Independent travel agents have a bleak future, according to the owner of the failed Millennium Travel Agency in Cardiff.
Owner Susan Watts, who set up the business in 1997, said she was forced out of business by poor cashflow.
She said: “The banks are very rigid and would not allow me to go a penny over my overdraft. Just £3,000 would have enabled me to keep my business going.
“People won’t be able to go into their local agency and speak to someone.”
Watts, who has worked in travel since the age of 19, also blamed “greedy” tour operators for offering discounts for direct booking.
The agency, which employed three members of staff, specialised in long haul, weddings, honeymoons and cruises. It was a member of Global Travel Group’s Independent Options.
Millennium Travel Agency is the latest of several agency failures in recent weeks. Cambuslang Travel in Glasgow, the Package Holiday Company in Leeds and Windsor and Neate Travel in Newbury, Berkshire, have also ceased trading.
ABTA chairman John McEwan has warned agents to keep a close eye on their cashflow.