The Consumer Protection Service (CPS) on Friday officially named EFI Strakottou Travel & Tours Limited as the travel agency under investigation after a week of speculation and mounting consumer complaints.

The service, which is the competent authority for enforcing the Law on Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements of 2017, said the company is deemed insolvent and may be unable to meet its contractual obligations.

It explained that an organiser is considered insolvent if, for any reason, they are unable to carry out all or part of the travel services they committed to under a package travel contract with a traveller.

The CPS urged all affected travellers who entered into package travel agreements with the agency and either did not receive, or are not expected to receive, the services they paid for, to submit a request to the Association of Cyprus Travel & Tourism Agents (ACTTA) by October 24, 2025.

Requests must be submitted with all relevant documentation through the designated online form, available on ACTTA’s website.

In addition, travellers seeking further clarification or information can contact ACTTA by telephone at 22666435.

The CPS also called on travellers not to make any new payments to EFI Strakottou Travel & Tours Limited.

Earlier this week, the service confirmed that it was investigating complaints from consumers against a travel agency that had allegedly failed to meet its obligations.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), CPS director Constantinos Karagiorgis said the complaints concerned organised trips where customers struggled to obtain refunds for services they had paid for but never received.

“The case of the travel agency regarding organised trips, which appears unable to fulfil its obligations, is being examined by the service in accordance with the relevant provisions of the legislation,” Karagiorgis said.

He added that all available data was being reviewed, including “the cost this issue imposes on consumers, who seem to be left exposed, as well as the matter of the guarantees.”

Karagiorgis explained that the CPS was working closely with ACTTA to activate the mechanism that protects consumers in cases of insolvency.

Meanwhile, the Cyprus Consumers Association issued guidance following what it described as a surge in complaints, though it did not name the agency at the time.

The association reminded consumers that under Cypriot law, travel organisers must provide a guarantee covering the full amount paid by customers for services they cannot deliver.

“The competent authority for depositing and monitoring the organiser’s guarantee is the Consumer Protection Service and the approved body designated by the Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, which is the Association of Cyprus Travel & Tourism Agents,” the association said.

It added that if a travel organiser cannot meet its obligations, “the organiser’s guarantee is activated and available without undue delay following a request from the traveller,” with the amount distributed to clients who did not receive the services they paid for.

The association also emphasised that not all travel agencies are classified as organisers, noting that the complaints concern organised trips to various destinations.

It said that 147 complaints had been submitted to the Cyprus Consumers Association up to that point.