Award-winning UK coach holiday company goes bust

Snowdonia, Wales/PA

A Welsh holiday specialist which boasted 12,000 annual customers has gone into administration.

Silver Star Holidays of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, which has operated coach holidays for 93 years, says rising fuel costs and the economic downturn has forced the company to close.

Silver Star was named best coach tour operator at the Coach Tourism Awards in 2008.

In an official statement, Elfyn Thomas, managing director of Silver Star Holidays and son of Silver Star's founder, said the company was 'absolutely devastated' at the closure. 'We have tried everything to salvage the business,' he said.

The operator, which served around 12,000 customers a year, is working with a consumer protection service to secure a refund for all customers who have booked holidays with them.

Silver Star is just one of a long list of travel companies to go bust this year. Yesterday, Plymouth-based operator Real Traveller announced that it had gone into administration, while earlier this month, Wiltshire-based Swindon Travel also ceased trading.

In August, budget tour firm Holidays 4 UK closed and had to repatriate 13,000 tourists from Turkey, and in July, more than 2,000 holidaymakers had their summer holidays ruined when Greek specialist operator Dream Holidays went into administration.

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