Coronavirus in Ireland – Irish travel agency and language school to close down due to Covid-19 as over 100 to lose jobs
A TRAVEL agency and a chain of English-language schools have applied for liquidation due to effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and are closing down.
The Kinlay Group, which owns the The English Studio on Jervis Street and the USIT travel group, said the businesses going into liquidation employ more than 100 people in Ireland.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
The English Studio, which employs 31 people in Ireland, had closed its doors two weeks ago as schools and colleges closed their doors to stop the spread of Covid-19.
In a statement released by the Kinlay Group, their chairman, David Andrews, said: “Only a short few weeks ago, both USIT and the English School were trading well and we had exciting plans for the future.
"But the tsunami of effects related to the Covid-19 pandemic have left us with no business whatsoever and no possibility of overcoming these challenges.
"We have working tirelessly for the last few weeks to find a solution to save these businesses.
"I and my fellow directors greatly regret having to take this step, but unfortunately, it was the only possible option at this time."
People who had already booked travel with USIT should contact their airline to see if they were still able to travel, the group said.
In cases where the airline allowed them to travel, but accommodation had not already been paid for by the group, customers were advised to pay for it themselves and claim a refund from The Commission for Aviation Regulation.
The commission would be contacting any affected customers who were already abroad.
MOST READ IN NEWS
USIT Ireland, which was founded in 1959, employs 76 people across its branches in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.
A third business owned by the Kinlay Group, Teach & Travel Group, would continue to trade normally, the Kinlay Group said.
Based in Leeds, the Teach & Travel Group provides online TEFL training.