Hays Travel Ltd.

What Hays Travel Ltd. does

Hays Travel Limited is the UK's largest independent travel agent, founded in 1980 and headquartered in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. The company operates a multi-channel distribution platform comprising over 530 high-street retail branches across the United Kingdom, a fully transactional consumer website (haystravel.co.uk), a dedicated cruise booking platform (hayscruise.co.uk), a touring-holiday booking service, a mobile app, and a phone-based contact centre. It also runs a Personal Travel Consultant field network and the Hays Travel Independence Group (IG), a consortium of approximately 120 independent member agencies that operate under their own brands but access Hays Travel's product range and supplier relationships.

The company generates revenue primarily through transaction-based commissions earned on bookings of package holidays, cruises, tours, flights, and travel insurance sold on behalf of suppliers including TUI, Jet2holidays, easyJet holidays, P&O Cruises, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Cunard, Marella, Sandals Resorts, Riviera Travel, and Titan Travel. Holiday pricing is quote-based, ranging from budget breaks under £300 per person to luxury packages exceeding £3,000 per person, with interest-free monthly payment plans offered on selected products. All flight-inclusive packages are ATOL-protected and the company holds ABTA membership. The customer base is overwhelmingly UK leisure consumers — individuals, families, couples, and groups — served via direct-to-consumer channels.

Hays Travel has executed an aggressive roll-up strategy, completing at least seven acquisitions since 2019, including Travel House (Nov 2023), Miles Morgan Travel (May 2024), Victoria Travel Group / Cruise.co.uk (Jul 2025), Spear Travels (Jun 2025), and Polka Dot Travel (Oct 2025), taking the branch network from the high-400s to over 530 outlets. The acquisition of Cruise.co.uk marked its first move into online travel agency (OTA) retail, and management has stated an ambition to grow cruise sales from 16% of agent sales toward one-third of total sales.

Name

Hays Travel Ltd.

Legal name

Hays Travel Limited

Website

https://haystravel.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Hays Travel Limited is the UK's largest independent travel agent, operating 530+ high-street branches, an online booking platform, and the Hays Travel Independence Group of 120+ independent member agencies, selling package holidays, cruises, and tours on a commission basis to UK leisure consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

akta.pro primary industry

Accommodation-Focused OTAs (Hotels & Alternative Stays) (THAKAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cruise Booking Platforms & OTAs (THAEAFAA)

Keywords

• Travel agency services
• Package holidays
• Cruise bookings
• Escorted tours
• Retail travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunderland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Commissions: Hays Travel earns commissions from tour operators (TUI, Jet2holidays, easyJet holidays), cruise lines, airlines, and travel insurance providers for bookings made through its branches, website, and call centre. Revenue is generated on a per-transaction basis.
2. Package Holiday Sales: Hays Travel sells package holidays (flights + accommodation) as a package tour operator intermediary, earning the margin between supplier cost and retail price charged to consumers. This is the core revenue stream.
3. Cruise Bookings: Hays Travel acts as a retail agent for cruise lines (P&O Cruises, MSC, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, Marella, and many others), earning commission on each cruise booking. The company targets one-third of its sales from cruise products.
4. Tour and Touring Holidays: Hays Travel sells escorted tours and touring holiday packages through suppliers including Titan Travel, with commissions earned on bookings for destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia, and the Americas.
5. Travel Insurance and Add-ons: Hays Travel offers travel insurance, travel money cards, and holiday extras (transfers, attractions), generating additional per-transaction revenue alongside core holiday bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hays Travel is the UK's largest independent travel agent, retailing package holidays, cruises, escorted tours, and travel extras (insurance, currency cards, airport parking) to UK consumers. It operates a multi-channel distribution platform comprising 530+ high street branches, the haystravel.co.uk booking website, a mobile app, a dedicated cruise platform, and a phone-based contact centre, supplemented by a nationwide Personal Travel Consultant network and the Hays Travel Independence Group consortium of around 120 independent member agencies. Revenue is generated primarily by earning commissions and retail margins on bookings made with tour operators (TUI, Jet2holidays, easyJet holidays), cruise lines (P&O, MSC, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, Marella), airlines, and travel insurance providers.

Product overview

Hays Travel operates as the UK's largest independent travel agent, offering a multi-channel travel retail platform comprising the main Hays Travel booking website, the dedicated Hays Cruise platform for cruise bookings, and the Hays Travel Tours service for escorted touring holidays. The company has expanded through acquisitions including Travel House, Miles Morgan Travel, Victoria Travel Group (parent of Cruise.co.uk and Seascanner), and Polka Dot Travel, retaining these brands separately. Supporting services include the Hays Travel App, Travel Money Card, Travel Insurance, and Holiday Extras. The company operates 530+ branches with a network of Personal Travel Consultants and maintains the Hays Travel Independence Group comprising 120+ independent agent members. The product ecosystem covers the full travel retail spectrum from package holidays and flights to cruise, tours, and travel financial products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hays Travel Main Website / Booking Platform
• Hays Cruise (Cruise Booking Platform)
• Hays Travel Tours
• Hays Travel App
• Hays Travel Money Card
• Hays Travel Insurance
• Holiday Extras
• Personal Travel Consultants
• Hays Travel Independence Group
• Cruise.co.uk

Quantifiable outcome

• Cruise sales as a proportion of agent sales increased from 6% three years ago to 16% currently, with the company targeting one-third of total sales from cruise.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Murray TravelcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 May 2026Murray Travel, a Scottish travel agency with four branches, secured its first distribution deal to sell charter flights and packages through Hays Travel and the Hays Travel Independence Group. The deal covers MT Holidays and The Lapland Experience brands, expanding Murray Travel's reach to approximately 650 additional agency touchpoints through Hays Travel's 530 branches and IG's 120 independent members. The agreement is critical to Murray Travel's growth strategy, enabling it to fill expanded charter capacity including new Tenerife routes for 2027 and Lapland charters from six regional UK airports.
• TUIcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTUI is one of Hays Travel's key supplier partners, with Hays Travel selling TUI package holidays, cruises, and related travel products through its branch network and website. TUI holidays are prominently featured in Hays Travel's offers and promotional campaigns.
• Jet2holidayscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJet2holidays is a major supplier partner whose package holiday products are sold through Hays Travel's branches and website. The partnership is featured in Hays Travel's promotional offers section.
• easyJet holidayscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoreasyJet holidays is a key supplier partner whose holiday packages are sold by Hays Travel through its retail network and online platform.
• Sandals ResortsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSandals Resorts is featured as a luxury resort partner on Hays Travel's website, with dedicated promotional listings for Sandals properties in the Caribbean.
• Riviera TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRiviera Travel touring and river cruise holidays are sold through Hays Travel's website and branches as part of the company's tour and cruise product range.
• Titan TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTitan Travel is featured as a tour supplier partner on Hays Travel's website, offering exclusive touring holidays to destinations worldwide.
• P&O CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorP&O Cruises is one of Hays Travel's flagship cruise line partners, with the company promoting P&O cruise bookings featuring £20 per person deposits and dedicated cruise events. P&O Cruises is highlighted prominently on Hays Travel's cruise booking platform.
• Royal CaribbeancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRoyal Caribbean is a key cruise partner featured on Hays Travel's cruise platform, with promotional tiles for ships such as the Legend of the Seas.
• MSC CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMSC Cruises is featured as a major cruise partner on Hays Travel's website, with promotional campaigns such as 'MSC Summer 2028' featured on the platform.
• Virgin VoyagesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVirgin Voyages is featured as a cruise partner on Hays Travel's platform, with promotional offers such as free balcony upgrades featured on the website.
• CunardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCunard is a prominent cruise line partner whose products are sold through Hays Travel's cruise booking platform, complementing the company's cruise-first strategy.
• Marella CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarella Cruises is featured as an all-inclusive cruise partner on Hays Travel's platform, with dedicated promotional tiles and deals.
• Hays Travel Independence Group (IG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hays Travel Independence Group is a consortium of approximately 120 independent travel agency members who operate under their own brands while accessing Hays Travel's product range, supplier relationships, and operational support. The IG provides a significant distribution channel for Hays Travel and creates a network effect across the UK travel agency landscape.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Jet2holidays: UK-focused package holiday provider combining its own airline (Jet2.com) with ATOL-protected holidays sold through both direct channels and a large third-party retail agency network including Hays Travel. A core supplier partner and simultaneously a competing retail channel for package holidays.
• Booking Holdings: Global OTA conglomerate (Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK) representing the dominant online competitive threat to Hays Travel's package holiday and accommodation retail model, particularly via metasearch and direct booking displacement.
• easyJet holidays: Package holiday arm of easyJet, distributing beach and city break packages via direct online booking and through UK high street travel agents including Hays Travel. Direct competitor for the same UK leisure package booking customer.
• TUI Group: Europe's largest integrated tourism group, owning its own tour operator (TUI, Marella Cruises) and a large retail network (TUI Travel Stores). Competes with Hays Travel as a major package holiday and cruise supplier while also operating its own high street retail footprint that overlaps with Hays Travel branches.

Direct peers

• Trailfinders: UK-based independent travel agency operating a multi-channel high-touch model focused on tailor-made leisure and business travel. Closely comparable to Hays Travel in customer base, advisory-led proposition, and Which?-endorsed brand positioning.
• Miles Morgan Travel: Welsh independent travel agency with 19 branches, acquired by Hays Travel in May 2024 but retained as a separate trading brand. Direct peer in product mix (package holidays, cruises, tours) and UK high street retail format.
• Co-op Travel: UK consumer-cooperative-owned travel agency chain operating a high street and online retail model. Named alongside Hays Travel as a Which? top high street travel agent for 2026, with comparable product breadth and customer demographic.
• Iglu Cruise: UK-based specialist online cruise retailer with a multi-channel distribution model. Directly comparable to Cruise.co.uk (now part of Hays Travel) and the broader Hays Cruise proposition, making it the closest pure-play competitor in Hays Travel's highest-growth segment.
• Fred Olsen Travel: UK independent travel agency chain with a strong cruise and package holiday focus, named alongside Hays Travel as a Which? top high street travel agent for 2026. Direct peer in scale, customer proposition, and multi-channel retail model.
• Travel House: Wales' largest independent travel agency with 16 branches, acquired by Hays Travel in November 2023. Comparable in product range, branch-based retail format, and UK regional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/haystravel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hays-travel

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A7 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hays Travel Ltd.