Hays Travel has acquired Wales’ largest independent travel agency, Travel House.

The company, which is part of investment firm Swansea.com, whose interests range from hotels to business parks and also has a small stake in Swansea City FC, has 16 branches across south Wales. The exact value of the multimillion-dollar sum was not revealed.

Travel House was originally founded by Swansea serial entrepreneur Martin Morgan in 1992, before being sold to Tui (then Thomson) in 1999. Morgan later reacquired the company in 2004.

Morgan and Swansea.com will use proceeds from the sale to reinvest in Swansea with a new wave of business investment. This will see the group’s existing business, Morgans Hotel Ltd, which operates Morgans Hotels and nearby Georgia Hotels in the city center, expand to 71 rooms by the end of the year. The long-term aim, using Swansea.com properties around hotels, is to grow the portfolio to over 150 rooms.

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Morgan, who is also a director of Swansea City, created the hotel business with proceeds from the initial sale of Travel House to Thomson. Although Travel House’s tourism sector was badly affected by the pandemic, it has recovered significantly and now generates a weekly turnover of around £1 million in retail and currency exchange. In 2021, Hays Travel became a member of Hays’ Independence Group (IG).

Hays Travel, one of the UK’s largest travel agencies, was founded 30 years ago by its founders, Dame Irene Hayes and her late husband John. The acquisition of Travel House increased its retail network to 476. Following the acquisition, the company committed to retaining all Travel House employees. The company employs just under 70 people.

Swansea.com CEO Jacob Hughes said: “It wasn’t an easy decision to give up travel, but now is the time to focus on other areas of our business and continue our investment in new projects in the city of Swansea. and beyond.”

Morgan said: “My travel agency dream began 31 years ago when I opened a branch in Bringifrid, halfway between the two schools I attended as a child. We worked tirelessly, opened late and on Sundays, and in 1999 we sold Thomson Holidays. In 2004 I bought Travel House from TUI and continued with my dream. I would like to thank Christine Major, Leanne Williams and all our staff who have played a key role in Travel House’s success.

“We joined the Hays Independence Group in 2021 after weathering the Covid storm that cost our industry millions. We have now reached the point where we have taken Travel House as far as we can. As I will be 61, moving to Spain and getting married next year, now is the time for Travel House to expand and prosper even further under the tutelage of Hayes and Ms. Irene, who I have known for almost 30 years and who I can trust completely. . Pushing Travel House to its limits.”

Dame Irene said: “Martin is a brilliant businessman who has developed a wonderful tourism business in South Wales. We were delighted to have him join our independent group in 2021 and our internal team has enjoyed working with him to further develop the business. When Martin explained his plans, we were honored to step in and assure him and his wonderful team that their jobs were secure and that they would be welcomed into our Hays Travel family.

“We are very pleased with this latest acquisition, which further supports our strategic priorities. We wish Martin and Jacob every success in their future endeavors.”