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Facts, Questions & Answers: Euro-Bike & Walking Tours Joins Austin-Lehman Adventures
The Companies
About Euro-Bike and Walking Tours (EBT)
- The first U.S. bike tour company to venture overseas and lead active biking trips for Americans in Europe.
- Has been in operation in Europe since 1974 (34 years).
- A boutique adventure travel company which specializes in high-quality, active, culturally-immersive European trips.
- Co-Founded in 1974 by Dr. Hendrik & Ellen Hoeve and Wim van Dijk
- Three generations of the family have been actively involved
- In 2008, the company offered bike-only and exclusive walking trips in 22+ destinations throughout Europe
About Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA)
- A boutique adventure travel company which specializes in high-quality active vacations in the Americas and Africa.
- A legacy dating back to 1985
- Has earned a solid reputation for enabling guests to experience new places on many different levels.
- Offers an industry best Guest to Guide ratio of 6:1
- Co-Founded by Dan Austin and Paul Lehman
- In 2008 the company offered 40 distinct multi-sport itineraries in 28 unique destinations
The Euro-Bike & Walking Tours Acquisition
What is taking place?
- EBT is joining the ALA Family in the fall of 2008 via acquisition
- All of EBT’s assets and goodwill are being acquired by ALA
- Because ALA is about double the size of EBT, the ALA name will be the one which will be used going forward.
What were the main factors that led to EBT joining the ALA family?
- ALA has been carefully and strategically expanding its product line and destinations beyond the Americas since inception.
- ALA was able to add significant European product, experience and a 34 year legacy of operating European tours in a very short time
- EBT was interested in expanding their marketing and operations expertise to a new level and it was much easier to join forces than to build the infrastructure on their own.
- ALA and EBT are kindred companies, sharing common philosophies, style and goals.
- ALA was familiar with EBT and vice versa, as both companies are currently members of the Trusted Adventures travel alliance.
- ALA guests have been asking ALA to provide trips to Europe for years.
How much bigger will ALA be with the acquisition of EBT?
- In 2009, ALA will be offering 26 new Europe itineraries to its existing portfolio of 40 trips.
- ALA will now offer 4 Continents (N. America, S. America, Africa, and Europe).
Will ALA be adding staff to support this growth?
- Ron van Dijk and Kathy Guyer (Operation and Sales) are joining the ALA family. They’ll be bringing their vast knowledge of Europe as well as an intimate understanding of EBT’s alumni to ALA.
- ALA will be bringing on-board the key guides and staff from EBT to join the ALA team.
- ALA has built an operational infrastructure over 23 years that can support this addition.
Will ALA remain in Billings, Montana?
- Yes. ALA will maintain the same office address and contact numbers.
- The entire EBT U.S. office, including sales manager Kathy Guyer, has moved to ALA’s headquarters in Billings, MT.
- Ron van Dijk will head up the European operations from his office in the Netherlands.
How are ALA and EBT coming together?
- Will be adding ALA’s signature “WOWs” to EBT’s already excellent trips.
- ALA will be managing all US-based operations formerly handled by EBT’s Illinois staff, and EBT’s sales, operational and guide staff will be joining the ALA team.
- ALA will now be offering EBT’s bike tours as part of their portfolio.
- ALA will be leveraging EBT’s European expertise to add trips which combine biking and other activities like hiking and rafting.
- Family versions of some of EBT’s most popular trips will be added to the roster.
- Future plans call for ALA to leverage the expertise of EBT to add bike-only trips around world.
What is being acquired besides the name, goodwill (34 yrs) and time-tested tour itineraries?
- Website content and Mailing lists
- Alumni client base
- Most all returning EBT guides
- Bikes/vans
- The preferred hotel and vendor relationships
The Trips
Will the newly acquired European product change under ALA directive?
- Four Family trips (an ALA strength) will be added to European trip roster in 2009. Destinations: France, Holland, Germany & Austria.
- Where appropriate, ALA will add activities beyond just biking to some of the European trips (i.e. hiking and rafting).
- ALA will bring to Europe the traditional ALA "WOW's."
- European trips will eventually embrace the 6:1 guest to guide ratio.
- ALA will look for new opportunities to provide “insider access” for guests such as a visit with a renowned chef, an introduction to winemaking during a private audience with a local vintner, etc…
What will the new trips be like?
- The trips will all be active, with a focus on biking (in the future - biking plus other activities like hiking and rafting).
- Every trip will focus on those activities which enable guests to see the countryside in the broadest and most pleasurable ways possible.
- Trips will be a mix of family and adult-only.
- The new countries offered will include Italy, France, Holland, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.
The Competitive Landscape
What differentiates ALA's new European bike program/philosophy from the competition?
- VALUE without sacrificing any of the comfort or service level
- Guides - We use local, European guides, who speak English fluently
- Guide experience, professionalism and maturity – we do not hire college students who basically want to spend a couple of summers in Europe.
- Guest to guide ratio of 6:1 – an industry best
- Style of Travel – Most other companies first identify the hotels which they want to use and then decide where to bike based on their location. We first investigate the best places for our guests to bike for scenery, sights, safe trails, etc, and then find the best places along the route to stay.
- Full service from beginning till end, i.e. from the time your plane touches down (or train arrives, depending on the trip and its logistics) until you depart again.
- Inclusion of ALA’s “WOWs” and "VIP behind the scenes" access into itineraries
- Development of activities beyond just biking on some trip itineraries
- Development of family-specific trip dates as opposed to trips that are just “family-friendly”
The Adventure Travel Industry
Is there an adventure travel industry pattern re one company acquiring another as a growth strategy?
- Could not comment on that. All we can say is that we have found it to be a good strategy for acquiring expertise which it would have otherwise taken us years to develop. By very selectively doing this, we have been able to create a stronger, better product for our guests this way over the years.
Is there an industry association I can talk with to get more information on this sort of thing?
- Yes, you should contact the Adventure Travel Trade Association
Chris Doyle, VP and Media Contact
Phone: 916-847-0261
Email: cdoyle@adventuretravel.biz
ALA’s Acquisition History and Launch Dates
What is ALA’s record vis a vis acquisitions in the past to get to where company is today?
- In 2000 ALA acquired Backcountry Tours, putting Backcountry and then what was Adventures Plus together to become Austin-Lehman Adventures.
- Timeline:
- In 1994 Dan Austin, with a group of investors, purchases Backcountry Tours of Bozeman, Montana (Backcountry was founded in 1985)
- In 1997 Dan Austin sells Backcountry Tours
- In 1997 Austin founds Adventures Plus
- In 2000 Paul Lehman and Dan Austin go into business together. Adventures Plus becomes Austin-Lehman Adventures
- In 2000 ALA acquires Backcountry Tours.
- In 2008 Austin-Lehman acquires Euro-Bike & Walking Tours
What’s the official date the acquisition will be signed, complete and final?
- The actual details and specifics of the acquisition are confidential but everything will be finalized by early November, 2008.
When is the target date to have this new product line fully advertised and integrated into the ALA website?
- Our official launch rollout begins on 9/22/08 and will continue throughout October, culminating in the launch of our joint catalog.
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