Salamander Voyages, based in Belfast, offered “exclusive” private gulet holidays in Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Croatia.

In a post on Instagram, the company said: “Every voyage is private, personal and entirely yours – from the destinations you choose to the memories you create.

“Salamander does not just provide holidays. It helps guests write stories they will remember for a lifetime.”

Salamander Voyages closes after falling into administration

Now, after 23 years in business, Salamander Voyages has closed after falling into administration.

Scott Murray and Ian Davison of Keenan Corporate Finance Ltd were appointed joint administrators on April 22, according to Companies House and The Gazette.

Salamander Voyages posted the news of its closure on its website, saying: “After 23 years of wonderful sailing in the Aegean Sea, we are very sad to announce Salamander Voyages has taken the difficult decision to close its doors.

“Please note that on 22 April 2026 Scott Murray and Ian Davison of Keenan Corporate Finance Ltd were appointed as Joint Administrators of the Company.

“For any creditor queries, please contact the Joint Administrators’ office by telephone (028 9023 3023) or email (info@keenancf.com).”

What happens when a company goes into administration?

When a company enters administration, it means that it is unable to pay expenses, debts, or other liabilities, according to SquareUp.com.

Companies House adds: “When a company goes into administration, they have entered a legal process (under the Insolvency Act 1986) with the aim of achieving one of the statutory objectives of an administration. This may be to rescue a viable business that is insolvent due to cashflow problems.

“An appointment of an administrator (a licensed insolvency practitioner) will be made by directors, a creditor or the court to fulfil the administration process.”

A statutory moratorium is put in place once a company enters administration, giving it “breathing space” to allow for financial restructuring plans to be drawn up free from creditor enforcement actions.

A company can continue to trade while in administration, but daily management and control are handed over to the administrators.

Companies House continues: “Within 8 weeks it is the administrators’ role to formulate administration proposals.

“Creditors are then asked to vote by a decision procedure to approve the administrators’ proposals.

“If the administration involves a sale of all or part of the company’s business, the proceeds (after the costs of the procedure) will be distributed to creditors in a statutory order of priority.”

Administration will end automatically after 12 months unless the administrator asks the court or creditors for an extension.

Through administration, a company can be:

• Rescued and passed back to the directors
• Enter liquidation
• Be dissolved

Other UK travel companies that have closed in 2026

Four other UK travel companies have already closed in 2026:

All four have ceased trading, according to Companies House, and have lost their Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL).

Meanwhile, EcoJet Airlines, billed as “the world’s first Electric Airline”, also entered liquidation after just three years, resulting in the cancellation of all planned flights.

Did you ever book a holiday through Salamander Voyages? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.

Kolsquare has published research arguing that brands that treat influencer marketing as optional risk falling behind, as the practice is now embedded in mainstream marketing activity.

The findings point to growing use of influencer marketing within broader communications and advertising work in the UK and across Europe. In the UK, 52% of marketers already integrate influencer marketing into PR and communications strategies, while 46% link it to wider brand campaigns. The same share use paid media to amplify creator content.

Across Europe, 49% of brands now include influencer marketing in PR and communications activity. The report argues that marketers are moving away from treating creator work as a separate or experimental channel and are instead tying it to wider commercial targets.

That change is also affecting how campaigns are assessed. Likes, reach and impressions have long been standard measures in influencer marketing, but brands are increasingly looking for campaigns to deliver clicks, web traffic and sales.

Rather than relying on isolated sponsored posts, marketers are using influencer activity across several stages of the customer journey. The research points to rising investment in longer-term creator partnerships, user-generated content and affiliate activity as part of that shift.

Budget shift

Spending plans in the report suggest the trend is likely to continue. Across Europe, 82% of marketers plan to increase spending on paid amplification of creator content, 59% expect to invest more in long-term creator partnerships and 55% plan to raise spending on user-generated content.

The report also points to broader integration of influencer work into internal business systems. Brands are increasingly connecting influencer activity to eCommerce tools, customer relationship management systems and affiliate tracking, making it easier to identify which content is linked to sales and customer growth.

As a result, influencer marketing is being measured alongside other channels rather than in isolation. This marks a shift in how marketing teams justify spending and evaluate returns from creator-led campaigns.

Trust factor

Kolsquare’s research also says campaign performance is closely tied to trust between creators and their audiences. It argues that content seen as authentic and grounded in a genuine relationship can perform better, and adds that clear disclosure of paid partnerships does not harm results.

That suggests marketers should focus less on hiding sponsorship and more on choosing creators whose audiences see them as credible. The emphasis, the report says, is on fit and trust rather than pure scale.

Quentin Bordage, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Kolsquare, said: “Influencer marketing has changed rapidly. It’s no longer about reach alone; it’s about achieving tangible results. Brands already using it properly are building it into their wider marketing campaigns, while those treating it as an add-on risk falling behind.”

Kolsquare provides influencer marketing software and describes itself as focused on compliance standards in the UK. It says it works with brands including Coca-Cola, Sony Music, Publicis, Sephora, Clarins, Nissan and Lush, and is part of team.blue, a European digital services group with more than 3.3 million customers in 22 countries.

The report’s central message is that many brands no longer treat influencer marketing as a stand-alone branding exercise, but as a measurable part of the wider marketing mix tied to traffic, sales and customer growth.

Richmond Villages in Coral Springs Way was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which was prompted by concerns raised about the facility.

The care home was found to ‘require improvement’ in safety, effectiveness, and leadership.

During the assessment one resident told the CQC: “Sometimes the staff will come in, turn off the buzzer and say they’ll be back in five minutes and sometimes you never see them again or you can wait up to an hour if they are very busy.”

The home, which provides nursing support for adults of all ages with dementia, nursing needs, and physical disabilities, was found to be in breach of regulations regarding good governance.

The CQC’s report, published in April 2025, highlighted issues with the logging of accidents and incidents, noting that learning and actions to prevent recurrence were not always implemented.

It also found that staff were not always documenting mental capacity assessment and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) appropriately.

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Care plans and risk assessments related to the health, safety, and welfare of service users were often inconsistent or missing altogether, according to the report.

Concerns were raised by residents and staff about response times to call bells and staffing levels, suggesting that support was not always provided when needed.

The entrance of Richmond Villages (Image: Google Maps)

However, the CQC did find that medicines were managed well and that staff were suitably employed and trained.

There was also a new home manager in place with plans to improve working relationships and ways of working.

The care home was inspected in January 2025 and, in the interim between the inspection and the report’s publication, Richmond Villages was named in the 2025 top 20 best mid-size care home groups in the UK by CareHome.co.uk.

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The independent online guide ranks care homes across the country based on reviews submitted by residents, families, and friends of those in care.

At the time, Martin Crick, village manager at Richmond Villages Witney, said: “We are thrilled with the latest rating announcement from carehome.co.uk. 

“The award is testament to the high-quality care provided to our residents.

“The reviews that make up our rating emphasise our person-centred care model, range of living options, wellness programmes, and experienced staff that contribute to our success.”

The care home was praised for its cleanliness and adherence to PPE guidelines.

Richmond Villages has been operating for more than 25 years and is part of Bupa.

In Witney, a range of care is provided, including dementia, nursing, and residential care, as well as specialised care for various conditions.

Richmond Villages has been approached for a comment.