Adventure Tours Australia, one of Australia’s largest and most innovative tour companies, has signed an exclusive license deal to operate award winning Kiwi innovation ‘Spaceships’, custom designed vehicles for the adventurous independent traveller, in Australia.
The multimillion-dollar deal will allow Spaceships to grow in Australia and New Zealand at the fastest possible rate utilising all the local knowledge and know-how learned by the award winning Australian company who have been operating for over 15 years.
Spaceships has a license to import 100 vehicles a year into Australia and Adventure Tours will be taking up the whole supply.
The late model low mileage Toyota people movers will be imported directly into Australia from Japan and the interiors will be built in New Zealand and shipped over.
The only significant difference between Australian and New Zealand vehicles will be a larger locally built fridge fitted to the Australian vehicles.
With staff throughout Australia and Europe, and over 100,000 customers a year on its guided bus and four wheel drive-based adventure products ‘Adventure Tours’ is ideally placed to help distribute Spaceships Australia and New Zealand globally.
“We have so many synergies with Adventure Tours, from target customer demographic to product range with adventure focused tours, and their ‘Oz Experience’ backpacker bus network.”
“The business couldn’t be more complimentary to that of Spaceships New Zealand and its sister company Stray and its backpacker bus network, making them the best possible partner for the strong future growth of both companies,” says Neil Geddes, Managing Director of Stray and Spaceships New Zealand.
Adventure Tours Marketing Director, Greg Zammit, said “The success of Spaceships in New Zealand is remarkable. We are really excited about the opportunity of Spaceships in Australia – particularly our ability to work from different gateways with Adventure Tours’ existing network of depots and operational bases, and the potential of combined distribution and marketing throughout Australia and New Zealand.”
Spaceships are currently landing in Australia at the rate of ten per month and hires will start in January 08.
The Kiwi concept, Spaceships, has been a great success from its launch in October 2004. The uniquely designed vehicles created a new category in the New Zealand travel transport market, winning a NZ tourism award for innovation in 2006 and gaining Qualmark accreditation (the New Zealand government’s official quality endorsement) in 2007.
Spaceships are a compact small vehicle that’s like a car to drive with all the essential travel equipment, designed for travellers who like to venture off the beaten track.
Report by The Mole
