Audley Travel
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| This article, Audley Travel, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
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Audley Travel is a UK- and US-based tour operator specialising in worldwide tailor-made travel. It holds an Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL)[1], issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, and is part of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust (ABTOT)[2].
Its headquarters are just outside Witney, Oxfordshire, in the UK, with two further offices in London and Boston.
History
The company was founded under the name Asian Journeys in 1996 by Craig Burkinshaw and John Brewer, two graduates from the London School of Economics and Political Science.[3]
Asian Journeys operated out of Northampton until 2000, when it moved office to the Oxfordshire village of Stratton Audley. The company changed name to Audley Travel in 2001, when it started to organise holidays to South America as well as Asia. Audley was chosen in reference to Stratton Audley where the company was based at the time. In 2006, Audley Travel moved office a second time to Witney in Oxfordshire.
In March 2014, an office was opened in Boston, Massachusetts, in the USA, followed by the opening of a London office in Shepherd’s Bush in May 2014.
The equity firm Equistone Partners Europe invested a majority stake in Audley Travel in 2012, during a management buyout. It exited its investment in 2015, selling its share of the company to the private equity firm 3i Group plc[4].
Operations
Audley Travel arranges personalised travel itineraries across Africa, Asia, Australasia, and North and Latin America, as well as remote destinations such as the Polar Regions. Clients usually travel privately, accompanied by a personal guide, having chosen their own bespoke route. The company also focuses on tailor-made beach holidays and cruises, which are centred around Asia’s rivers. It has a Responsible Practices policy to promote ethical and responsible travel within the countries where it operates.
Charity work
The company formed the Audley Charity Portfolio in 2005. It supports one main charity, Friends of Conservation[5], and an additional charity of the year, which in 2015 was Tusk and in 2016 is Free The Children. In addition, each regional programme within the company supports its own charity, based in area it covers, through staff and company donations and fundraising activities.
Recent awards
In 2015, the company received the following awards:
- Wanderlust Readers’ Travel Awards 2015 ‘Top Tour Operator’[6]
- ULTRAS ‘Best Small Luxury Tour Operator 2015’[7]
- Sunday Times ‘100 Best Small Companies to Work for 2015’[8][9]
- Which? Recommended Provider Holiday Companies June 2015[10]
References
- ^ "Air Travel Operators Licence". Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- ^ "Audley Travel - ABTOT". Association of Bonded Tour Operators Trust.
- ^ "Audley Travel: Craig Burkinshaw - Startups.co.uk: Starting a business advice and business ideas". startups.co.uk.
- ^ "Fast FT". www.ft.com.
- ^ "Friends of Conservation". www.foc-uk.com.
- ^ "Wanderlust Travel Awards 2015: THE WINNERS". http://www.wanderlust.couk.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "The 2015 ULTRA awards-Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies". The Sunday Times.
- ^ Companies, Best. "Audley Travel in Sunday Times List 2015". www.b.co.uk.
- ^ "» Best of UK business shortlisted for the Which? Awards 2015". press.which.co.uk.
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