B2B Tour Operator Vista Launches New Dedicated Touring Team; Announces FAM Trips

B2B tour operator Vista – part of the Hays Travel Group – has launched a new dedicated Touring team, expanding its offer in the fast-growing escorted, independent, and small group touring market.

The move comes as Vista celebrates a record-breaking year following its rebrand in 2023, with cruise sales now accounting for over a third of business – a significant leap driven by a specialist team and strong industry partnerships.

The new Touring team will also support Hays Travel’s strategy to achieve an even split between short-haul, long-haul, and cruise bookings.

Head of Vista Sales, Kathleen Molloy, said: “It’s been a record-breaking year for Vista since our 2023 rebrand, with trading stronger than ever. Cruise sales have grown dramatically – going from just over 20% to now making up over a third of our business – thanks to our dedicated cruise team and strong operator relationships, led by Head of Cruise, Catriona Parsons.

“Building on this success, we’re excited to launch a specialist Touring team, expanding into escorted, independent, and small-group tours. We have seen rapid growth in traveller demand for authentic experiences – from safaris in Kenya to wine tours in Australia – and agents need someone with experience at the end of the phone to help create bespoke itineraries in response to their customers’ requests.”

Vista’s Touring division is headed by Heather Hutton, who brings over a decade of expertise and will offer agents expert support, backed by exclusive offers and ongoing training.

Ms Hutton has worked in travel for 18 years, with the last 12 spend in tour operating – specialising in touring most of this time, including whilst at Travel2. Over the years Heather has dealt with multiple touring and destination management companies throughout the world. Heather joined Vista five years ago and has worked hard to share her knowledge and experience with colleagues in the team.

Ms Molloy added: “Our customers want more than a holiday; they want authentic adventures, and we have built a team of true experts to support our agents and help customers explore the world. The Vista Touring team are all highly experienced, skilled and well-travelled. Many of them have been in the industry for over 15 years. We have specialists in travel to Africa, Asia, USA, and Australia and New Zealand – as well as all-rounders who love travel and are great on all destinations – a few of them love nothing more than a tricky ‘round the world’ trip!

“Vista has launched its biggest and best fam trip portfolio yet and throughout the month of May will be hosting 40 agents over three different trips including Australia, Dubai and Florida, with more trips in the pipelines. We are committed to providing our travel agent partners with first hand destination experiences to support their product knowledge and sales strategies.”