Long-established tour operator goes into administration
A company that has been selling trip to the battlefields of Europe for more than 40 years has gone into administration.
Holts Battlefield and History Tours appointed administrators Andrew Duncan and Neil Bennett of Leonard Curtis Business Solutions Group on January 9.
Shortly after the business and certain assets were sold to Leger Holidays for an undisclosed sum.
Holts offered battlefield and history tours to schools as well as individual travellers.
It had been trading for 40 years from its base in Dorking, Surrey and comprised Holts Battlefields and Education, providing bespoke school trips around the UK and Europe; and Holts Battlefield and History tours aimed at adults travelling in the company of historians and battlefield guides.
Administrator Neil Bennett said: "This deal has enabled the ownership of the business and certain assets to transfer to Leger without any disruption – the best outcome for the tour operator as well as its clients.
"Leger is well positioned in the battlefield tour market. It will ensure that all 2015 bookings run smoothly and professionally. The company is currently in the process of writing to all customers, seeking to reassure them that their trips will continue as planned."
Ian Henry, MD of Leger Holidays, added: "Leger Holidays is a leading escorted tours operator and is the market leader in Battlefield Tours . The addition of Holts offers the opportunity to expand into historical tours as well as developing its schools battlefield offering."
Holts’ previous owner Paul Adams had posted a note on the company’s website stating that he was no longer able to run the business due to ill health, but that he had spent ‘considerable effort finding the best company to take over this valuable legacy’.
He said Leger had taken over all forward bookings and that it will continue to manage its 2015 programme.
"All customers who have booked a tour for 2015 are currently being written to, to explain the situation," he wrote.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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