Henry Wells Featured in Travel Weekly: Private Equity Investment in European Travel Businesses

Managing Director Henry Wells and Vice President Mark Stoddart in Duff & Phelps M&A Advisory practice, were featured in Travel Weekly providing an overview of the history of private equity investment in the travel sector and key themes underpinning this.

“Over the last 20 years, the travel sector has changed beyond all recognition, while at the same time not changing much at all. Consumers still want a “deal”, whether it is luxury or more basic, and it is all still about hotels, flights and experiences. What has changed is choice, distribution and social media. The four biggest travel businesses are now the big two and quality can be heard via the internet, with barriers to entry being dismantled and smaller players being able to build scale quickly and distribute efficiently.”

“As both the sector and consumers evolved through the early 2000s, private equity’s interest in the sector grew. Attracted by disruptive online players with asset-light, scalable models and attractive cash flow dynamics, the number of private equity-backed deals in the UK grew through the early 2000s, supported by significant cheap credit and growing consumer wealth.”

The full article is available on the Travel Weekly website.