Excite Holidays has suspended operations after two of the companies it used to operate locally, Global Travel Specialists Pty Limited and Global Travel Holdings Pty Limited, were placed into administration.
“Excite Holidays is currently in the final stages of commercial discussions and as such we have suspended the operation of our platform until the discussions are completed,” the company said in a statement posted to its website. “Should you require any assistance regarding a booking, please email us on help@exciteholidays.com.”
The company’s Facebook and Instagram accounts are also no longer available, and the last post on its LinkedIn account is three weeks old.
A spokesperson for the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) has confirmed to Travel Agent that the company is no longer among its members. Previously, Excite was only an associate member of the organization, meaning that it never participated in USTOA’s $1 million traveler protection program.
Excite has become the latest tour operator to shut down over the past year. In October, Cox & Kings, The Americas likewise ceased operations, as well as its membership with the USTOA. (As that tour operator participated in the traveler protection program, some deposits and payments made prior to October 15 for travel with Cox & Kings were eligible for coverage, and the USTOA recently extended its deadline for those claims.) Similarly, iconic UK travel brand Thomas Cook collapsed in September, prompting the UK’s largest repatriation effort since WWII.
In our most recent interview with Andrew Yell, Excite’s vice president of global sales, product contracting and operations, as part of our Tour Operators issue, Yell said that the company had just doubled its team to support its growth in the United States, where it was celebrating its two-year anniversary. The company was also looking to update some features in its booking system.
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