KILROY youth travel agency launches in the UK
KILROY, a leading youth and student travel agency headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, announced its launch in the United Kingdom. KILROY will offer a selection of inspiring once-in-a-lifetime experiences to the UK youth market, focused on backpacking and adventure travel. The UK rollout began earlier in the month with flight bookings now available on KILROY’s website
KILROY has appointed former STA Travel executive John McCoach as consultant to help steer the launch and localise the KILROY brand for UK travellers. With his vast experience and expertise in the industry, McCoach will be instrumental in helping KILROY establish itself as a top player in the UK market. Appointed to lead KILROY’s UK team is ex-Sabre sales specialist, Niclas Lundquist. Lundquist joins as Head of Commercial Operations and will be responsible for growing KILROY’s customer base across the UK – already appointing former On The Go Tours marketing manager, Hollie Youlden, to drive brand awareness.
KILROY’s launch in the UK was spurred by the country’s burgeoning youth travel scene. Demand for unique travel experiences among this demographic is particularly high in the UK versus other European countries, with recent research revealing 44% of Gen Z UK travellers intend to spend more money on travel in the next 12 months. This is compared with 26% of the same age group in Denmark, KILROY’s current largest market.
“The potential and market size for youth and student travel in the UK is unmatched by any of our other markets,” said Claus H. Hejlesen, CEO of The Kilroy Group. There are approximately 2.75 million students enrolled in higher education in the UK, compared to 842,800 in the Netherlands and 150,643 in Denmark – currently KILROY’s largest two markets.
We are extremely excited to be launching KILROY in the UK and are committed to investing in the market to provide its young travellers with life-defining adventures. We believe that with the knowledge and expertise of John McCoach, Niclas Lundquist and Hollie Youlden, and our dedication to providing a top-notch travel experience, we will be able to establish ourselves as a leading player in the UK’s youth and student travel industry.
KILROY, which launched its KILROY.co.uk website earlier this month, plans to soon add a variety of specialist trip types for its customers, including working holidays and volunteering – all of which will be customisable to create each traveller’s ultimate dream journey. This spring, KILROY also expects to announce the location of its first UK-based store in Bristol.
John McCoach added
Having spent many years in the youth and student travel industry, I’m excited to be a part of KILROY’s expansion into the UK, filling a huge gap in this specialist market segment, The exit of STA Travel in 2020 left a void in this space that KILROY is well-equipped to fill, drawing on its decades of expertise. There’s a surging demand among young travellers for tailored, meaningful travel experiences. This dynamic and adventurous new generation of travellers has high expectations that only a specialist in this segment, like KILROY, can deliver.
find out more about BETA Member KILROY here
Published 01 March 2023
