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.
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.
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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.
Trav Expert marketed organized tours to destinations such as Barcelona.
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"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.
Related: 15-year-old travel company ends in bankruptcy, cancels all trips

