Dutch holidy company D-Reizen has been declared bankrupt. According to the company, the travel industry is hugely affected by tthe corona crisis. What the bankruptcy means for customers with a paid trip or voucher is still unknown. Because there is virtually no income and due to the delay of the voucher fund, D-rt Group is unable to survive and is forced to file for bankruptcy, says the travel organization. Via the voucher fund, the Dutch government wants to give loans to providers of package travel.

Consequences for customers

The consequences of the bankruptcy for customers who have booked a trip with the organization or who have a voucher after a previously canceled trip by corona are still unknown. D-Reizen is affiliated with the Stichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden (SGR), but it is still uncertain whether all trips and vouchers are fully covered.

Possible restart

D-reizen has more than 1150 employees, 285 travel agencies and a customer service department. The franchise establishments operating under the VakantieXperts brand name are excluded from bankruptcy. The possibilities of a restart are currently being examined.  CEO Jan Henne De Dijn speaks in a press release of ‘a pitch-black day’ for the company. “Hopefully there will be a restart so that the company can, at least in part, still continue, employment can be maintained and the consumer can therefore continue to book trips via D-reizen in the future.”

Dirk van den Broek

D-Reizen was set up as a tour operator in the 1960s by supermarket entrepreneur Dirk van den Broek, after a successful campaign in which customers could save up receipts for a holiday. From the early eighties, the company not only offered its own trips, but became active as a broader travel agency.

In 2014, the Van den Broek family sold D-Reizen to the German travel giant RT Raffeisen Touristik, who merged it with the Dutch subsidiaries VakantieXperts and Thomas Cook Travelshops. At the end of last year, the Germans sold the company to director Henne De Dijn and a business partner.