Conquest Vacations announced Wednesday it was shutting down, effective immediately.
The travel operator blamed the move on the global recession. Would-be travellers, among them Michele Beaver, were stunned and upset by the decision. Beaver had recently planned a trip to the Dominican with her boyfriend.
"My first adult vacation. Somewhere hot and sunny, just to get away, to reconnect and now it feels like it's lost," Beaver said, fighting back tears. The couple has been working to rebuild their relationship and the trip was going to be a meaningful one for them.
"I finally got him to go. We've hit rock bottom, and this was the turning point."