Vitruvian Partners has acquired Great Rail Journeys, a provider of escorted tours, in a buyout from Duke Street. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Great Rail Journey's current CEO, Dave Riley, will continue leading the company with the support of Vitruvian Partners, focusing on growth in the United States, the United Kingdom and other markets.
With the help of Duke Street's investment, Great Rail Journeys has been working to scale globally since 2018, investing in its tech platform by building digital marketing and data analytics capabilities.
“I would like to thank the Duke Street team for their support over the last seven years,” Riley said in a release. “The business has transformed in that time, becoming the leading multi-source travel business in our sector. We've tripled the size of our U.S. business, achieved market leading growth in the U.K. and grown beyond rail with the addition of our European river cruises and wider land touring program.”
Currently headquartered in York, England, Great Rail Journeys was founded in 1973 and offers multimodal tours—including rail, river and more—with 400 itineraries across 40 countries. The company’s target audience is primarily travelers aged 55 and over.
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“For 50 years, we’ve set the standard in escorted tours for both new and returning customers, and I am excited about the next chapter of our journey,” Riley said. “I look forward to working with Vitruvian to deliver on our growth ambitions.”
Vitruvian Partners has invested in other areas of the travel technology space including Sykes Cottages, Civitatis, Klook and TravelCounsellors, among others. Past investments include Skyscanner and JacTravel.
“We are excited to partner with Dave and his team and share their ambition for the company to become the global market leader in escorted travel, catering in particular for those at a stage in life with time to enjoy discovering magical destinations by rail and river,” Ben Johnson, partner at Vitruvian Partners, said. “We recognize in Great Rail Journeys a business with many growth avenues and a very attractive demographic to continue to serve. We look forward to working with the team in the years ahead.”