Skift Travel News Blog

Lastminute.com Group announced Monday that the board appointed Laura Amoretti as interim CEO, effective immediately, and stripped CEO Fabio Cannavale and Chief Operating Officer Andrea Bertoli of all duties at the company for three months because of the Swiss fraud investigation.

Cannavale and Bertoli have been detained by Swiss authorities over allegations that the Amsterdam-based online travel company misused Swiss-provided Covid-relief aid.

The board announced it will launch a search for a permanent CEO.

Amoretti has served as the Group’s chief customer officer since 2019.

Board chairman Laurent Foata said in a statement: “Laura is a very committed and dynamic leader with vision, energy and substantial relevant experience with our group. Her contribution will be especially precious at this juncture. We look forward to engaging closely with Laura in her new role as she will lead our business forward in this stage of our journey towards profitable growth in the field of travel.”

Just in time for next month’s Tour de France, where it is the official travel sponsor, Switzerland-based Lastminute.com debuted multi-day bike holidays powered by adventure-booking platform TourRadar.

“Travel like the locals do on a bicycle adventure,” a promo on Lastminute.com reads. “Ride off-the-beaten-track through the hills of Northern Thailand, glide past the sweet-scented fields of Provence or let the aromas of Tuscan vineyards delight you after a long days’ ride. From mountain biking to road cycling, a tour on two wheels invites you to experience a whole new world – whether it’d be cruising through the sunlit trails of Vermont or when conquering a steep ascent on Nepal’s mighty cycling routes.”

TourRadar specializes in a variety of adventure tours, and the company is based in Vienna.

The 21-stage Tour de France will take place in Denmark, France, Belgium, and Switzerland July 1-24.