Direct Ferries

Direct Ferries
Limited Company
Industry Travel
Founded 1999
Founder Howard Davies
Headquarters London, England, UK
Key people
 Matt Davies
(Managing Director)
Services Ferry Travel Aggregator Service
Number of employees
 47
Website www.directferries.co.uk

Direct Ferries is a UK-based ferry travel aggregator service. It provides bookings for ferry crossings across Europe and North Africa, as well as numerous crossings across the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United States,[1] Canada,[1] Oman,[2] Morocco,[3] [4] Australia, Japan, Singapore and Bintan Island.[5] It is the largest ferry ticket aggregator in Europe [6] and sells tickets for over 2,400 ferry routes worldwide.[5]

Operations

The company was launched by Howard Davies in 1999[7] and has been run by Matt Davies since 2010.[8] In 2012, the company achieved 177th place in the Sunday Times International Track 200.[9]

Direct Ferries has reported an increase in cyclists using its service, particularly from Britain to France, after the success of the British cycling team in the 2012 London Olympics.[10]

Following a management buy-out by Matt Davies in 2014,[11] the company has expanded its services to the Middle East[2] and the United States.[1] Direct Ferries is the first European agent to work with NFC, and Oman based company offering high speed services, making ferry travel in Oman accessible to passengers around the world. In the US, the deal has been signed with some of the biggest ferry operators, as well as BC Ferries and Clipper Vacations in Canada.

Direct Ferries has launched dedicated websites for both, the United States[1] and the Middle East,[2] expanding its services to 29 markets worldwide.[12]

Along with the ferry booking, the company has partnered with Avios in January 2016, enabling customers to collect points with every crossing they book.[13]

In April 2016, the mid-market private equity business Livingbridge invested in Direct Ferries[14] to ensure further growth.

The company reported 35% increase in bookings in 2016,[15] focusing on continuous growth worldwide.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Direct Ferries launches dedicated US website". Travel Mole. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  2. 1 2 3 "NFC ties up with UK-based portal for service bookings - Oman". Muscat Daily News. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  3. ↑ "Een roadtrip kan ook over water". De Morgen (in Dutch). 15 March 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Lonely Planet : Morocco. Lonely Planet. 2014. p. 1075. ISBN 978-1-743-60025-2.
  5. 1 2 Davies, Phil (12 January 2017). "Direct Ferries reports 35% jump in bookings in 2016". Travel Weekly.
  6. ↑ Moules, Jonathan (24 January 2013). "From failure can come success". The Financial Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Daily, Belfast. "BD TRAVEL FEATURES……DIRECT FERRIES WHAT A FIND! | Belfast Daily". Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  8. ↑ Chynoweth, Carly (16 December 2012). "How I Made It: Howard Davies, founder of Direct Ferries". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Private firms with the fastest growing international sales" (PDF). London: Sunday Times. 2012-07-08. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-03-10. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  10. ↑ Eves, Jason (9 August 2012). "Ferry company announces massive increase in cycling holidays". Bike Biz. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "Baker Tilly completes the management buyout of world's most popular online ferry ticket provider, Direct Ferries". RSM UK. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  12. ↑ "Oman ferry holidays offered by Direct Ferries". TravelWires. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  13. ↑ "Direct Ferries expands partnership with Avios - Business Traveller – The leading magazine for frequent flyers". Business Traveller – The leading magazine for frequent flyers. 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  14. ↑ "Direct Ferries sets sail for growth with Livingbridge investment". Livingbridge. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  15. ↑ Davies, Phil (12 January 2017). "Direct Ferries reports 35% jump in bookings in 2016". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 2017-02-27.


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