Travel Technology Profile: AdventureLink.com
AdventureLink Inc.
Product Description: AdventureLink is the first global distribution and reservation network for the adventure travel industry estimated to be worth $150 billion globally. This industry is continuing to grow at 10 to 12% per year as the baby boom generation ages and demands more experiential travel opportunities. AdventureLink has created the largest database of its kind with over 50,000 trips currently and will grow to over 100,000 trips by the end of the year. We provide a massive marketplace that connects to leading
online and traditional travel agents to give adventure tour operators access to a global market of millions of consumers and thousands of travel agencies.
Presenter: KELLY TOMPKINS Founder and CEO, AdventureLink Inc. Kelly has over twelve years of experience in developing leading travel applications for Sabre, Expedia, GetThere and Tickets.com. Kelly also founded LeisureLink, the leading GDS for booking vacation rentals. Kelly founded AdventureLink in 2006 with the goal of creating the first global reservation network for the adventure travel industry.
Download the PhoCusWright Travel Innovator Profile for Adventure Link Inc.
Headquarters: Pasadena, CA
Product: AdventureLink Inc.
Website: http://www.adventurelink.com
Category: Emerging Company
Principal(s): Kelly Tompkins
Investor(s): Anthem Ventures; Mail Room Fund; Farhad Mohit, Founder of BizRate/Shopzilla; Kamran Pourzanjani, Founder of PriceGrabber
Early Customer(s): Trisept Solutions—VAX Vacation Access. Next implementation will be with a leading OTA—most likely to be announced at PhoCusWright!
Business Model: AdventureLink is an aggregator, charging transaction fees for each booking generated, with gross margins ranging from 18% to 30%.
Funding: Recently closed a Series A investment with Anthem Venture Partners and The Mail Room Fund which will drive the company to a market-leading position.
Market Opportunity: $150B global market and growing by 12% per year as the baby boomer generation ages.
What PhoCusWright Says: Adventure Link is a great idea. It supports the growing trend of small specialty travel agents working out of their home and travelers looking for new and exciting things to do. Super way to monetize the Long Tail.
What T4 Says: I really like Adventure Link as well. It is head and shoulders above the competition in terms of interface, ease of use, and product mix. The focus on distributing the products through a strong agent base and in the implementation of a VOIP system for Adventure Experts is a smart way to penetrate the market and build agent loyalty.
Competitors: Adventure Central, Ekoventure, Adventure Engine
Breaking Travel News Exclusive interview with Kelly Tompkins. November 17, 2008
PhoCusWright post presentation interview with Kelly Tompkins.
Disclaimer:
The information sourced for this profile were acquired from PhoCusWright as well through YouTube. For more information about the Travel Innovation Summit or the PhoCusWright Conference, please visit the PhoCusWright website.
Interesting business model. The numbers of experiences you quote seem puzzlingly huge? Any idea from their presentation if they intend to put much focus on a consumer facing presence (adventurelink.com seems to be an attempt in that direction but bug-ridden, albeit in beta)