Royal Celebrity Tours has pulled out of the United States Tour Operators Association after ten years of membership.

Royal Caribbean Cruises’ tour division will therefore no longer be part of the USTOA’s $1 Million Travellers Assistance Program.

“It was a purely business decision and had no bearing on the organisation or the work they do,” said Craig Milan, president of Royal Celebrity Tours.

“Since we are backed by our parent company, we did not see the value in maintaining the $1 million bond through USTOA,” added a statement.

“We may decide in the future to rejoin, but I made the decision to leave based on a cost/value basis.

“USTOA President Terry Dale is a good friend of ours and our industry, and this was a difficult decision but one that I decided was best for Royal Caribbean Tours at this point.”

Purchases of Royal Celebrity Tours’ products prior to March 21st will still be fully protected under USTOA’s bond program.

However, client payments taken after this time are not covered, according to Dale.

“USTOA has valued Royal Celebrity Tours¹ membership, and we look forward to welcoming the company back to the association in the future,” Dale said in a statement.