Along with the recent collapse of several low-cost airlines, travel agencies and other companies selling various travel services have also had a tough first half of 2026.
The string of recent travel company bankruptcies include British firms Great Little Escapes, Salamander Voyages, and Jetline, French cruise operator Expedis Exploration, Boston-based GoPlay Sports Tours and Australian tour-booking giant AVG Travels.
While not selling any trips or tours, travel consulting firm Govassist LLC just became the latest to file for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Puerto Rico on July 22.
Travel company Govassist files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Puerto Rico
The company was founded out of Guaynabo in northern Puerto Rico in 2010 and provided consulting and assistance with applying for non-immigrant tourist visas to the U.S. to travelers who require them. The report from Bondoro shows that the company reported $1.1 million in assets and $15.9 million in liabilities as well as no ability to cover these debts to its creditors.
Juan C. Bigas of Juan C. Bigas Lawis representing the company in the bankruptcy proceedings.
On its website, Govassist positions itself as a “personal visa consultant” offering help filling out forms for applications like the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) required of travelers with visa-free agreements with the U.S. and a full visa for citizens of countries without it.
Particularly for the ESTA visa, any “consulting” help that a private company can provide is very limited in scope given that travelers can simply go on the CBP website or mobile platform and enter one’s personal details and passport information for $40.27 USD for a two-year period if the electronic authorization is approved (if it is not, the money is refunded minus a $10.27 processing fee).
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These are the kinds of visa consultation services sold by Govassist
Govassist charges $129, comprehensive of the application fee, to fill this out for the traveler while stating that it powers part of this process through AI. The company could not be immediately reached for comment on the bankruptcy filing so it is also not immediately clear whether it will restructure or close down.
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Some recent travel agency bankruptcies in 2026:
- AVG Travels: The Melbourne-based travel agency selling cheap vacation packages to travelers in Australia and New Zealand sent more than 200 travelers an email saying that the trips were canceled before entering bankruptcy in May 2026.
- GoPlay Sports: In April 2026, the men’s basketball team of the University of Dallas was left without a planned trip to compete in the United Kingdom after Boston-based GoPlay Sports Tours LLC accepted two payments of $30,000 and then went unreachable.
- Havantur: Havantur was forced to shut down its main European office in Franceat the start of 2026 after tourist numbers to the Caribbean country plummeted due to U.S. military actions in Venezuela and threats against the country.
- Vegas Vacations and North America Destinations: Two travel agencies in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Vegas Vacations and North America Destinations, were shut down by regulators within a few days of each other in January 2026 after multiple travelers complained of buying trips with invalid plane tickets and hotel bookings.
