Leading travel agents ranked by number of outlets in the UK 2024

As of February 2024, Hays Travel was the travel agent in the United Kingdom with the highest number of retail travel shops, operating 494 outlets. TUI and Independent ABTA Agents followed behind, with 326 and 277 shops, respectively. Meanwhile, in fourth place was Advantage, which, along with other travel agencies in the ranking, is part of Advantage Travel Partnership, the UK's leading consortium of independent travel agencies. 

TUI is one of the largest ATOL-licensed tour operators in the UK

Part of the German-based travel and tourism group TUI AG, TUI UK is one of the major players in the travel agency and tour operator industry in the United Kingdom. As of February 2024, the firm ranked as one of the leading ATOL-licensed tour operators in the UK based on the number of passengers licensed. Although the group was heavily impacted by the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the annual revenue of TUI UK Limited bounced back in 2022 to nearly equal the five billion British pounds generated in 2019. 

How big are the travel agency and tour operator markets in the UK?

The market size of the travel agency industry in the UK also showed signs of recovery in 2022, after falling dramatically due to the health crisis. That year, this industry's market size was estimated at just under 17 billion British pounds, remaining below pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, the market size of the tour operator industry in the United Kingdom amounted to approximately nine billion British pounds in 2022.