GAP YEAR TOUR OPERATOR GVI ENTERS LIQUIDATION WITHOUT OFFERING REFUNDS

GVI, a tour operator offering volunteer and internship placements on wildlife and marine conservation projects, ceased operations on 1 July and entered liquidation without providing refunds to students. Scores of school leavers and gap year students were informed by email that their placements would not proceed and no money would be returned. Some students had saved for years and left employment to participate in the programmes. Clara Denton paid over £10,000 for a placement year as an apprentice on a South African game reserve scheduled to begin in September; she stated that she had missed university application deadlines and was unable to secure alternative placements.

GVI advertised trips until its website was removed on the date of liquidation. The company, founded by Andrew Valentine and Brett Akker, operated within the "voluntourism" sector, which combines volunteer conservation work with adventure travel in developing countries. Students were promised training, accommodation and meals whilst working on wildlife or marine stations, with the stated intention that local eco projects would receive funding from the fees charged.

Conservation projects that relied on GVI for income and volunteers face uncertain futures. The Kawsay Biological Station in Peru, which hosted more than 60 students on behalf of GVI during the year, stated it is owed over $56,000 (£42,000) by the company and has received no payment. The station's director, Raúl Bello Santa Cruz, stated that GVI had previously postponed payments for six months and that he had used personal savings to continue the operation's work after the company failed to pass customer fees to the project.