Gold Coast tourism operators claim Kiwi multi-millionaire’s Website Travel platform has left them out of pocket in COVID-19 pandemic

Gold Coast tourism operators say they have been left in the lurch by a Kiwi multi-millionaire’s group and “there’s no reason why we should not be getting paid”.

PRE-COVID-19 a Kiwi Rich Lister’s group with luxury Queenstown hotels charged four-figures a night – now a firm linked to him won’t pay struggling Gold Coast operators.

Gold Coast small tourism business operators are complaining at being out of pocket by Andrew Cox’s Website Travel platform which clips the ticket on activity bookings.

Gold Coast’s Australian Kayaking Adventures boss Steven Vah, who has worked with Website Travel for 12 years, said he was owed $4000: “We sent them the invoice three weeks ago. Then we got an email last week saying they will not be paying invoices because of the coronavirus.

Gold Coast’s Australian Kayaking Adventures boss Steven Vah said he was owed $4000.

“There’s no reason why we should not be getting paid. We have done the job, we have employees to pay.”

Mr Cox, ex-co-owner of the Melbourne Rebels and estimated to be worth $76 million in 2017, heads up Imperium Group. Its interests in hotels, technology and hospitality includes five-star Eichardt’s Private Hotel in Queenstown.

Imperium’s Adventium Technology Group also controls Website Travel, connecting adventure tourism agents (resellers) with operators.

The company counts Virgin and Greyhound as clients and works with Imperium-owned resellers including Peterpans Adventure Travel and Backpackers World Travel.

Last week the company told operators it was suspending payments to agents, operators, suppliers and customers until it raises $12 million.

The business was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, it said: “Like most marketplaces, Website Travel is an asset-light company and operates on a negative working capital model.

Andrew Cox’s Website Travel platform clips the ticket on activity bookings. Picture: Nigel Hallett

“Unfortunately, this model has unwound at such a rapid pace as a result of COVID-19 government-enforced shutdowns, that we now need to undertake to raise new capital to repair the balance sheet to ensure all obligations are met.”

It adds that pending the capital raise the company will suspend all payments.

“Our intention is to complete the capital raise by the end of April and to ensure all outstanding payments are made in early May.”

Mr Vah said Website Travel had always been “difficult” to deal with, and already received commission from jobs done.

“They get paid straight away.”

Another Coast operator said it had not been paid but was hoping the capital raise was successful.

Mr Cox, managing director of Adventium’s parent Imperium Capital Group, declined to comment.

In 2017 he handed back the Rebels licence and offloaded rights to TGI Fridays restaurant chain in Australia and NZ.