In a market driven by rising operating costs and an unsteady security situation in many parts of the world, many travel companies and agencies selling organized tours are having a tough time staying afloat.
Travel agencies that shut down in the last year include Travel Bespoke, Great Little Escapes, Salamander Voyages, and Jetline in the United Kingdom along with MixxTravel in Sweden, Expedis Exploration in France and Unitravel Kft and Travel Teachers in Hungary.
The latest report shows that Trav Expert Ltd, a London-based travel agency selling tours and vacation packages, has not had an active Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing certificate since May 2026. The certification shortened to ATOL is granted by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority and is required of businesses selling most types of organized tours in the country.
Trav Expert no longer has valid tour operator license: Report
In the event of a travel agency’s collapse, this license also gives customers consumer protection from the government agency so long as their holiday package included a flight.
Trav Expert, which also traded under names such as Best4trips, Travel Crew, and Air waay, sold trips to destinations such as New York, Barbados, Dubai, Barcelona and The Maldives from the United Kingdom.
Related: Another airline files for bankruptcy protection, cancels flights
Trav Expert has taken down the websites it used to market and sell trips and has not provided a comment on its situation.
An ATOL certificate is typically revoked either after it misses certain key renewal verification deadlines (in which case it can end up correcting this and gaining it back) or when the business is unable to meet its financial obligations and is deemed insolvent by the Companies House, the UK government branch in charge of incorporating and dissolving corporations.
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What to do if a travel agency you booked with goes bankrupt
“Bookings sold as accommodation only, non-flight Packages & Cruise Only bookings which do not include a flight element are not covered by the ATOL scheme,” the agency writes on its website with regards to travel agencies that lost their certification.
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It is also not immediately clear how many Trav Expert trips have already been scheduled for later in the year or how many travelers were now dealing with disrupted travel.
Some recent travel company bankruptcies:
- Great Little Escapes: The British travel company filed for bankruptcy after running up losses of £77,000 ($103,000 USD).
- Unitravel Kft: The Budapest-based tour operator blamed “new, foreign companies enter[ing] Hungary with huge financial resources” for a financial breakdown that led to it having to suddenly cancel trips that in some cases were already halfway through.
- MixxTravel: The Malmö-based travel company was forced to cancel trips and wind down operations after being declared bankrupt by a judge in August 2025.
- Tango Travel: The Icelandic tour operator went bust in November 2025 after major partner Play Airlines filed for bankruptcy and stopped operations a month earlier as many of the packages it sold included tickets from the defunct airline.
- New Era Travel: Ceasing operations in November 2025, the Hampshire-based tour operator took British travelers to Spain, Australia, and Las Vegas, among other destinations.
Related: 15-year-old travel company ends in bankruptcy, cancels all trips
