• 31 Oct 25

  NEWS
  Hays Travel acquire Polka Dot Travel

  Hays Travel has announced it is acquiring travel agency brand Polka Dot Travel. The company ...Read more
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  Hays Travel acquire Polka Dot Travel - News & announcements

  Hays Travel has announced it is acquiring travel agency brand Polka Dot Travel. The company was formed 12 years ago and has grown to 15 stores across the Northwest, North Wales and the Midlands. Each store will continue to trade as Polka Dot Travel with all staff retained. “We are delighted to welcome Polka Dot Travel’s people – their expertise, experience, and enthusiasm for travel are a significant factor in our decision to acquire the business.” “We know the Polka Dot team will benefit from the huge choice of suppliers we represent. The company sent a message to all staff:  Thank you for being incredible, we know how much your customers love you and that you will fully embrace every opportunity that comes from being part of the UK’s largest independent travel agent.” The acquisition will see Polka Dot Travel exit the Advantage Travel Partnership. Advantage Chief Operating Officer Paul Nunn added: “It’s been a pleasure to support Polka Dot Travel since they opened their first branch door 12 years ago, and incredibly rewarding to be a part of their continued growth.”

• 24 Mar 25

  NEWS
  Agency staff, homeworkers reap rewards as Hays Travel sales reach £3 billion

  Hays Travel is set to reward agents after hailing a landmark £3 billion in revenue. ...Read more
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  Agency staff, homeworkers reap rewards as Hays Travel sales reach £3 billion - News & announcements

  Hays Travel is set to reward agents after hailing a landmark £3 billion in revenue. It is the first time it has reached £3billion and comes one month ahead of the end of Hays’ financial year on 30 April 2025. Employees will share in the success. All employees will receive £100 for every year they have worked at Hays Travel. Additionally, personal travel consultants and Explorer franchisees will receive a shopping voucher for each year they have been a Hays Travel member. “Our success is down to our people, which is why achieving this £3 billion milestone is an opportunity to demonstrate just how much their work and unwavering loyalty are appreciated,” Dame Irene Hays said. In the year ended 30 April 2024 Hays Travel’s TTV was £2.55bn - an increase of 17% on the same period in 2023 (£2.19bn), with group profit before tax of £73.4 million.

• 14 Feb 25

  NEWS
  Next-gen Hays Travel branch showcases ‘Beyond the Brochure’ AR tech

  Hays Travel Teesside Park has reopened following a major refurbishment. It showcases a tech forward ...Read more
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  Next-gen Hays Travel branch showcases ‘Beyond the Brochure’ AR tech - News & announcements

  Hays Travel Teesside Park has reopened following a major refurbishment. It showcases a tech forward next gen agency store complete with a ‘Beyond the Brochure’ virtually augmented wall. This helps bring holiday experiences to life for walk-in customers. Teesside Park is believed to be the first travel agent branch in the country to harness this immersive tech, Hays says. It uses wall and floor projection to create a realistic simulation of land, cruise and experiential holidays. Jane Schumm, Retail Director of Hays Travel: “We’re now two years into our three-year refurbishment strategy and this is our most technically advanced refit to date.” "As well as making what is one of our best-performing branches more appealing, our ‘Beyond the Brochure’ wall is an incredibly exciting addition that really gives the branch the wow factor.” The refurbishment involved extending the shop to increase the number of selling stations from ten to fourteen and the installation of a double foreign exchange bureau. The new layout and materials used also improve the branch’s energy efficiency and flow, while a faster network means agents can help customers more quickly. Branch Manager Libby Gray said: “The team love the new branch and think it’s warm, bright, inviting, and innovative.” “We’ve booked some amazing cruises and our new immersive wall is incredible. It really helps people to visualise themselves on board.”  

• 16 Jan 25

  NEWS
  WorldLuxe Travel joins Hays Travel Independence Group

  Former Explorer franchisees, Andy Holbrook and Lewis Miller are beginning 2025 under the Hays Travel ...Read more
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  WorldLuxe Travel joins Hays Travel Independence Group - News & announcements

  Former Explorer franchisees, Andy Holbrook and Lewis Miller are beginning 2025 under the Hays Travel banner with their WorldLuxe Travel brand.  They have joined Hays Travel Independence Group as the first new member of 2025. Dame Irene Hays said: “Stimulating business growth and profitability by working in partnership with our members is at the heart of our Independence Group.” “Our approach remains the same, but now we have the experience of our whole group for advice, a behind-the-scenes operation to support our members to thrive, coupled with sharing some of the best commercial arrangements in the industry.” Andy Holbrook spent eight years in retail management, before travel. He joined Trailfinders and spent two years in their High Street Kensington branch, before taking on a role at the Foreign Office in 2002. Here he spent almost 14 years, including two overseas postings in the Cayman Islands and Berne, becoming Deputy Head of the Caribbean Team in London before he left to establish his own franchise business, AH Escapes. Lewis Miller signed up with Explorer in August 2019 and officially started Your Great Adventures in October of the same year. Although the timing was not ideal, the move gave Lewis a great opportunity to connect with his fellow Explorers. Lewis started in travel at Highgate Travel on a YTS scheme. He then worked as a project manager for a Financial Advisor firm. Lewis said: “For a long time I knew I needed to love what I do, and that’s why I came back into travel.”

• 14 Jan 25

  NEWS
  Hays Travel hails record breaking weekend

  Despite many areas snowbound, Hays Travel branches record breaking sales last weekend. More than one-third ...Read more
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  Hays Travel hails record breaking weekend - News & announcements

  Despite many areas snowbound, Hays Travel branches record breaking sales last weekend. More than one-third of customers booking over ‘Sunshine Weekend’ were new to Hays Travel. The company cites its largest ever peaks advertising campaign and new ‘holiday out of the box’ TV ad as a factor for this. It says May to August 2025 is currently the most popular travel period, followed by winter 2025. Over a fifth of recent bookings are late getaways for this winter. Spain, Portugal, and Turkey are top sellers, with no slowing in the trend towards all-inclusive options. Long haul growth continues, with Australia and the US the most popular choices and cruise bookings are picking up after a slightly slower start than in 2024. Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, Hays Travel CO, said: “We’re delighted to have seen strong sales over the weekend. People continue to prioritise their annual holiday and we are seeing a small upturn in average spend by customers.” “I’m so proud of all our colleagues in retail branches across the UK who had a remarkable weekend! We know that customers want to book with a professional travel agent for their expertise and the peace of mind,” added Jane Schumm, Hays Travel’s Retail Director.

• 10 Jan 25

  NEWS
  Dame Irene Hays back on the shop floor for Peaks

  Hays Travel’s senior team, including Dame Irene Hays, were back on the shop floor to ...Read more
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  Dame Irene Hays back on the shop floor for Peaks - News & announcements

  Hays Travel’s senior team, including Dame Irene Hays, were back on the shop floor to support colleagues in branches during the busy peaks period. Hays Travel directors and divisional / regional sales managers worked in branches across the UK. Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, Chief Operating Officer spent the day in Hays Travel Blackburn; Ken Campling, Chief Finance Officer, joined colleagues in Scotland’s Livingston branch; and Jane Schumm, Retail Director, went to Abbeycentre in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, Dame Irene Hays joined branch manager Jackie Lovell and her team at Hays Travel Milton Keynes, meeting customers. Dame Irene said: “Our colleagues in branches do an exceptional job caring for our customers all year, but at our peak period in January and February they move to ‘amazing’ level.” “Spending a day on the ‘shop floor’ during this very busy time is a brilliant opportunity for our board members and sales managers to support and encourage our retail colleagues.” Anita Luscombe, Assistant Manager of Hays Travel Milton Keynes, said:” It was great to welcome Dame Irene. She enjoyed interacting with our customers and sharing stories with them. She also spent time talking to everyone in our team.”

• 02 Jan 25

  NEWS
  Hays Travel unveils new TV ad campaign

  Hays Travel has screened the first of three new TV adverts over the festive holiday. ...Read more
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  Hays Travel unveils new TV ad campaign - News & announcements

  Hays Travel has screened the first of three new TV adverts over the festive holiday. Newly appointed creative agency, Toast TV, produced three versions of the visual concept, showcasing the product variety and service Hays Travel offers its customers. As announced at the group’s overseas conference in Türkiye, Hays Travel is investing more than ever in its turn of year marketing campaign. It plans to adopt an ‘always on’ approach to TV advertising for 2025. Dame Irene Hays said: “Our 2025 peaks campaign will be Hays Travel’s biggest investment in advertising to date. Our focus is on the service, value, and choice we give our customers.” “Our three ads demonstrate the breadth of holiday product we can offer our customers, whether they are planning a long-haul experience, luxury cruise, or family beach holiday.” Hays Travel appointed Toast TV to create the adverts for what will be its biggest ever turn of year campaign. Hays Travel’s internal creative and marketing teams were highly involved in the advert’s production. David McNiven, Hays Travel’s Head of Marketing added: “We wanted to showcase our full range pf products; having three variations does that - and gives us the flexibility to run campaigns based on seasonal trends.” Hays Travel is bolstering the new TV advert with additional spend across all channels, including radio, print, and out of home advertising.

• 12 Nov 24

  NEWS
  Hays Travel Overseas Conference takes off with Jet2holidays

  Hays Travel branch managers from across the North East region, and head office colleagues, are ...Read more
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  Hays Travel Overseas Conference takes off with Jet2holidays - News & announcements

  Hays Travel branch managers from across the North East region, and head office colleagues, are in Turkey for Hays Travel’s annual Overseas Retail Conference in Antalya this week. Their travel was supported by headline sponsor and long-term partner Jet2holidays. The flight was one of four specially chartered planes heading to the destination for the conference taking place until 15 November. Flights also departed from Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol airports. “Our overseas conference is a highlight of the year – it’s when we can connect with our branch managers from across the UK all under one roof, to thank them for their excellent work,” said Dame Irene Hays. “I am very grateful to Jet2holidays for their amazing support, and to the whole team at Newcastle International Airport – as well as Birmingham, Bristol, and Manchester.” Alan Cross, Director of Travel Agent Relationships at Jet2holidays said: “We are delighted to help our partner, Hays Travel Group, get their conference off to the best of starts.” Hays Travel will welcome over 700 delegates to the Ela Excellence Resort Belek, Turkiye, for its annual Overseas Retail Conference. The full schedule features guest speakers, expert panel discussions, supplier showcases, and networking events. The event is themed: ‘In it for the Long Haul’ – spanning not just the growth in travel to far-off destinations, but also building loyalty in colleagues, customers, and partners. Headline and gold sponsors supporting the conferences are  Holiday Extras, Jet2holidays, Mastercard, Princess, Silversea, Attraction World and Universal Parks and Resorts. 
  
  

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• 03 Nov 24

  NEWS
  Hays Travel preps for Overseas Conference

  Hays Travel is gearing up to welcome over 1,100 delegates to the Ela Excellence Resort ...Read more
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  Hays Travel preps for Overseas Conference - News & announcements

  Hays Travel is gearing up to welcome over 1,100 delegates to the Ela Excellence Resort Belek, Turkiye, for its annual overseas conferences this month. It has a packed schedule featuring guest speakers, expert panel discussions, supplier showcases, and networking events. It will explore the theme ‘In it for the Long Haul’ – spanning not just the growth in long haul travel, but also building loyalty in colleagues, customers, and partners. Dame Irene Hays: said “It is the highlight of the year, where we connect with colleagues and members across our group. It’s an opportunity to spend quality time engaging with our brilliant retail team, Independence Group, and Homeworker members.” Anticipated to be the UK’s largest overseas travel event of its kind this year, Hays Travel’s retail conference (11-15 November) will host 700 managers and employees from its branches across the UK, colleagues from recently acquired Miles Morgan Travel, and Travel House, as well as sponsors, suppliers, and support staff. As the retail agents fly home, 450 members of Hays Travel Independence Group and Homeworking division will head to the 4* Ela Excellence for their annual overseas conferences (15 – 18 November). This ensures members of the whole group receive business updates and sector insight in time for January peaks. Headline and gold sponsors supporting the conferences are Holiday Extras, Jet2holidays, Mastercard, Princess, Silversea, Attraction World and Universal Parks and Resorts. Chief Operating Officer, Jonathon Woodall-Johnston said: “A lot of planning goes into arranging an event of this scale and I am grateful to our all of our sponsors and partners for their valued support.” 
  
  

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• 30 Oct 24

  NEWS
  Hays Travel launches customer app

  Hays Travel has developed a bespoke app to further improve its service to customers. Launched ...Read more
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  Hays Travel launches customer app - News & announcements

  Hays Travel has developed a bespoke app to further improve its service to customers. Launched this month via the App Store and Google Play, the Hays Travel app will allow customers to keep their travel documents in one place, settle balances with secure payments, and add holiday extras such as airport parking and car rental. Customers can view a countdown to travel, access games, and earn badges via the app. Hays Travel appointed travel technology experts digitaltravel.io to build the app, following a competitive procurement process. Dame Irene Hays: “We are delighted to reach the launch stage of this important output in our tech transformation programme.” “Our app’s interactive features that will further improve our customers’ experience and complement the service our agents provide. Peter Whittle, digitaltravel.io CEO, co-founded the business in 2021 when he spotted a gap in the market. He brings 20 years’ experience in travel tech. “This is a landmark project for digitaltravel.io. The bespoke app we have developed for Hays Travel will offer customers an even better experience and further grow Hays’ brand loyalty,” Whittle said. During the app’s trial phase, Hays Travel colleagues in retail branches and at its Sunderland Head Office put the new app through its paces, giving the development team valuable feedback Then followed a successful customer trial phase that involved the app being rolled out across Hays Tavel’s retail divisions. Branch staff encouraged customers to download and use the app and give feedback on their experience. 
  
  

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• 07 Oct 24

  NEWS
  Travel House airs NextGen AI advert on ITV

  Wales based agency group Travel House has created its first TV ad using generative artificial ...Read more
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  Travel House airs NextGen AI advert on ITV - News & announcements

  Wales based agency group Travel House has created its first TV ad using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). It worked with ITV to create a GenAI advert, which will air on ITV1 and ITVX in Wales. The Hays Travel owned unit has 16 travel agency stores in South Wales. GenAI production makes advertising more accessible to small businesses by using licenced Generative AI image and video tools. It also used ITV’s voice over artists. Katie Davies, Travel House Marketing Executive, said: “We are excited to see our advert on TV and are confident this innovative production approach will be a significant benefit and revenue driver.” “We look forward to seeing the positive impact it brings to our business.” Jason Spencer, ITV Business Development Director, added: “Too often the cost of making an advert is a barrier for brands looking to expand their visibility on TV.” "By including GenAI, we can make the power of TV advertising accessible to all. We are constantly innovating to find better ways to help brands grow.” 
  
  

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• 20 Aug 24

  NEWS
  Hays Travel agents raise £18,000 for NI autism charity

  Hays Travel teams from across Northern Ireland have been fundraising for a leading autism charity. ...Read more
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  Hays Travel agents raise £18,000 for NI autism charity - News & announcements

  Hays Travel teams from across Northern Ireland have been fundraising for a leading autism charity. Travel agents at its 24 branches in Northern Ireland have donated over £18,000 to chosen charity partner, Autism NI. Each Hays Travel branch is provided with a £500 budget to use for fundraising and charity work in their local area; £200 of this is to be used to fundraise for charities which support young people’s mental health, and the other £300 can be used for charities chosen by the branch. This year Hays Travel agent teams in Northern Ireland chose to join forces and all fundraise for Autism NI. They held activities from cake sales to abseiling to raise a total of £9,594.55. Much of this was then match funded by the Hays Travel Foundation, resulting in a total donation of £18,666.67. Nicola Allison, Hays Travel regional sales manager, said: “I’m so proud of our amazing teams across Northern Ireland who have rallied together and worked so hard to raise as much money as possible.” The fundraising activities included the team at Hays Travel Coleraine making over £1,000 at a pub quiz, while foreign exchange sales consultant from Belfast Park Centre, Noeleen McKay, abseiled down Belfast Castle. Hays Travel staff have also completed training with Autism NI so that every branch has a dedicated member of the team to support autistic travellers. Sorcha Mathews, corporate fundraising manager at Autism NI, said: “Autism NI is delighted to have partnered with the incredible team at Hays Travel. This fundraising donation will continue to support the ongoing and evolving needs of 35,000 autistic people.” In the last year, Hays Travel’s Local Community Partnership initiative across its retail network has donated over £142,642 to local charities. 
  
  

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