Active Travel Group has acquired luxury inbound tour operator MV Luxury Travel for an undisclosed sum.
It is the third acquisition by the adventure travel group, which continues to be “highly acquisitive” and on the lookout for premium, activity-based operators and destination management companies in the UK and internationally.
ATG has been backed by private equity firm Mobeus since it was established in 2017 and has annual sales of £60 million. Its brands include Wilderness, which the acquisition falls under, and Cycling for Softies, both of which are sold via travel agents. It also owns Ski Solutions, BSpoke Tours and Inspired Italy.
The Scotland-based direct-sell operator MV Luxury Travel will join ATG’s Wilderness business, which already operates brands Wilderness Scotland, Wilderness England and Wilderness Ireland. It provides active and experiential small group and tailormade holidays in the UK and Ireland.
MVLT primarily serves clients from the US as an inbound operator but also sells via the domestic market and has enjoyed “remarkable growth” in recent years.
ATG chief executive Craig Burton said that under the deal MVLTl’s 16 staff have become part of Wilderness’ 100-strong team, operating out of offices in Aviemore, Edinburgh, Kirkby Lonsdale and Sligo.
He cited opportunities as a result of the acquisition to expand the operator’s product range and develop more agent partnerships.
He said: “Once the integration of MVLT is complete, the Wilderness Group’s capability and capacity to service the luxury tailor-made travel segment across the UK and Ireland will significantly increase. This will create potential new product and partnership opportunities for our trade partners.”
The MVLT brand will remain in the short term. But Burton added: “In the medium to long-term, we will work through whether the best approach is to retain these brands under the company name of MVLT or incorporate as part of the Wilderness business in much the same way as Wilderness Scotland, Wilderness England and Wilderness Ireland.”
He added: “We’re thrilled to welcome MVLT to the Actve Travel Group. MVLT presents tremendous opportunities and strengthens our UK and Ireland operating presence in an exciting and rapidly expanding market segment. We look forward to welcoming the MVLT team and supporting them and the wider Wilderness Group with their ambitious growth plans”.
In a joint statement MVLT founders Struan Baird and Ruaridh Norton, who set up the operator in 2019, said: “After six years building MVLT and its associated brands, we are excited for MVLT to have found a new home as part of ATG, a travel group we have a very high regard for. Our businesses are highly complementary, and we look forward to seeing them flourish in the years ahead.”
ATG was supported by White Hart Associates and HCR Law on the acquisition while MVLT was supported by Summit Advisory Corporate Finance and Hill Dickinson LLP Solicitors.
Asked about future potential acquisitions, Burton said: “We remain highly acquisitive. We are focussed on premium, activity-based operators and DMCs based both in the UK and internationally which would support the growth of our current brands or allow us to develop in new product niches or geographies.”
The group acquired Wilderness in 2018 and Inspired Italy in 2023. Prior to ATG group’s creation and the investment by Mobeus, the company acquired BSpoke Tours in 2014 and Cycling for Softies in 2015.
