The UK Holiday Group has taken on all of collapsed operator Bowen Travel Group’s forward group bookings.
About 1,500 passengers are booked on group tours under the Bowen brands, which included Appleby’s Coach Holidays and Jeffs Coaches.
Paul Bennett, chairman of Norwich-based UK Holiday Group, said there were roughly an additional 3,500-4000 passengers who had made individual bookings, such as door-to-door transfers. The future of these bookings is yet to be announced.
According to Deloitte, the administrators for Bowen Travel Group, the business and assets of Jeffs Coaches were sold to an unnamed buyer on Friday. The business was open this week.
The owner of Lincolnshire firm Appleby’s Ices, Robert McQuillan, is trying to salvage Appleby’s Coach Holidays, which was part of Bowen Travel Group.
The two Appleby companies were originally part of the same company, until the coach operation went into receivership in 2001 and was sold to Bowen Travel Group.