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Wales Online
26-04-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Major travel company shuts down leaving holidaymakers scrambling
Major travel company shuts down leaving holidaymakers scrambling Customers are being urgently advised to check their bookings as the company has been forced to shut down Customers can expect refunds in the next few weeks (Image: Getty Images ) A renowned British travel firm has announced it is ceasing operations, leading to the cancellation of all future holidays. Customers of Balkan Holidays are now left scrambling to find alternative plans as their booked holidays, including eagerly anticipated summer trips, have been abruptly cancelled. The company, which was established in 1966, expressed its regret over the sudden closure. "We regret to inform you that Balkan Holidays Ltd has as of April 24, 2025, closed for business in the UK. Clients currently on holiday will be unaffected," a spokesperson for the company, known for specialising in holidays to the Balkan region of Europe, stated. The company remains solvent, but has ceased trading, however all forward holiday bookings have been cancelled. "All clients will be notified and refunded in full. May we kindly ask for patience as we process the refunds and appreciate your understanding. Thank you for your past business and please accept our most sincere apologies for the disappointment and inconvenience." Article continues below Balkan Holidays had been offering travellers trips to destinations such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and Northern Cyprus. Those who had booked holidays to these and other locations can expect refunds in the upcoming weeks, The Mirror reports. Customers with imminent departure dates, including those set for this week, will be given priority. Balkan Holidays, which previously held a license to carry 27,817 Atol-protected customers up until the end of March 2026 and served 130,000 holidaymakers at its peak, offered flights from 17 British airports – a record for any UK-based tour operator. Prior to its collapse, the firm had earned a bronze award in the "Best Medium Holiday Company to East and South East Europe" category at the British Travel Awards in both 2015 and 2019, with a three-year winning streak in the same category in 2011, 2012, and 2013. However, following its collapse, affected holidaymakers have taken to social media to express their discontent. One disgruntled customer wrote on X, "Absolutely devastated we were going in 36 days time! How are we meant to book anywhere now at this notice?". This latest collapse marks another setback for the travel industry, which had previously suffered significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to struggle since, with rising prices posing a significant barrier to travel, especially for families, in recent months. In March, Trafalgar Travel, a Guernsey-based travel agency, was forced to shut its doors after 42 years of operation, with its management attributing the "very sad and tough decision" to increasing costs and a shift towards online holiday bookings. In a statement, manager Charlie Coyle said, "As you can imagine this has been very difficult for staff at this time, however we all remain 100% committed to ensuring a very smooth transfer of bookings to another agency," Bookings made prior to June 1 will be managed by Trafalgar Travel as per usual, with those made after this date being transferred. The UK has seen a significant decrease in the number of travel agencies over the past five years, with a drop of nearly 18 per cent. Statista reports that there were more than 4,200 travel agency shops in March 2019, but this figure had dwindled to just 3,500 by June 2023. Article continues below Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here .
Scotsman
25-04-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Balkan Holidays: has your holiday been cancelled
A British travel company has been forced to close down, cancelling all future holidays. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A British travel company has been forced to close down, cancelling all future holidays. Balkan Holidays said it had ceased trading as of yesterday (April 24) following nearly 60 years of providing trips. Though travellers currently on their holidays will be able to complete them, anyone with upcoming bookings will instead be made to accept refunds, leaving them scrambling for other routes to their destinations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Direct customers have been asked to contact the company directly to arrange refunds, but expectant travellers who booked trips via a third party have been told they will need to speak to their travel agent to get their money back, our sister title NationalWorld reports. The company, which offered holidaymakers trips to Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and Northern Cyprus, said it would aim to process refunds as fast as possible, working in order of departure date. Balkan Holidays was launched nearly six decades ago, and specialised in trips to Bulgaria. It offered departures from 17 British airports, more than any other UK tour operator. At its peak, it served 130,000 people a year. A British travel company has been forced to close down, cancelling all future holidays. (Photo: Balkan Holidays Summer/Facebook) | Balkan Holidays Summer/Facebook But its numbers have dwindled in recent years, with it being licensed to carry just 27,817 Atol-protected passengers in the year to the end of March 2026. It said in a statement on its social media pages and website: 'We regret to inform you that Balkan Holidays Ltd has, as of 24th of April 2025, closed for business in the UK. 'The company has not gone into liquidation, however all forward holiday bookings have been cancelled. All clients will be notified and refunded in full. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'May we kindly ask for patience as we process the refunds and appreciate your understanding. Thank you for your past business and please accept our most sincere apologies for the disappointment and inconvenience.'
Scotsman
25-04-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Balkan Holidays: has your holiday been cancelled
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now A British travel company has been forced to close down, cancelling all future holidays. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A British travel company has been forced to close down, cancelling all future holidays. Balkan Holidays said it had ceased trading as of yesterday (April 24) following nearly 60 years of providing trips. Though travellers currently on their holidays will be able to complete them, anyone with upcoming bookings will instead be made to accept refunds, leaving them scrambling for other routes to their destinations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Direct customers have been asked to contact the company directly to arrange refunds, but expectant travellers who booked trips via a third party have been told they will need to speak to their travel agent to get their money back, our sister title NationalWorld reports. The company, which offered holidaymakers trips to Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and Northern Cyprus, said it would aim to process refunds as fast as possible, working in order of departure date. Balkan Holidays was launched nearly six decades ago, and specialised in trips to Bulgaria. It offered departures from 17 British airports, more than any other UK tour operator. At its peak, it served 130,000 people a year. A British travel company has been forced to close down, cancelling all future holidays. (Photo: Balkan Holidays Summer/Facebook) | Balkan Holidays Summer/Facebook But its numbers have dwindled in recent years, with it being licensed to carry just 27,817 Atol-protected passengers in the year to the end of March 2026. It said in a statement on its social media pages and website: 'We regret to inform you that Balkan Holidays Ltd has, as of 24th of April 2025, closed for business in the UK. 'The company has not gone into liquidation, however all forward holiday bookings have been cancelled. All clients will be notified and refunded in full. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'May we kindly ask for patience as we process the refunds and appreciate your understanding. Thank you for your past business and please accept our most sincere apologies for the disappointment and inconvenience.' It added: 'For all direct clients, if you need to contact us about refunds, please email refunds@ If you booked through a travel agent, please contact them for your refund. All travel agents can email refundagents@ We will work as fast as we can and will prioritise refunds in departure date order.'
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Holiday chaos as British travel company shuts down with ALL future trips axed
A major British travel firm has gone bust, cancelling all future holidays and leaving customers furious and scrambling to make alternative arrangements. Balkan Holidays , established in 1966, said it "regrets to inform" customers it has closed down with immediate effect, reports the Mirror. A spokesperson for the company, which specialisied in trips to the Balkan region of Europe said: "We regret to inform you that Balkan Holidays Ltd has as of 24th of April 2025, closed for business in the UK. Clients currently on holiday will be unaffected. "The company remains solvent, but has ceased trading, however all forward holiday bookings have been cancelled. All clients will be notified and refunded in full. May we kindly ask for patience as we process the refunds and appreciate your understanding. Thank you for your past business and please accept our most sincere apologies for the disappointment and inconvenience." The company offered holidaymakers trips to Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and Northern Cyprus. Those who booked holidays to these destinations and others should expect refunds in the coming weeks. Those with the earliest departure dates, including this week, will be prioritised. The tour operator was licensed to carry nearly 28,000 Atol-protected passengers until March 2026 and previously flew from 17 UK airports - more than any other British holiday firm. At its peak, it served around 130,000 customers a year. Holidaymakers have been left furious by the collapse, with many turning to social media to share their anger. One person said on X: "Absolutely devastated we were going in 36 days time! How are we meant to book anywhere now at this notice? Its closure is the latest blow to the struggling travel industry, which was decimated during the Covid-19 pandemic and experts say has largely struggled since then. Prices nowadays are impeding families, in particular, it has been argued in recent months. And in March, Trafalgar Travel , a Guernsey-based travel agents, shut down after 42 years of trading. Bosses blamed the 'very sad and tough decision' on rising costs and the shift to online holiday bookings. "As you can imagine this has been very difficult for staff at this time, however we all remain 100% committed to ensuring a very smooth transfer of bookings to another agency," said manager Charlie Coyle. Bookings before June 1 will be handled to Trafalgar Travel as usual – while those afterwards will be transferred. The number of UK travel agencies has dropped by nearly 18 per cent in the past five years. According to Statista, there were over 4,200 travel agency shops in March 2019, but that number fell to just 3,500 by June 2023.
Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Balkan Holidays is forced to shut from today - with all future holidays CANCELLED
An award-winning British travel company has confirmed it has ceased trading - and all future holidays have been cancelled. Balkan Holidays customers are now scrambling to make alternative arrangements as their breaks everywhere, including long-awaiting summer getaways, have been axed. The firm, established in 1966, said it "regrets to inform" customers it has closed down with immediate effect. "We regret to inform you that Balkan Holidays Ltd has as of 24th of April 2025, closed for business in the UK. Clients currently on holiday will be unaffected," a spokesperson for the company, which specialised in trips to the Balkan region of Europe said. "The company remains solvent, but has ceased trading, however all forward holiday bookings have been cancelled. All clients will be notified and refunded in full. May we kindly ask for patience as we process the refunds and appreciate your understanding. Thank you for your past business and please accept our most sincere apologies for the disappointment and inconvenience." Have you been affected by the closure of Balkan Holidays? Contact webnews@ Balkan Holidays offered holidaymakers trips to Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and Northern Cyprus. All those who had booked holidays to these places and others should refunds in the coming weeks. Those with the earliest departure dates, including this week, will be prioritised. The tour operator was licensed to carry 27,817 Atol-protected passengers in the year to the end of March 2026 – and at its peak, served 130,000 holiday makers in a single year. It offered departures from 17 British airports, more than any other UK tour operator. Balkan was given the bronze award for "Best Medium Holiday Company to East and South East Europe" at the British Travel Awards 2019, and scooped the same gong in 2015. For three consecutive years; 2011, 2012 and 2013, it won that category. But now holidaymakers affected by the collapse have been left frustrated. They have shared their anger on social media. One customer said on X: "Absolutely devastated we were going in 36 days time! How are we meant to book anywhere now at this notice?" It is another blow to the travel industry, which was decimated during the Covid-19 pandemic and experts say has largely struggled since then. Prices nowadays are impeding families, in particular, it has been argued in recent months. And in March, Trafalgar Travel, a Guernsey-based travel agents, shut down after 42 years of trading. Bosses blamed the 'very sad and tough decision' on rising costs and the shift to online holiday bookings. "As you can imagine this has been very difficult for staff at this time, however we all remain 100% committed to ensuring a very smooth transfer of bookings to another agency," said manager Charlie Coyle. Bookings before June 1 will be handled to Trafalgar Travel as usual – while those afterwards will be transferred. The number of UK travel agencies has dropped by nearly 18 per cent in the past five years. According to Statista, there were over 4,200 travel agency shops in March 2019, but that number fell to just 3,500 by June 2023.
