UK students who paid thousands of pounds for summer and gap year placements on overseas conservation projects have lost everything after their eco tour operator, GVI, shut down without offering refunds. The company, which provided volunteer and internship placements on wildlife and marine projects worldwide, continued to advertise trips until it went into liquidation and removed its website on 1 July.
Students Left with Nothing
Scores of school leavers and gap year students were informed by email that their placements would not proceed and that no refunds would be given. Some had saved for years and given up jobs to participate. Clara Denton, a student who paid over £10,000 for a placement year as an apprentice on a South African game reserve, said she missed the deadline to apply for university courses and cannot find another placement. “I’m left with a year of nothing,” she said. “The opportunity was priceless and now it’s all been taken away.”
Conservation Projects in Jeopardy
Conservation projects in Africa and South America that relied on GVI for income and volunteers now face an uncertain future. The Kawsay Biological Station in Peru, which hosted volunteers on behalf of GVI, says it is owed over $56,000 (£42,000) by the company. Its director, Raúl Bello Santa Cruz, stated, “We have hosted more than 60 students on behalf of the company this year but have received no payment. Last year they postponed our payments for six months. The contract with GVI included funding for local projects and we depend on it, but despite charging customers expensive fees, GVI has not been passing it on. I’ve been using my personal savings to continue our work. We’ve been abandoned.”
Voluntourism Sector Under Scrutiny
GVI was part of the growing “voluntourism” sector, which combines volunteer conservation and community work with adventure travel in developing countries. Customers were promised training, accommodation, and meals while working on wildlife or marine stations, with local eco projects receiving funding from the travel firms. The organisation was run by self-styled “serial entrepreneurs” Andrew Valentine and Brett Akker. The original company went into voluntary liquidation last September owing suppliers £1.5 million, and its contracts were taken over by a second company run by the pair under the GVI name. Valentine and Akker also have links to another travel company, Bushwise, which offers conservation experience to students; there is no suggestion it is in financial difficulty.
Dash for Cash Before Closure
Customers who had signed up to a monthly payment plan with GVI claim they were encouraged to pay the full cost upfront in a dash for cash six weeks before the company ceased trading. Denton said, “I was phoned out of the blue and told I’d get 10% off if I paid the balance that same day. I felt a bit pressured, but it was a good discount so I paid it and now I have lost it all.” Since customers were encouraged to pay by bank transfer, their payments are not protected by credit card refund rules or the voluntary chargeback scheme run by debit card issuers.
Liquidation Process
A statement on the GVI website says that “all current and future programs have been cancelled. GVI staff on the ground are supporting participants as they make plans to depart GVI bases.” The notice adds that “all impacted participants will receive formal correspondence detailing the liquidation process and instructions on how to lodge a claim.” However, experts said that customers will be at the back of the queue of creditors owed money by the company. Valentine said GVI had made an “incredible” contribution to conservation and community work over 25 years. “Although GVI has had periods of disappointing commercial performance over the years, it has remained viable throughout and – following the advice of insolvency practitioners – continued business as usual up to 30 June, at which point it became clear that the business could no longer meet its obligations,” he said. “We particularly regret the impact that GVI’s liquidation has had on our programme partners around the world, specifically that GVI ultimately failed to provide them with a reliable income stream. A number of former GVI staff have voluntarily been assisting partners to create new, globally diversified income streams. The hope is that these initiatives can allow the impact to continue, even if GVI can not.”
