Kuoni parent Der Touristik UK acquires Journey Latin America

JLA was founded 38 years ago by Brian Williams and Chris Parrott, and offers tailor-made trips and escorted group tours to Central and South America.

With a team of travel experts based in Hammersmith, West London, the brand will remain in its current location and Sarah Bradley, managing director, will continue to lead the business, reporting to Francis Torrilla, managing director of Der Touristik UK’s specialist division.

A Der Touristik UK spokesperson added there were no proposed changes to JLA and it would be “business as usual” for the brand.

Derek Jones, chief executive of Der Touristik UK, which also has Carrier, Kirker, CV Villas and Jules Verne in its portfolio, said: “We’ve got a strong track record of running specialist businesses successfully.

“Our approach is very much about retaining the independence and specialist knowledge so they’re able to flourish, with the backing of a supportive yet ambitious group.

“The company philosophy and experience of Journey Latin America is a perfect match with our own and complements our existing brands adding a new dimension to our specialist division.

“We see opportunities to grow the business and evolve distribution through our retail network and travel agent partners.

“We’re committed to identifying new opportunities, looking forward at the trends in travel and investing in acquiring businesses when we find something we know fits our vision.”

Sarah Bradley, managing director, Journey Latin America, added: “This is a tremendously exciting new chapter for our business.

“For almost 40 years, we’ve put our passion and know-how to work, designing and delivering transformative holidays throughout Latin America.

“We’re delighted to join a group which shares our commitment to specialist knowledge, innovative travel experiences and high levels of personal service, and are confident that the opportunity to collaborate across like-minded businesses will offer real benefits for our customers, our staff and our partners.”