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Message from Steve Berry, Managing Director - Covid-19
The events of the last year have shown us all how precious the lives of our loved ones really are. The viability of corporations, airlines, banks and even whole economies have been ignored as mankind has come together to defeat this invisible threat. It is a heartening thought isn’t it, that individual lives are more important than money?
It is 33 years since my friend, Steve Bell, and I started Himalayan Kingdoms in a two room attic office in Clifton, Bristol; offering trekking and climbing holidays in all parts of the Himalaya. Since those early days the company – now Mountain Kingdoms – has expanded to offering holidays across the world and a year never goes by without something happening somewhere from earthquakes to assassinations; Gulf Wars to Brexit, and whilst all these events have had an impact on travel, up until now there has been nothing that has threatened the whole world.
The scale of human suffering as a direct and indirect result of Covid-19 is without precedent, and beyond previous imagination, and it is in times like these we really see what companies and individuals are made of.
When the gravity of the situation became obvious, our first task at Mountain Kingdoms was to help those clients who found themselves stuck in various remote parts of the globe.
Then our attention turned to clients who were due to travel in the near future. From day one, we decided that where needed, due to FCO travel advice, destination or airline schedule restrictions, we would cancel holidays, asking customers due to travel if they would like to transfer, without charge, to an alternative holiday, or if not, offering a refund. This policy follows the law brought about by the European Package Travel Regulations 2018 and we continue to adhere to this.
Many of you transferred to later dates, or to different holidays, and we are very grateful for that. Understandably and naturally, in such uncertain times, some chose to take full refunds. We thank you for your continued patience as we have worked our way through this large task.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the travel trade, through ABTA, AITO and ABTOT, lobbied the government to change the current law in order to help cash-strapped travel companies. The change allows tour operators to suspend an existing holiday due to exceptional circumstances, and instead of refunding customers, issue them with a Refund Credit voucher which could be used to book another holiday at a later date. It is intended these Credit vouchers will be financially protected by the tour operator’s bonding (usually ATOL or ABTOT) and valid for over 12 months.
In any case I have decided that Mountain Kingdoms will continue to offer free transfers, and if requested, refunds. It is sad to think some airlines and large travel companies are not setting a similar example at this time.
Please be assured that Mountain Kingdoms is a strong, financially stable company and we will still be here long after the coronavirus has come and gone.
I am sure that when this is all behind us you will be keen to travel again, and I do hope that you will appreciate the stance we have taken at this extremely difficult time.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Berry
Useful links
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO): https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
World Health Organisation (WHO): https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA): https://www.abta.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak
Useful Statistics: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
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One summer’s day in 1987 Steve Berry (our MD) and fellow adventurer, Steve Marriott, were standing at the foot of the cliffs in Avon gorge. Having agreed that it was too hot to climb, they had been killing time in a ‘Wouldn’t it be great if…’ competition. This was when the fantasy of listening to the epic stories of their favourite heroes became a solid plan…
Since then, the two Steves and their caving friend Dick Willis, have organised more than 400 lectures whose general theme has been ‘Worldwide Adventure’. These epic stories have taken the audiences from the deepest point of the deepest ocean to the summit of Mount Everest, and from darkest, dankest inner spaces of our planet to even darker journeys in Outer Space. There have been mountaineers, sailors, cyclists, divers, balloonists, and even a man who cycled around the world on a penny farthing, and another who flew his car from Europe over the Straights of Gibraltar to Africa. There have been world famous explorers, record breakers, and people who have headed out into the remote unknown just for the hell of it.
Having run Wilderness for 36 years the three friends have decided to step back and retire so there will be no series this winter. However, they would be really happy if a younger individual, or a group of friends, would step forward to take over Wilderness and pick up where they are leaving off. If anyone is interested contact Wilderness Lectures here.
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Take a look at the full trip details here or speak to Harry in the Mountain Kingdoms office who completed the Naar Phu Circuit Trek earlier this year and rates it as the best he's ever done.
Holidays with Festivals
If you love a festival, but hate muddy fields, tent villages and rubbish food then it may be time to look beyond Glastonbury and Reading. In our latest enews we reveal alternative festivals in the Himalaya and Mongolia that offer amazing music, unusual sports and unique cultural experiences.
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