Purple Travel

What Purple Travel does

Purple Travel is a UK-based online travel agency operating as a trading division of Hays Travel Ltd, a privately-held UK travel group founded in 1980 with more than 1,000 staff across its operating subsidiaries. Registered in England and Wales (company number 01990682) with a registered office in Guildford and operational alignment to Hays Travel's Sunderland headquarters, Purple Travel sells package holidays, flights, hotels, cruises, ski holidays, city breaks, villa rentals, car hire, and airport transfers primarily to UK consumers. Its core specialism is group travel, with dedicated offerings for communities and clubs, corporate and MICE clients, family groups, stag and hen parties, and golfing groups, alongside general leisure holidays for individual travellers and couples.

The business is built on an aggregator model rather than proprietary inventory. Through its parent company's supplier relationships, Purple Travel accesses deals from hundreds of tour operators and hoteliers worldwide and resells packages from major operators including TUI, Jet2 Holidays, EasyJet, and P&O Cruises. Its website (purpletravel.co.uk) functions as a content- and search-led booking portal, supported by phone reservations, WhatsApp contact, and an integration with the TravelTek Fusion booking management platform. The company holds ATOL, ABTA, and IATA accreditations, which provide the financial protection and ticketing permissions required to sell flight-inclusive packages and corporate travel in the UK market.

Revenue is generated through commissions and transaction-based fees on bookings, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The go-to-market motion is hybrid: sales-led through dedicated travel advisors for group and complex bookings, and direct-to-consumer for self-service online bookings. Purple Travel is one of several operating brands within the Hays Travel Group, alongside Hays Tour Operating Limited, Hays Beds Limited, Hays Transfers Limited, Hays Foreign Exchange Limited, and Hays Transport Limited, and benefits from shared back-office infrastructure. The company shows no evidence of external equity funding, public listing, acquisitions, or proprietary technology development beyond standard online travel agency functionality.

Name

Purple Travel

Legal name

Purple Travel Limited

Website

https://purpletravel.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Purple Travel is a UK-based online travel agency and trading division of Hays Travel Ltd that sells package holidays, flights, hotels, cruises, and group travel services to UK consumers, leveraging its parent's relationships with hundreds of tour operators and ATOL/ABTA/IATA accreditations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Travel Agency

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Corporate Travel Agencies (Self-Booking + Support) (THAKACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Multigenerational Travel Agencies (THAKAFAD), Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

Keywords

• Online travel agency
• Package holiday booking
• Group travel services
• Flight and hotel booking
• Leisure travel agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Guildford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Commissions: Purple Travel operates as a travel agency, earning commissions from tour operators, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, and other travel service providers. They aggregate deals from hundreds of tour operators and hoteliers worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Purple Travel is a UK-based online travel agency and trading division of Hays Travel Ltd that books and resells package holidays, flights, hotels, cruises, ski holidays, city breaks, villas, transfers and car hire. Its core differentiator is a heavy focus on group travel (cruise, corporate/MICE, incentive, family, golf, stag and hen) supported by dedicated travel advisors, group discounts, split-payment options and financial protection under ATOL, ABTA and IATA.

Product overview

Purple Travel is a UK-based online travel agency and trading division of Hays Travel Ltd that offers a comprehensive portfolio of holiday products and travel services. The core offering consists of group holidays (including cruise, corporate/MICE, incentive travel, family, and golf packages), stag and hen party holidays, and general package holidays. Supporting services include cheap flights (charter, low-cost, short and long-haul), cheap hotels (2-star to 5-star across global destinations), self-catering accommodation, ski holidays (200+ resorts), city breaks, villa rentals with pools, car hire, and airport transfers. The company positions itself as a one-stop shop for value-conscious UK travellers, leveraging its parent company Hays Travel's relationships with hundreds of tour operators, hotels, airlines, and transfer companies to secure exclusive deals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Group Holidays

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Hays Travel LtdcoreOthersPurple Travel is a trading division of Hays Travel Ltd, the parent company. This relationship provides access to thousands of deals from hundreds of tour operators and hoteliers worldwide. Hays Travel was founded in 1980 and is registered in England and Wales (registered number 01990682).
• TUImajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor tour operator partner whose package holidays are sold through Purple Travel. TUI is one of the world's leading travel companies.
• Jet2 HolidaysmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTour operator partner whose package holidays are sold through Purple Travel.
• EasyJetmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLow-cost airline partner providing flight options sold through Purple Travel's platform.
• P&O CruisesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCruise line partner offering cruise holidays sold through Purple Travel.
• ABTAcoreOthersAssociation of British Travel Agents - Purple Travel is a member, providing consumer protection and industry standards compliance.
• ATOL (Civil Aviation Authority)coreOthersATOL protection scheme administered by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Package holidays with flights are financially protected.
• IATAcoreOthersInternational Air Transport Association - Purple Travel is an IATA member, indicating accreditation for airline ticketing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Booking.com: Global incumbent OTA dominating accommodation and increasingly packages/flight inventory. Competes with Purple Travel on hotels, flights, and packages with vastly superior technology and marketing spend.
• Expedia: Global OTA with a UK storefront offering packages, flights, hotels, and cars. Overlaps with Purple Travel's product set as a broad incumbent with significantly larger scale and tech investment.

Direct peers

• Travel Republic: UK online travel agency offering holidays, hotels, and flights from UK airports. Comparable mid-market OTA competing for the same value-conscious UK leisure traveler.
• TUI UK: UK's largest tour operator offering package holidays, cruises, and flights. Resold by Purple Travel but also competes directly via tui.co.uk — a vertically integrated competitor on the same UK package holiday demand.
• Loveholidays: UK-based online travel agency selling package holidays (flight + hotel) at scale. Closest direct competitor to Purple Travel in the UK leisure OTA segment, with a similar mass-market beach/resort proposition.
• On the Beach: UK online travel agency focused on beach and package holidays from UK airports. Directly comparable to Purple Travel's beach/all-inclusive and package holiday products.
• Jet2 Holidays: Package holiday arm of Jet2 — a major tour operator whose products Purple Travel resells. Competes head-to-head with Purple Travel on UK package holidays while also being a supplier partner, creating a clear channel conflict.
• Lastminute.com: European online travel agency with strong UK presence selling package holidays, hotels, and flights. Overlaps with Purple Travel on package holidays, city breaks, and last-minute deals.

Regional players

• Riviera Travel: UK tour operator offering escorted tours, river cruises, and package holidays. Comparable UK-headquartered competitor with a focus on higher-touch, group-style travel products.

Emerging players

• HolidayPirates: Travel deals aggregator publishing curated holiday offers across Europe. Comparable in deal-discovery mechanics to Purple Travel's special offers and email newsletter, but as a pure deal-discovery platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/purpletravel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Purpleholidays
• Facebookfacebook.com/PurpleTravel
• Instagraminstagram.com/purpletravelofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purple-travel

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Purple Travel