Travelers on their own as Manos Travel folds
Travelers who had booked package trips with Manos Travel, one of Greece’s leading tour operators, found themselves left in the lurch on Tuesday when the company declared it could not meet its obligations due to its debts and its board of directors resigned. This affected hundreds of people who could not go on trips they had paid for, while those already abroad might have to pay for their lodgings and return tickets. But Spyros Ginis, president of the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies, said that refunds would be given to those still here while the others’ rooms and fares had already been paid. Manos Travel System was set up in 1965 and became the center of the Manos Group, which even included an airline and whose turnover in 1999 came to $120 million, its website said. Its slogan, «Manos i monos» (With Manos or alone) became one of Greece’s most recognizable catchphrases.
