Morgan began his career in travel as a trainee at Pickfords Travel before moving into the corporate world as Thomson’s sales and marketing director.
He opened the first Miles Morgan Travel branch in 2006, and the miniple has been a member of Hays Travel’s Independence Group ever since.
"This has been a difficult decision and there is naturally an element of sadness that my travel journey has come to an end," said Morgan. "The final part of that journey has been to find a suitable new owner for Miles Morgan Travel.
"Having worked for six years directly alongside the team at Hays Travel, I know them and importantly their culture and values, therefore cannot think of a better place for my business to go.
"It gives me great comfort that my team have found a good home with our partners for over 18 years. All jobs are safe, and the team now have more opportunities for career progression – there will [also] be little disruption to day-to-day activity.”
The agency shot to global recognition in 2012 when its Titanic Memorial Cruise set sail from Southampton to mark the centenary of the voyage.
Morgan, who has also served as an Abta board member, paid tribute to his senior management team of Mandy Shillito, Carolyn Griffiths and Zoe Stewart. He also praised “all the incredible staff” who delivered the best year in the agency’s history “yet again” in the last financial year.
He added: “I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to John and Irene Hays, John especially, for giving me pearls of wisdom in the early years of Miles Morgan Travel [a period when] when so many businesses fail. That help will never be forgotten. So, for me now, it’s time to behave like my customers.”
Dame Irene Hays said: “Miles Morgan is a legend in travel for a reason; he and his brilliant team have created an exceptional business that they can be very proud of. We will always be grateful to Miles, who as a member of our group’s board for many years has been instrumental in Hays Travel’s growth and success.
“We are all excited about this latest acquisition and look forward to welcoming the Miles Morgan Travel team to our Hays Travel family and learning from each other. Everyone at Hays Travel wishes Miles the very best success.”
