It is not an easy time for the travel booking industry. Between the ease with which travelers can book their own trips online and a market where many are watching their spending, the majority of travel agencies that have been able to find their market are in the luxury space, selling curated trips to high-spending travelers.
The United Kingdom, with its historically strong national travel culture and interest in package holidays, has seen resilience in booking. “Despite financial pressure on households continuing, travel maintained its position as the engine of the ‘experience economy,'” according to an October 2025 report from ABTA, a U.K. travel-industry trade association.
Still, as Opus reported in 2023, U.K. travel-booking and tour-organization companies have moved in large numbers “away from the bricks and mortar ‘high street’ model and onto a digital-only online approach.” Average company net worth has also declined in the past several years, Opus noted.
Some of the British travel companies that were unable to weather these trends and ended up ceasing operations in 2026 include Trav Expert, Groupia, Salamander Voyages, Travel Bespoke, Regen Central, Set Sail Cruises, Yourtravelshop.com, Ski Yodel, and TS Travels Group, among others.
Wayfairer Travel tells customers trips are canceled “until further notice”
The latest name to join that list is luxury travel firm Wayfairer Travel. Launched in Bristol in southwestern England in 2012, the travel agency sold luxury safari trips as well as other guided tours to destinations such as Machu Picchu and different regions of Japan.
The trip packages began at £4,500 ($6,000 USD) and could go up to tens of thousands for curated small-group tours that included luxury accommodations and private transfers between countries.
This week, customers who booked travel with Wayfairer Travel received communication that all trips were canceled “until further notice.” In some cases, the trips were scheduled for as early as later in the month, and customers are now left scrambling to get refunds or make alternative accommodations.
“We are truly sorry for the concern and uncertainty caused by the current situation,” a Wayfairer Travel spokesperson said in a statement to local news outlet The Independent. “Wayfairer Travel has currently suspended all services until further notice.”
The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust (ABTOT) also issued a “do not travel” notice for anyone who purchased a package holiday with the company, the Leader reported.
Wayfairer Travel sold curated trips to destinations including Machu Picchu.Image source: Shutterstock
What to do if you have a trip booked with Wayfairer Travel, how to get a refund
Despite limited information shared about what caused the sudden shutdown, the collapse is almost certainly financial. “Wayfairer cannot currently provide certainty that affected packages will be delivered,” the ABTOT said, according to the Leader.
The company itself added that it is “unable to provide further information until we have received the appropriate accounting and legal advice.”
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The membership association and government consumer protection body instructed those with holidays booked after Sept. 30 to not travel and await further communication.
These travel agencies 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 customers 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 beginning 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 January 2026 after multiple travelers complained of buying trips and receiving invalid plane tickets and hotel bookings.
Those who received an ATOL Certificate, which in the United Kingdom is issued once customers make a deposit for a package holiday that includes a flight, can immediately file a claim directly with ABTOT.
Those without it, as well as customers outside the United Kingdom, are not protected by the agency and so have been advised to file for a refund with their credit card issuer.
“Because Wayfairer cannot currently provide certainty that affected packages will be delivered, ABTOT is putting arrangements in place to assist eligible UK customers,” ABTOT said.
