The National Holidays brand and database has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by an affiliate of the JG Travel Group, which owns touring brands including Just Go! Holidays and Omega Breaks.
National Holidays formed part of the portfolio of Shearings owner Specialist Leisure Group, which went into administration on May 22.
In addition to its UK brands, JG Travel Group also operates Albion Journeys for US customers.
Luis Arteaga, chief executive of the JG Travel Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome National Holidays to the JG Travel Group family. The addition of the National Holidays brand will enable the JG Travel Group to become the leader in over-60s group travel in the UK, particularly for UK tours, events and theatre shows by coach.”
He added: ‘The value for money and diversity of products that the JG Travel Group brands will offer are totally unmatched by the rest of the UK travel industry. National Holidays will also help us grow our presence in the north of England and complement the already strong market penetration that both Just Go! and Omega have in the rest of the country.”
JG Travel Group said it planned to replicate many tours and pick-up points from the former National Holiday portfolio, in addition to some staff. The company said it would use coach operators from the same regions to offer more familiarity for customers.
Paul Mason, director of product & operations, said: “National Holidays is a brand that I have admired all my working life, going back to the mid 1980s when they were based in Dewsbury and I was a retail travel agent in West Yorkshire. I recall selling many holidays for them and even taking group allocations which I often used to accompany as a tour leader.”
He added: “In more recent years National Holidays has developed further and is a hugely respected and popular brand in the north of England with a very loyal following for the great value breaks offered. As a proud Yorkshireman I am delighted to see this brand join the group and the team here will be striving to continue to deliver a wide range of popular coach holidays.”
Sales and marketing director Danny Crowe said JG was aware that travel agents were “massively important” to National Holidays, adding: “We will continue to support them.”
JG Travel Group is working on a 2021 programme and aims to announce the first tours “very soon”.
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