Harvey World Travel’s Australian owners S8 (UK) have today announced the acquisition of flight consolidator and tour operator Travel 2 Travel 4 for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition provides S8 with its first wholesale business in the UK and is the largest it has made in the UK to date and will be used to grow S8’s long haul business.
It also brings an end to rumours in the industry which have been circulating for around three months such a deal was imminent.
S8 (UK) managing direxctor Andrew Laurie said the operator, which was previously owned by Travelport, will continue to be run inedependently of other S8 companies and will retain its trade focus.
Travel 2 Travel 4’s managing director Maria Whiteman, who joined around eight months ago, will be retained in order to ensure initial continuity.
He added: “This is a logical step in S8’s development plans and hugely exciting for everyone at S8 (UK) and Travel 2 Travel 4. We are looking forward to growing the UK business and helping to expand S8’s capabilities in the long haul market.
“As one of the largest owners of leisure property management rights in Australasia, and one of Australasia’s leading travel distribution companies, we see a great opportunity to share technical expertise between our wholesale businesses, as well as providing Travel 2 Travel 4 customers with advantaged access to our wide ranging accommodation products,”
Whiteman welcomed the move, adding: “We are delighted to be joining one of the industry’s most dynamic organisations and look forward to working closely with the S8 management team to provide further success for our suppliers and travel agent customers.
“Existing plans to invest in technology will continue as we aim to develop our systems to deliver the highest standards of service expected by our travel agent customers.”
Travelport Business Group chief executive and president Gordon Wilson said: “Owning a leading trade consolidator and tour operator is no longer such a pivotal part of Travelport’s business, and so we determined that Travel 2 Travel 4’s next phase of development would be better served by an owner who has the requisite focus to build further on what we have achieved.”