The bankrupt camping travel specialist Vacansoleil is making a new start. The French company Maeva Campings, the online travel agency of Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs, has taken over the name and website of the Dutch camping provider. This was announced by the curator of Vacansoleil on Tuesday. The restart is modest in size. Maeva will initially take over eight to ten employees from Vacansoleil. They will be the pioneers of the new Vacansoleil, says curator Ben Arends. “Today we informed the employees that a complete restart of the entire organization is unfortunately not possible. The current outcome is the most meaningful thing we have been able to achieve for Vacansoleil at this time. In any case, Vacansoleil and the business concept are really getting a new chance.’ Maeva does not take over the organisation and accommodations of Vacansoleil. The trustees will sell these at a later stage. Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group is the leader in Europe in close-to-home holidays, the company says. The group operates through its four brands Pierre & Vacances, Center Parcs, Adagio and Maeva. Maeva is now going to rebuild the company step by step. The aim is to scale up as quickly as possible. “Maeva’s business concept fits in very well with Vacansoleil’s activities,” says Maeva’s director Nicolas Beaurain. ́Vacansoleil is a good and strong brand with more than fifty years of experience in the European camping market. We are very happy to be able to keep this and give the brand a new future. Not only in the Netherlands, but also in other European countries. With this acquisition, Maeva wants to contribute to the dynamics of the camping sector. We are going to work this in the coming months.’ Vacansoleil was declared bankrupt by the District Court of Oost-Brabant at the end of September. Vacansoleil has been under heavy pressure in the past period, the tour operator for camping holidays announced. In the past, the company had a high debt burden. In addition, during the corona pandemic, sales of camping holidays collapsed and extra funding had to be raised. Due to a combination of increased interest rates, high repayment costs and high inflation, the company ran into problems. Vacansoleil employed approximately 300 people. Turnover in the Netherlands in 2022 amounted to 90 million euros (source: Top 50 Travmagazine, ed.). Vacansoleil stated that it arranges holidays for almost half a million people every year. (Photo Shutterstock).
