Vista, which was rebranded from Hays Travel Tour Operating in late-2023, is currently celebrating a record-breaking year, with cruise sales now accounting for more than a third of its business.
To build on this momentum, Vista has created a dedicated touring team to promote escorted, independent and small-group tours to Hays Travel agents and members of its independence group.
A Hays Travel spokesperson confirmed Vista’s touring team would support its strategy to achieve "an even split between short-haul, long-haul and cruise bookings".
Hutton, who will head up the touring team, brings more than a decade of touring experience to Vista from her time with Travel 2, where she was a tours consultant, and nearly 20 years’ travel industry experience.
Dnata Travel Group merged its Travel 2 and Gold Medal brands in 2020. Hutton joined Hays following the merger and, the agency said, "has worked hard to share her knowledge and experience with colleagues in the team".
Vista’s head of sales Kathleen Molloy, who herself spent more than 15 years with Travel 2, said: "We’re excited to launch a specialist touring team. We have seen rapid growth in traveller demand for authentic experiences – from safaris in Kenya to wine tours in Australia.
"Agents need someone with experience at the end of the phone to help create bespoke itineraries in response to their customers’ requests."
She added the Vista touring team were "highly experience, skilled and well-travelled". "Many of them have been in the industry for over 15 years," Molloy continued. "We have specialists in travel to Africa, Asia, US and Australia and New Zealand, as well as all-rounders who love travel and are great on all destinations."
Vista will host 40 agents on three fam trips to Australia, Dubai and Florida in May, with plans for more trips to be announced. "We are committed to providing our travel agent partners with first-hand destination experiences to support their product knowledge and sales strategies," Molloy added.
