Volunteer travel firm GVI collapses after 28 years, cancelling all trips

A travel firm has gone bust after 28 years of trading, with all holidays cancelled and customers scrambling to get their money back.

Global Vision International (GVI), based in Exeter, previously offered volunteering and charitable trips including placements in conservation, education and community development.

It ran trips to Fiji, Mexico and South Africa, and the company’s Instagram page explains its motive: ’From Costa Rica to Fiji, trips all over the world that make a difference to people and the planet.’ 

Many of those affected are gap year students and recent graduates seeking placements.

All current and future GVI programmes have been cancelled, and staff are supporting participants as they plan to leave their trips. 

All affected participants will receive information detailing the liquidation process and instructions on how to lodge a claim, the company has said. 

CEO Andrew Valentine said in a statement: ’For nearly three decades, GVI has been far more than just an organisation. It has been a global family with a shared vision, dedicated to making a sustainable difference in our world.

’It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I write to share that GVI is today closing its doors.

’This is a deeply sad conclusion to a remarkable journey, but as we navigate this final chapter, we look back with immense pride and gratitude for everything we achieved together.’

The organisation has over time supported critical wildlife and marine conservation projects to safeguard endangered ecosystems and partnered with local communities through collaborative education and initiatives.

Andrew added: ’GVI may be coming to an end, but the impact we have built together on the ground is too important to let go.

’Because of this, our hope is that the conservation and community initiatives continue. While the journey will look different in the future, our personal dedication to supporting our on-the-ground partners remains unchanged, and it is my sincere wish that our global community will continue to carry that flame forward.

’I deeply regret the effect that GVI’s closure will have on staff, projects and customers, and we are committed to providing clear information to those affected as GVI goes through a formal liquidation process.’

Holidaymakers who booked trips with GVI are awaiting refunds after being left thousands of pounds out of pocket. 

Amy Taylor, 21, said, according to the Glasgow Times, that she paid £4,000 for a conservation internship in South Africa – and is waiting for her bank to reclaim her money.

She told the publication: ’If I don’t get the money back, I can’t go anywhere else and I don’t really trust anyone at the moment to be able to go anywhere else.’

It’s not the first travel company to go bust in recent months.

Travel Bespoke Ltd, which launched in 2011 and operated under the names Chalet Bespoke, Ski Bespoke and Spa Bespoke, has gone bust after 15 years, with all holidays cancelled.

The company, which was previously based in Midhurst, ceased trading as an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) holder on May 29, 2026. 

Plus, Ascend Airways, which operated flights from major UK hubs such as Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport, cancelled all its flights from April onwards – with 161 jobs affected.

Additionally, Simply Florida Travel Ltd – which covered destinations such as Disneyland, Disney World, Universal Studios, New York, Toronto and Niagara Falls, as well as cruises – ceased trading as an ATOL holder on January 20, the Civil Aviation Authority announced.

Another UK airline, Ecojet, entered liquidation just a few years after launching – and it never got a single plane in the air.

The Scottish carrier was founded by controversial British entrepreneur Dale Vince in 2023, who had big plans for it to be the ’world’s first electric airline’.

However, the airline has now closed down after it reportedly tried to raise £20 million, according to the Express.