Hays Travel Independence Group

What Hays Travel Independence Group does

Hays Travel Independence Group is a UK-based travel agent consortium established in 1995 by John and Irene Hays and operated under Hays Travel Limited (registered office: Gilbridge House, Keel Square, Sunderland). The group serves independent travel agents and travel business owners who join as members while retaining their own brand identities, offering access to negotiated supplier commissions, back-office operational support, ABTA accreditation, and commercial arrangements. Its member base spans multiple business models including homeworkers (e.g., Holidays Please since 2005), multi-branch operators (Miles Morgan Travel, 2006), franchise operators (Not Just Travel, 2007), tour operators (Black Tomato, 2010), and app-based businesses (My Kind of Cruise, 2024), with additional members such as Love Holidays, Imagine Cruising, Travel House, and Ocean Holidays.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: recurring membership/consortium fees paid by member businesses, and a share of supplier commissions negotiated centrally by the group on behalf of members. The go-to-market is recruitment-focused, leveraging a dedicated recruitment team, phone (0800 138 6955) and email ([email protected]) outreach, the dedicated website, and word-of-mouth within the industry community. Marketing channels are primarily organic social (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) and direct contact.

Strategic activity has been measured and selective. The 2019 acquisition of the Thomas Cook retail portfolio significantly expanded retail reach, and subsequent acquisitions of Just Go & Travel House (2023) and Miles Morgan Travel (2024) demonstrate inorganic appetite alongside organic member onboarding. The group celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025. No technology platform, mobile app, API, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the provided material; the value proposition rests on commercial terms, regulatory accreditation, brand, and operational support rather than technology differentiation.

Name

Hays Travel Independence Group

Legal name

Hays Travel Limited

Website

https://haystravelig.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hays Travel Independence Group is a UK-based consortium established in 1995 that supports independent travel agents and travel businesses with negotiated supplier commissions, back-office services, and ABTA accreditation while members retain their own brand identities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Consortium Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Agencies (56151), Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (56159)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Based/Independent Trip Planners (No Booking) (THAKAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Small-Group Escorted Tour Operators (THAKADAB)

Keywords

• Travel agent consortium
• Independent travel network
• ABTA accredited travel
• Supplier commission services
• Travel business support

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunderland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership/Consortium Fees: Independent travel agents and businesses pay to join the Hays Travel Independence Group consortium, gaining access to commercial arrangements, back-office support, ABTA accreditation, and supplier commissions.
2. Supplier Commissions: The group negotiates best-in-class supplier commissions on behalf of members, with commissions flowing through the consortium structure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hays Travel Independence Group is a UK travel agent consortium that allows independent travel agents and travel businesses to maintain their own brand identity while gaining access to negotiated supplier commissions, back-office operational support, ABTA accreditation, and technical functionality. Members include homeworkers, multi-branch agencies, franchise operators, tour operators, and app-based travel businesses, with the group charging membership fees and earning commissions on bookings routed through its commercial arrangements.

Product overview

Hays Travel Independence Group is a consortium model — a partnership platform for travel agents — offering members their own independent identity combined with commercial support, back-office operations, and technical functionality. Rather than a single unified software product, the group operates as a network of independently-branded member companies (Holidays Please, Miles Morgan Travel, Not Just Travel, Black Tomato, Love Holidays, Imagine Cruising, Travel House, Just Go & Travel House, My Kind of Cruise, and Ocean Holidays) that join the consortium to benefit from collective supplier commissions, ABTA accreditation, and shared operational infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hays Travel Independence Group Consortium Membership Membership offering for independent travel agents and travel businesses that grants access to negotiated supplier commissions, back-office operations support, ABTA accreditation, dedicated business support, and technical functionality while members retain their own independent brand identity. Available to homeworkers, multi-branch agencies, franchise operators, tour operators, and app-based travel businesses across the UK.

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• My Kind of CruiseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Joined as the first app-based business member in 2024, demonstrating the group's expansion into digital-first travel businesses.
• Ocean HolidaysminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Joined the consortium in 2024 as a holiday-focused member.
• Just Go & Travel HouseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Hays Travel acquired Just Go & Travel House in 2023, integrating the businesses into the group.
• Travel HouseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Joined the consortium in 2021 as a member travel business.
• Love HolidaysminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2011Joined the group in 2011 as a member operating in the holiday sector.
• Imagine CruisingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2011Joined the group in 2011, specializing in cruise holiday bookings.
• Black TomatocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2010Joined as the first tour operator member in 2010, expanding the consortium to include tour operator businesses.
• Miles Morgan TravelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2006Joined as the first multiple branch member in 2006, showing the group's capability to support larger multi-location travel operations.
• Holidays PleasecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2005Joined as the first homeworking member of the Hays Travel Independence Group in 2005, demonstrating the consortium's ability to support remote travel agents.
• The Travel StudiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1995Founding member of the Hays Travel Independence Group consortium established in 1995. The Travel Studio was the first business to join when John and Irene Hays established the Independence Group.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trailfinders: UK-based independent travel agency with retail branches providing direct travel services. Comparable in serving UK independent travel distribution but operates as a single integrated brand rather than a consortium.
• TUI Group: Global travel and tourism conglomerate operating airlines, hotels, cruise ships, and retail travel agencies. A broader incumbent whose retail travel agency business overlaps with the consortium's traditional travel agency members.
• Booking.com: Global online travel agency that competes with traditional travel agents and consortium members for direct consumer bookings. Represents the structural threat of online disintermediation facing the consortium's traditional travel agency members.
• dnata Travel: Global travel services company with retail travel agency operations across multiple markets. Broader incumbent that competes with consortium-led travel retailers for UK and international consumer travel demand.

Direct peers

• Travel Counsellors: UK homeworking travel agent network with thousands of independent travel counsellors operating under a similar membership-style model. Comparable in providing independent travel professionals with back-office support, supplier commissions, and technology.
• The Travel Network Group (TTNG): UK travel consortium formed by merging Mid-Consort and Independent Travel Group, providing independent agents with technology, supplier relationships, and back-office support. Direct competitor in the same UK consortium space.
• Advantage Travel Partnership: The UK's largest competing travel agent consortium, providing independent travel agents with commercial arrangements, back-office support, and supplier commissions. Directly comparable membership model and target customer base as Hays Travel Independence Group.
• Global Travel Group: UK-based consortium of independent travel agents offering members commercial support, marketing, and training. Operates a near-identical consortium model to Hays Travel Independence Group, serving the same independent travel agent segment.

Emerging players

• Imagine Cruising: UK cruise-holiday specialist and member of the Hays Travel Independence Group. Represents an emerging player in the cruise vertical that is both a member and an indicator of the consortium's ability to attract vertical specialists.
• Not Just Travel: UK-based travel franchise and homeworking network that is itself a member of Hays Travel Independence Group but also operates a comparable membership/franchise model. Emerges as an emerging player with overlapping business model and customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/61572995167233
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hays-travel-independence-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/haystravelindependencegroup/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Hays Travel Independence Group