Meyer Travel has joined a growing list of Bermuda companies that are laying off staff and reducing operations.

Meyer president Henry Hayward said the company is cutting nine jobs, closing its Washington Mall office and considering closing its Dockyard branch.

Mr. Hayward said the job cuts would occur in coming weeks with restructuring being completed next month.

He said three travel agents were dismissed and six support staff from the marketing, accounts and I.T. departments were made redundant.

The moves reduce Meyer's total number of staff to 45.

The restructuring is an economic necessity, said Mr. Hayward, and the company has looked at streamlining its operations over the past six months. The September 11 terrorist attacks in the US aggravated the situation and the company had to address a further drop off in business.

Mr. Hayward said the travel industry was "changing drastically" and the airlines' commission cuts had taken their toll.

He added that increased competition, in the form of the establishment of C Travel a year ago by former Meyer Travel head Carl Paiva, had also effected Meyer.

Mr. Hayward said: "It was a situation where the head of our travel division took a number of our leading agents. Undoubtedly C Travel has had an affect."

But Meyer remained the Island's largest travel agency, he stressed, and the layoffs and office closure would have been necessary despite this increased competition.

Mr. Hayward said he expected the company's restructuring to give Meyer an advantage in the marketplace. "This will make us more aggressive in the market, and we are looking at new ways of doing business," he said.

However he did not rule out further job cuts. "We are not ruling out further cuts, it depends on the industry."