When travel agencies shut down, it’s often due to lack of funds and trouble bringing in business. Others occasionally lose their license in instances of scams or fraudulent activity.
At the start of the month, a travel agency in the Canadian province of British Columbia lost its license to operate after regulating agency Consumer Protection BC (CPBC) started investigating customer reports of paying for holiday packages to Las Vegas and other popular holiday destinations, only to receive invalid bookings.
In one case, the elderly parents of one customer were called and asked to make a duplicate credit card payment for a family trip to Japan; their son Arthur Leung is now struggling to get back more than $22,000 Canadian dollars ($16,044 USD) for a trip that never got booked.
“[My parents] kept going back,” Leung described to national broadcaster CTV News. “And then when they keep brushing them off, they kind of knew that they’d been had.”
CPBC revoked the company’s license to operate on Jan. 9.
“Aigoout Travel is prohibited from booking any further travel,” regulator states
This week, a second travel agency based in the same Vancouver suburb of Richmond suffered a similar fate after repeatedly failing to produce the necessary financial statements and ownership forms.
“Aigoout Travel is prohibited from booking any further travel until their licence suspension is lifted,” CPBC wrote in a Jan. 22 filing.
Related: Travel agency shuts down after losing license, all trips canceled
As first reported by the local Vancouver branch of CTV News, the travel agency has not submitted any financial documents since 2024 and failed to notify the regulatory agency of a change in ownership over the last year.
Aigoout Travel now has 30 days to respond to the filing, at which point a more definitive decision about its future will be made. The website and Facebook page for the travel company are inactive, but in the past, the company advertised both individual flights and vacation packages.
Shutterstock
Travel agency shut down? These are your refund options
“With a focus on customer satisfaction and personalized travel experiences, Aigoout Travel Ltd offers assistance in booking flights, accommodations, and other travel arrangements,” a past company description on Google read.
These travel companies went bankrupt in 2025:
- Great Little Escapes: The British travel company filed for bankruptcy after running up losses of £77,000 ($103,000 USD).
- Unitravel Kft: The Budapest-based tour operator blamed “new, foreign companies enter[ing] Hungary with huge financial resources” for a financial breakdown that led to it having to suddenly cancel trips that in some cases were already halfway through.
- MixxTravel: The Malmö-based travel company was forced to cancel trips and wind down operations after being declared bankrupt by a judge in August 2025.
- Tango Travel: The Icelandic tour operator went bust in November 2025 after major partner Play Airlines filed for bankruptcy and stopped operations a month earlier as many of the packages it sold included tickets from the defunct airline.
- New Era Travel: Ceased operations in November 2025: The Hampshire-based tour operator took British travelers to Spain, Australia, and Las Vegas, among other destinations.
Travel news:
- Major airline launches surprising flight between Las Vegas and Paris
- United Airlines CEO gives stark warning on Olympic Games
- The highest rooftop in Barcelona is in a surprising place
- US government issues sudden warning on Switzerland travel
Customers who may have booked packages with the agency are advised to contact the regulatory agency if they experienced any problems, but they should wait for more information on the status of the travel company before claiming refunds.
“Consumer Protection BC has determined the company can fulfill any existing contracts for travel services which were purchased before the licence suspension,” CPBC writes further.
Related: Holiday airline declares bankruptcy, all flights canceled
