Scenic Group Acquires Mayflower Tours

Australia-based Scenic Group continues its growth in the North American market with the purchase of Mayflower Tours.

Mayflower – now named Mayflower Cruises and Tours – will continue to operate as a separate entity, led by its current president, Nish Patel. It will continue to be based outside of Chicago, in Downers Grove.

“Mayflower’s fastest growing product segment is the river cruises and having access to Scenic’ s excellent quality and vast inventory will offer substantial growth,” Patel noted.

The purchase will give Mayflower access to river and ocean itineraries on Scenic and their sister brand, Emerald Waterways. Meanwhile, Scenic and Emerald Waterways will gain land-based tour options from Mayflower that can be joined with their cruise offerings.

“We are always looking for synergies that produce greater opportunities for our guests,” said Glen Moroney, founder and chairman of Scenic Group. “We have worked with Mayflower Tours for several years and have always been incredibly impressed with the level of service and offerings that John and Mary Stachnik have offered their guests. So, when the opportunity came about, due to their wish to retire, it was an easy decision.”

Since 1986, Moroney has grown Scenic Tours from an Australia-based regional operator of packaged holidays to a global tour company with more than 800 escorted itineraries in 66 countries. The company began offering luxury river cruises in 2008, and later introduced Emerald Waterways. It now has 22 river ships, along with two luxury yachts, launching this year and in 2020.

With the acquisition, Mayflower’s founders, John and Mary Stachnik, will both retire. They began the company in 1979, expanding it throughout the late 1980s.

“We had many ‘ah-ha moments,’ and going on our first river cruise convinced us that this was something our customers had to experience themselves,” says John and Mary Stachnik. “We raised two wonderful kids, Molly and John Jr., and our primary goal was for them to lead a wonderful life and be independent. We accomplished that task and now it’s time to appreciate the fruits of our labor. We want to thank everyone in the travel industry, and most importantly, our personal and business families plus the entire staff at Mayflower. And last, but not least, the biggest thank you is to our travelers.”