Art of Travel Group

What Art of Travel Group does

Art of Travel Group is a UK-based specialist travel agency founded in 2023 and registered as ART OF TRAVEL GROUP LTD in England and Wales (company number 14595500). The firm is headquartered in Cardiff at Abacus House and operates as a booking agent for cruise lines and tour operators, earning commissions on transactions plus supplementary service charges (an Administration Fee for Supplier Failure Cover and a booking Service Charge). Its sales-led model channels customers through telephone (02921 20 22 33), email, and the company website, with all bookings executed on behalf of Hays Travel Limited, which provides ABTA membership (P8540) and financial protection.

The company's product portfolio is concentrated in five categories: river cruises (European, Asian, and South American waterways), expedition cruises (polar and remote regions), ultra-luxury ocean cruises, coastal small-ship cruises, and escorted land tours. It maintains preferred-partner status with a broad roster of suppliers including APT, AMA Waterways, Uniworld, Scenic, Riviera Travel, Saga River Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Hurtigruten, Quark Expeditions, Abercrombie & Kent, Cox & Kings, and Tauck. In March 2024 it launched the Solo Cruise Insider Club, a sub-brand dedicated to solo travellers seeking zero or reduced solo supplements. The firm employs six people, has not raised external funding, and operates as a privately held independent agency within the Hays Travel ecosystem. Its technology stack is limited to off-the-shelf CRM (Inspiretec), email marketing (Mailchimp), live chat (Tawk), and telephony (CallSwitch), with no proprietary technology disclosed. PCI DSS certification is held for payment handling.

Name

Art of Travel Group

Legal name

ART OF TRAVEL GROUP LTD

Website

https://artoftravelgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Art of Travel Group is a Cardiff-based UK specialist travel agency (founded 2023, 6 employees) that acts as a booking agent for luxury river, ocean, expedition, coastal cruises and escorted land tours, earning commissions on bookings placed via Hays Travel under ABTA membership P8540.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury Travel Agencies (THAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cruise & Land Tour (Cruisetour) Package Operators (THAKADAO), Luxury Cruise + Land Expedition Operators (Cruise-Tour Programs) (THAEABAH), Luxury Expedition Cruise Specialists (Sales & Distribution) (THAEABAJ)

Keywords

• Luxury cruise booking
• River cruise holidays
• Expedition cruise travel
• Escorted land tours
• Travel agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Commission: Acts as booking agent for cruise lines and tour operators, earning commissions on bookings. Services include processing holiday requirements and facilitating bookings.
2. Service Charges: Applies service charges for booking agency services, including Administration Fee for Supplier Failure Cover and Service Charge for booking agent services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Art of Travel Group is a UK specialist travel agency that designs and books luxury cruise and escorted touring holidays for individual travellers, acting as a booking agent on behalf of cruise lines and tour operators and earning commissions on bookings. Its portfolio spans river, ocean, expedition and coastal cruises plus escorted land tours, with a dedicated Solo Cruise Insider Club programme for solo travellers, all delivered through personal service from specialist travel designers.

Product overview

Art of Travel Group operates as a specialist luxury travel agency offering a portfolio of cruise and touring products. The core offering spans five distinct travel categories: River Cruises (covering European rivers like the Danube, Rhine, Douro, and Rhone, plus Asian and South American waterways), Expedition Cruises (polar and remote destinations), Ultra-Luxury Cruises (premium ocean lines), Coastal Cruises (small ship and yacht experiences), and Escorted Land Tours. The company also operates the Solo Cruise Insider Club membership programme for solo travellers. Services are provided through partnerships with major cruise lines and tour operators including APT River Cruises, AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Riviera Travel, Saga River Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Hurtigruten, and others. The company acts as an agent on behalf of Hays Travel and is ABTA-bonded.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Solo Cruise Insider Club: A dedicated resource for independent travellers offering carefully selected cruise offers for solo travelers, spanning river, ocean and expedition voyages worldwide with zero or reduced solo supplements.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hays TravelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArt of Travel sells travel services on behalf of Hays Travel Limited and benefits from Hays Travel's ABTA membership (P8540). This partnership provides financial protection for customers.
• APT River CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred partner offering luxury river cruise experiences across Europe and beyond.
• Saga River CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred partner for mature travellers seeking river cruise experiences.
• Regent Seven Seas CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for ultra-luxury ocean cruise experiences.
• Silversea CruisescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for ultra-luxury expedition cruise experiences.
• AMA WaterwayscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAward-winning luxury river cruise line partner; presented Art of Travel with an Appreciation Award in May 2025.
• Abercrombie & KentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium touring company partner for escorted land tours.
• Cox & KingsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium touring company partner for escorted land tours.
• TauckminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTouring company partner for escorted land tours.
• Riviera TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRiver cruise operator partner.
• Uniworld Boutique River CruisesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLuxury boutique river cruise partner.
• ScenicminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRiver cruise operator partner.
• Quark ExpeditionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExpedition cruise partner for polar destinations.
• Hurtigruten ExpeditionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExpedition cruise partner for Arctic and Antarctic experiences.
• FeefominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCustomer review platform used for displaying verified customer reviews on the website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hays Travel: Largest independent travel agency chain in the UK. Provides Art of Travel's ABTA bonding and is a much broader incumbent selling package holidays, cruises, and tours across all segments — a potential partner, competitor, and channel.
• Dreamlines: European online cruise specialist operating across multiple countries with a large catalogue of ocean and river cruises. Broader and more digital than Art of Travel, but competing for the same cruise buyer.
• Titan Travel: UK escorted tour and cruise operator with escorted tours, river cruises, and ocean cruises across multiple price points. Comparable product portfolio but with a larger operational scale and own-brand inventory.

Direct peers

• Imagine Cruising: UK-based cruise and tour specialist offering river, ocean, and expedition voyages with package-style pricing. Comparable business model as a multi-supplier cruise agency selling directly to UK consumers.
• ITC Luxury Travel: Specialist luxury tour operator offering escorted tours and cruises to high-end UK travellers. Highly comparable in offering, customer profile, and personal-service-led sales motion.
• Mundy Cruising: UK specialist cruise agency with a long heritage, focused on luxury river, expedition, and ocean cruises. Closely comparable to Art of Travel in supplier mix, customer profile, and commission-based agency model.
• Bolsover Cruise Club: Established UK cruise retailer offering discounted sailings across mainstream and premium cruise lines. Comparable as a UK cruise agency competing for the same customer wallet, though positioned more on price than luxury.
• Simpson Travel: UK specialist offering luxury villa holidays, small-ship cruises, and tailor-made itineraries. Comparable as a curated, luxury, personal-service-led travel brand targeting affluent UK customers.
• Tailor Made Travel: UK luxury tour operator offering escorted tours, river cruises, and tailor-made holidays. Comparable customer base, supplier set, and personal-service-led agency model.
• The Cruise Line: UK specialist cruise retailer offering a broad portfolio of ocean, river, and expedition sailings. Direct competitor for the same luxury and premium cruise customer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artoftravelgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/artoftravelgroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/artoftravelgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/art-of-travel-group

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Art of Travel Group