On Tuesday (18 February), Abta spokesperson said: “Abta’s members’ committee, which comprises Abta members operating in an independent capacity, has decided to terminate the membership of Baldwins Travel Agency Limited with immediate effect after it failed to provide the financial information required of them as an Abta member.”
Abta’s members search function on its website shows no results when searching for Baldwins, and instead returns a message reading: "Sorry, the company you’re looking for isn’t an Abta member. Please ensure you’ve entered the search term correctly."
Meanwhile, Baldwins’ consortium – the Advantage Travel Partnership – confirmed to TTG it was aware of the "situation" with the agency’s Abta membership. A spokesperson said: “As it stands right now, Baldwins remains an Advantage member."
Loss of Abta membership means Baldwins will no longer receive financial protection from the travel association with regards to pipeline monies for future bookings with Abta member tour operators and other suppliers. Pipeline monies for bookings made by the agency while it was still a member of the association will retain their protection.
In a video on Abta’s website, Lisa Kingman, head of financial protection, said: "Having financial protection in place gives you [businesses’] peace of mind that it is meeting its legal obligations where necessary and, in turn, gives consumers confidence."
Baldwins was sold to Manchester-based investment group Inc & Co in 2021 in a multimillion-pound deal, with a view to helping the agency “navigate its way out” of the Covid crisis.
At the time, Jack Mason, a former director of Baldwins Travel and head of its parent group Inc & Co, said: “Although it’s been a difficult year for the wider sector, we’re delighted to be in a position to secure the futures of Baldwins’ employees and branches across Kent and Sussex.
"The Inc & Co team will be bringing our expertise in digital and ecommerce to the table to reignite Baldwins’ offering and help the team to accommodate pent-up holiday demand, both online and for their loyal customers in-store.”
However, last October, Mason was sentenced to 22 months in prison after being found guilty of contempt of court alongside David Antrobus, Inc & Co director, and Scott Dylan, who describes himself as a co-founder.
TTG has approached Baldwins Travel for comment.
