A UK travel company has gone bust, leaving thousands of holidaymakers in limbo ahead of summer.
Great Little Escapes, based in Berkshire, offered package holidays to ‘the most iconic cities in the world’, including tours to Italy and the Balearics.
But now, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority have confirmed that the company has ‘ceased trading’ as an ATOL holder, in a press release titled ‘failure of Great Little Escapes’.
The firm also traded under the following names and websites:
- Your Holidays
- Tunisia First
- themaldvies.co.uk
- yourholidays.co.uk
- thecaribbean.com
- greatescapes.co.uk
The CAA said: ‘We are currently collating information from the company and will update this page as soon as possible.’
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It’s not yet clear how travellers with upcoming holidays booked via Great Little Escapes will be affected.
Back in April, another major UK travel company was forced to shut its doors after nearly 60 years in business.
Balkan Holidays, which specialised in Bulgarian holidays and offered departures from 17 UK airports – more than any other British tour operator – ceased trading as of April 24.
At its peak, the company served 130,000 travellers a year. However, in recent years, figures dropped significantly, and the provider was licensed to carry just 27,817 ATOL-protected passengers in the year to the end of March 2026.
What rights do you have if the company cancels your package holiday?
According to Citizens Advice, you’re entitled to a full refund if the company cancels your holiday.
This is because ATOL (which stands for Air Travel Organisers Licensing), the scheme by the CAA, offers financial protection to customers when you book a package holiday which includes a flight.
ATOL protection means you’ll get a refund for the package holiday, but it won’t cover any other elements booked separately, such as car hire.
ATOL may also be able to find another operator to take over your trip, although as Money Saving Expert says this is ‘rare and not guaranteed.’
The ATOL website explains: ‘If you are due to travel on an ATOL protected trip and your travel company has ceased as an ATOL holder, we will offer advice on what steps to take.
‘We’ll let you know how to claim an ATOL refund. Our advice will often be either not to travel or, if you are in possession of flight tickets issued by the airline and they have confirmed they are valid, you can travel but you may need to pay for the cost of replacement services and then claim for these.’
It adds: ‘These services could include accommodation, transfers, car hire and any other parts of your ATOL protected booking.’
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