Hays Travel announces multi-million joint venture with cruise agent

Independent agency chain Hays Travel has set up a joint venture with World Travel Holdings which will manage and develop all its cruises business outside of the Hays Travel Independence Group.

WTH, which claims to be the world’s largest cruise agent,  said the new venture will handle Hays cruise website, cruise call centre and cruise representation in the miniple’s 43 high street shops.

The new joint venture will also launch a new long-haul tour operator, SixStarHolidays.co.uk to be run by WTH (UK) co-founder Mal Barritt, who will be managing director.

SixStarHolidays will provide top-end, land-based luxury tours, tapping Hays Travel and WTH’s existing customer base. It will be based in Chorley, Lancashire alongside WTH and will initially employ 20 to 30 members of staff in a calls centre.

Mal Barritt and fellow WTH co-founder James Cole will be joined by Hays Travel directors John and Irene Hays on the board of the new company.

"We are confident the tour operator will be up and running by late December, early January," said Cole. "Within the first 12 months we will be recruiting 20 to 30 people to be based in the calls centre; eventually we will be looking to recruit homeworkers as well."

He said SixStarHolidays would initially be a direct-sell brand but it may evolve in the future to sell through agents.

World Travel Holdings UK, which operates brands including Cruise118.com, SixStarCruises.co.uk, Cruises.com and RiverVoyages.com has become a member of the Hays Travel Independence Group, which is a consortium of travel agents not owned by Hays.

Cole added: "We are delighted to have agreed this deal with Hays Travel. Our business is built on a foundation of entrepreneurship and customer service, which are both qualities steeped in the history and current ways of working at Hays Travel.

"We are looking forward to a very exciting and profitable relationship."

He said WTH was currently carrying out a strategic review of the cruise business and he expects the joint venture to start handling Hays cruise bookings "within the next few weeks". Cole said none of Hays’ existing staff would be affected by the switch to a joint venture.

John Hays, founder and managing director of Hays Travel, said: "We have worked with James Cole, Mal Barritt and Jeff Tolkin (CEO of World Travel Holdings) for over a year now on the development of parts of their fast growing cruise business within the Hays Travel Independence Group.

"It has been a delight to work with such dynamic, ambitious and talented people. As well as being a lot of fun – a criterion which has always been important to us.

"I am delighted to be extending our working relationship in this way, which fits with Hays Travel’s strategy of partnering with ‘best in class’.

"Our team are all very excited at the prospects."

WTH (UK) Ltd is part of World Travel Holdings, which claims to handle one in 14 of all cruise bookings worldwide, and together with Hays Travel, the UK’s largest independent travel agent, the companies boast a turnover in excess of £1bn.