It’s a tough time to be an agency selling group tours to travelers, and the situation is particularly dire for travel agencies in the United Kingdom.
Trav Expert, Groupia, Salamander Voyages, Travel Bespoke, Regen Central, Set Sail Cruises, and Yourtravelshop.com are some of the names of British travel companies that shut down operations over no longer being able to bring in the necessary customer flow since the start of 2026.
The latest name to join that list is Firefly Holidays.
Launched out of the Abington town approximately 60 miles outside of London in Oxfordshire, the local travel firm was established in 2016 by selling high-end holidays to countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and Croatia, among others.
Firefly Holidays shuts down after 10 years, enters voluntary liquidation
As first reported by local press, Firefly Holidays has entered voluntary liquidation at the start of the month. The British term is the closest equivalent of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S., indicating intent to close down and sell off any remaining assets without an attempt to restructure.
Stephen Mark Powell of London-based BTG Begbies Traynor has been appointed as the liquidator overseeing the process while the company website states that Firefly Holidays is “no longer taking bookings.”
Related: Travel company shuts down and strands hundreds in suspected scam
“It’s been our absolute honour to help our customers experience amazing holidays and award-winning adventures,” the pop-up reads further. “Now the Firefly team are taking our own road trip towards new destinations.”
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Why so many travel agencies are shutting down this year
It is not immediately clear whether any customers had trips scheduled beyond the shutdown and will see their travel disrupted.
The statement further says that Firefly Holidays is “happy to help valued customers and new contacts with any travel questions and advice.”
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The company advertised active holidays to various campgrounds and ski resorts in Europe and was included in the Sunday Times Best 100 Holidays round-up within the first year of launching in 2016.
Its motto was to “help independently minded people enjoy far more for much less.”
More travel agencies that filed for bankruptcy in 2026:
- AVG Travels: The Melbourne-based travel agency selling cheap vacation packages to travelers in Australia and New Zealand sent more than 200 travelers an email saying that the trips were canceled before entering bankruptcy in May 2026.
- GoPlay Sports: In April 2026, the men’s basketball team of the University of Dallas was left without a planned trip to compete in the United Kingdom after Boston-based GoPlay Sports Tours LLC accepted two payments of $30,000 and then went unreachable.
- Havantur: Havantur was forced to shut down its main European office in Franceat the start of 2026 after tourist numbers to the Caribbean country plummeted due to U.S. military actions in Venezuela and threats against the country.
- Vegas Vacations and North America Destinations: Two travel agencies in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Vegas Vacations and North America Destinations, were shut down by regulators within a few days of each other in Jan. 2026 after multiple travelers complained of buying trips with invalid plane tickets and hotel bookings.
Related: Travel agency files for bankruptcy, dozens of flights canceled
