Over two thirds of the 16,000 customers stranded overseas when Goldtrail Holidays collapsed on Friday have been repatriated to the UK.

But Goldtrail customers have reported that some hoteliers have been demanding cash payments for rooms already paid for as part of packages.

At one hotel in Marmaris, Turkey, guests were threatened with eviction if they didn’t hand over £210 per room. At another staff called police when guests refused.

At least one couple have been evicted from their hotel for failing to pay.
Police were called to the Toros hotel in Altinkum and ordered the passports to be returned.

The Civil Aviation Authority has assured all passengers that they will not be left stranded and that hotel bills would be covered by its ATOL emergency scheme.

A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority said: “Most people came back over the weekend on the flights they were due to come back on. The remaining people still abroad will finish their holiday and come back on the flights they originally booked.”

The CAA has been sending out guarantees to hotels across Turkey and Greece to ensure holidaymakers are not put out on the street.

“The problem of people being inconvenienced should disappear,” the spokesperson added.

An estimated 50,000 customers have been left without holidays this summer.

Customers who had not begun their now cancelled holidays, will be able to apply for a refund.

Goldtrail, based in New Malden, Surrey, opened in 1996. There had been rumours for several months that it was struggling.

Olympic Holidays is among operators which have stepped in to accept bookings from Goldtrail clients under CAA deeds of assignment claims.

The company has written to agents in the wake of the Goldtrail failure which left an estimated 50,000 clients without holidays this summer. 

Olympic will accept bookings, with an assignment of CAA claims, from clients of Goldtrail Travel companies Goldtrail Holidays, Goldtrail Travel and Sunmar.