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Holidaybreak goes to top of class in educational travel market
European specialist operator Holidaybreak has bought educational tour company EST for just over £4m.
EST, which focuses on bespoke travel and conferences for higher and further education, turned over a normalised amount of £5.7m in the year to August 2007. The company will sit alongside PGL and NST within Holidaybreak’s education division.
EST will be combined with NST’s StudyLink , a provider of affordable group travel for university students.
EST managaing director Brendan Jones will head up the enlarged higher education team.
Chief executive of Holidaybreak Carl Michel said: “EST strengthens our position in educational travel and I am pleased to welcome Brendan and his team into our group. This is a very well run business, with products that will allow us to offer a wider range of tours and lead the higher and further education segment. Education is a key market sector for the group and our enhanced offering will increase the division’s growth prospects.”
By Dinah Hatch
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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