Balkan Holidays ceases trading in UK

Bulgaria specialist tour operator Balkan Holidays Ltd has ceased trading in the UK, effective today (April 24).

Customers currently abroad with Balkan Holidays will be unaffected and those with forward bookings will be refunded.

Established nearly 60 years ago, Balkan Holidays offered a summer programme flying into Bourgas for beach holidays.

More: Trade reacts to ’heartbreaking’ Balkan Holidays closure

The company also chartered its own flights to Sofia for skiing and snowboarding holidays.

In addition, the company offered holidays to Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Malta and Northern Cyprus.

Balkan Holidays offered departures from 17 UK airports – more than any other UK tour operator and at its peak the company carried over 130,000 passengers in a single year.

Alexander Stoyanov, Balkan Holidays Ltd UK managing director, said: “It is really sad that the company should cease trading in the UK after all these years. 

“The company is solvent, but it has become increasingly difficult to be competitive and profitable in the UK. 

“Nobody will be left out of pocket and all suppliers will be paid and I thank them sincerely for their support over the years. 

“I am really sorry to disappoint our loyal customers and the fantastic travel agents, who have booked holidays with us for this summer and beyond and have given us so much business over the years; all customers will be refunded in full.

“Based in London is a fantastic, dedicated team of travel professionals, some I have personally worked with since I joined the company 26 years ago and unfortunately redundancies are unavoidable. We were hoping to celebrate 60 years in business next year, but it is not meant to be.”