A really top bloke who started his empire from a table in his mam’s shop

Just over a year ago, during a press conference to announce they’d bought the entire portfolio of Thomas Cook’s UK shops, Hays Travel director Irene Hays told journalists: "We’ve said many times before that travel in the UK is a relatively small industry and it’s a family."

Today, that ‘travel family’ came out in force to pay tribute to her husband, Hays Travel founder John Hays, who died suddenly, doing, as a company statement described it: ‘the job he loved’.

John and Irene had held local celeb status in the north east for years, but, in October 2019, they became national personalities overnight, with Good Morning Britain calling them ‘the saviours of the high street’ after they snapped up Thomas Cook’s 555 shops, taking on thousands of staff.

So the story goes, John won a scholarship to study at Oxford then did an MBA, before setting up a travel agency in the back room of his mum’s shop in Seaham 40 years ago.

In 2018, the company broke through the £1 billion sales mark, but John and Irene couple lived modestly, didn’t pay themselves a lot of money and prided themselves on running a business that never had any debt.

"They both drive 12-year-old cars and haven’t taken money out of the business for 11 years, preferring to invest it all back," This Is Money reported at the time.

Social media tributes today use words such as ‘heartbroken’, ‘one of the good guys’, ‘taken too soon’, ‘genuinely nice’, having ‘decency and commitment’ – many tributes coming from people who’d never met him and had formed opinions after seeing him on the telly during the Thomas Cook acquisition.

Travel colleagues called him a ‘hero’ who ‘worked hard and played hard’; someone who did ‘wonders for the travel industry’, a ‘legend’ an ‘inspiration’ and a ‘great friend’.

Rad Sofronijevic, chief operating officer for Midcounties Co-operative’s travel division, summed it up when he said: "Many of us have either worked with him in the past in some way or other, or enjoyed his lovely company at industry events over the years, and the news has shocked and saddened us all.

"John was a huge advocate for the high street travel agent, a travel industry champion and a true gentleman.  His genuine passion for travel was felt in everything he did – the industry has lost a legend today."

Travel Editor at the Independent, Simon Calder described him as: "A brilliant travel entrepreneur, providing great service for countless customers and creating jobs for thousands of great staff. He was also a very decent man."

Some of the most heartfelt tributes have poured in from people in the local area.

Presenters Steve and Karen, of Metro Radio’s breakfast show described him as a ‘really top bloke who started his travel business empire from a table in his mam’s shop in Seaham’.

TV presenter Steph McGovern tweeted: "Am devastated John Hays has died. He was one of the good guys in business. He cared so much about his staff and did loads for the region. A true philanthropist. We met years ago at a charity event helping young people into work and became good friends."

Daily Mirror Association Editor Kevin Maguire said: "This is terrible. Met John Hays a few times and was really impressed by the man who built a successful national travel business from North East England."

Sunderland AFC, where John had previously served as Vice-Chairman, said: "John was a champion of the North East and the City of Sunderland."

Local man Andy Foster said: "Sunderland and the travel industry have lost a truly great son’.

James Ramsbotham, Chief Executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce, said: "I have known John Hayes for over 30 years, firstly as a customer of mine at Barclays, then as an SAFC director and with his hugely successful travel business.

"This tragic news goes far beyond Hays Travel and will be sorely felt throughout the North East business community.

"John established a great company that did so much to help so many people over the last 40 years. We very much mourn his passing and my thoughts, together with everyone in the Chamber, are with his wife Irene and their family."

See earlier story: John Hays dies ‘doing the job he loved’

By Lisa James, Deputy Editor (UK)