their business, some of which have been travelling with it for all its 31 years.
