Major Travel is aiming to become the UK’s “leading trade-exclusive tour operator” after US homeworking brand InteleTravel acquired a majority stake in the tailor-made specialist.
Managing director Qasim Gulamhusein has confirmed he will retain his shareholding and continue to lead the company, which will remain trade-only.
InteleTravel said Major would be able to leverage its global agent community to enhance its buying power and secure exclusive supplier contracts.
The homeworking business argued its acquisition would help every UK and Irish travel agent to compete more effectively against direct-sell operators.
InteleTravel confirmed a recruitment drive was under way to double the size of Major Travel’s team by the end of the year, alongside plans to get Major’s premium and long-haul holidays onto its booking platform.
"Our vision is to become the leading trade-exclusive tour operator in the UK within the next five years,” said Gulamhusein.
"The biggest winner from this investment will be UK and Irish travel agents, who will gain access to an enhanced product range and an increase in expert in-house advisors for every region worldwide, supporting them and their clients’ itineraries.
“Our expanded buying power will enable us to negotiate exclusive rates with airlines and hotels globally, creating a shift where direct-sell operators will struggle to compete with travel agents.”
He added: “This investment will allow us to further develop our mobile-friendly booking platform, Major Go, with new tools designed to help travel agents sell more effectively.”
InteleTravel president James Ferrara said: “We chose to invest in Major Travel because we believe it is uniquely positioned to become the leading trade-only operator in the country.
“Our involvement with Major Travel will focus exclusively on its growth as a distinct and separate entity from our core homeworking business.
“This approach will reassure our existing preferred partners and suppliers that our intention is not to divert revenue away from them but to amplify the opportunities in working with us."
Major Travel plans to expand into Ireland this year before launching a full-service operation in North America next year.
InteleTravel has a global network of 110,000 agents, including 20,000 in the UK and Ireland, and claims annual global revenue of $2.5 billion.
The company also owns the corporate and business travel consortium Hickory Global Partners and MGME, a meeting planning and event production company.
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