Amid the high-profile bankruptcies of airlines like Play and Eastern Airways this autumn, companies selling tours and other holiday packages have also struggled in a market of waning consumer sentiment and high competition.
Iceland’s Tango Travel, which sold tour packages that relied primarily on Play flights out of the country to Icelanders, could not recover from the airline’s bankruptcy and also had to shut down operations at the start of November in a domino effect.
Over the summer, British travel companies Great Little Escapes and Jetline both shut down operations after reporting earnings losses for the last two years. At the end of July, Swedish tour provider MixxTravel joined the mix after being declared bankrupt by a judge. As it was ordered to immediately stop all operations, over 1,300 travelers from countries like Sweden and Denmark found themselves stranded in common holiday destinations across Europe.
“It has been a privilege helping you plan your adventure”: New Era Travel
November has now brought with it a second tour company shutdown after New Era Travel in the Hampshire county of England confirmed that it is closing down and going into liquidation.
New Era Travel launched in 2022 and sold a range of tours to international destinations such as Spain, Australia and Las Vegas as well as domestic coach trips from regional cities like Alresford, Fareham and Wickham. The company also offered a large number of trips to the United States with packages to Hawaii, Florida and a few national parks still listed on its website.
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“With deep regret, we must inform you that New Era Travel has ceased trading and is in the process of liquidation,” reads a sign posted on the front door of its office in Alresford as reported by the Daily Mail and the Hampshire Chronicle. “We want to express our sincerest gratitude to every customer who has supported us over the years. It has been a privilege helping you plan your adventure.”
The shutdown also follows the death of company founder Alan Godfrey at age 56 in February of this year.
New Era Travel offered a number of tour packages to Orlando for British travelers.
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Current New Era Travel trips to “proceed as planned,” company confirms
New Era Travel also confirmed that all trips or booked before this announcement will still go on through its partners.
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While New Era Travel did not elaborate on the reasons for the sudden closure, most regional tour operators have struggled with similar problems of not being able to bring in the traffic necessary to cover the high costs of operations.
Fred Olsen Travel, a larger Suffolk travel company that worked with New Era in the past, is taking on some of the tours scheduled to take off in December and early 2026.
“We were deeply saddened to see them close their two branches and business,” Retail Director Paul Hardwick said in a statement to Travel Weekly. “We have already written to all impacted customers and suppliers with affected forward holidays or cruises to advise their holiday and money is still safe and protected and will now be administered and managed by one of the Fred Olsen Travel branches.”
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