Coach tour operator Cawthorne’s Travel has acquired selected assets of Gold Crest Holidays following its liquidation earlier this year, as part of plans to offer a wider range of holidays.
The Rochester-based company acquired the brand name and customer database of Gold Crest Holidays and will relaunch it as a separate brand alongside its own operation.
The business plans to reconnect with previous customers and “build on the heritage and reputation” that was established over Gold Crest Holidays’ 30 years of operations.
Managing director James Cawthorne told Travel Weekly the acquisition represented “an exciting growth opportunity”.
He added that Cawthorne’s Travel supplied coaches for Gold Crest Holidays’ trips from 2019 and was offered the opportunity to acquire assets during its liquidation.
Cawthorne said: “We worked with Gold Crest Holidays for a long time and we thought we would try and keep the brand alive.
“We want to add more to it, such as different theme parks outside of Disney and battlefield tours so it’s more diverse and open it to more people.”
Cawthorne said agents will be “an important part of future growth” and plans to “maintain and develop relationships with existing partners”.
The plan is to open bookings for 2027 tours for Gold Crest Holidays by the end of August, dependent on contact with suppliers for pricing and the liquidation process.
Cawthorne said: “We are working to try and get it all set up so we can start announcing dates, especially Disney as people are already asking about that.
“A lot of people do not like, cannot or are scared of flying, so when Gold Crest Holidays went, these trips stopped a lot of families going away.
“To bring it back and give families that opportunity is only a bonus.”
Cawthorne’s Travel was founded in 2016 and is a family-run coach company.
Gold Crest Holidays ceased trading in January and in March was found to owe more than £1 million to more than 60 creditors.
