Cruise company plunges into administration with £4,000 'once in a lifetime' holidays in limbo

Cruise company plunges into administration with £4,000 'once in a lifetime' holidays in limbo One traveller realised the business had gone into receivership before he received an invoice requesting over £73,500, others were not as fortunate and say they have been left out of pocket Passengers looking forward to a cruise up the Western Australian coast have been left in limbo after the luxury cruise company went into administration. The high-end cruise, which travels remote parts of the pristine Kimberley coastline, is still being advertised, however. Those with existing bookings say they have not been notified of the company's insolvency. Liquidation is the legal process by which a business is shut down. This often includes selling the business's assert as a means to generate cash which will be used to pay creditors and shareholders. Receivers were appointed to Kimberley Pearl Tours (KPT) in January after sole director Daniel Brown fell behind in repaying a loan he took out to help buy the business. Mr Brown took over the business in 2024. Tours for the remainder of the year and 2027 are, however, is still being advertised on the KPT website and social media. Those who have booked paid large deposits. One traveller booked a trip last year and is now out of pocket AUD8,500 (around £4460). "My wife and I didn't get a holiday we've been dreaming of," Bob Shawyer said. He only discovered the trip was not proceeding after a chance search online. Mr Shawyer received an email requesting payment for the remainder of his booking after he discovered it was in receivership. Another traveller, Ian Grant, told Australian news outlet ABC that he booked a private tour for a family trip. He discovered the company had gone into receivership before he received an invoice requesting AUD140,000 (over £73,500) for the remainder of the booking. "We could have paid that thinking it was hunky-dory," he said. The invoices were sent from the Kimberley Pearl email address a few months after receivers were appointed, ABC reports. Mr Brown denied sending invoices after the receivers' appointment. He said he had lived and operated the business aboard the Kimberley Pearl, which was seized in February along with his personal belongings and the business' assets. "It was therefore the receivers' own refusal of access that placed the books and records beyond reach," Mr Brown said in a statement. Mr Brown said it was his "firm intention" to get the Kimberley Pearl back in the water and refund customers, and was "deeply sorry". "You trusted us with your holiday of a lifetime," he said. Customers who paid deposits say they are no closer to getting their money back.