Tourism Holdings Limited (thl) had its roots firmly in the scenic and adventure wonderland of the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island and traces its beginnings to three separate companies that merged to form The Helicopter Line in the1980s. These pioneers of modern day tourism in New Zealand were dedicated to giving visitors the region the time of their lives. The same objective exists to this day as we focus our activities on creating unforgettable holidays.
Throughout its history the company has developed and expanded on the back of a range of iconic tourism brands. The company name in itself has been that of a parent company but the true heroes of the business have been its individual experiences and the brands attached to those experiences. Over time some of those brands have developed, grown or in some cases sold or phased out.
In its early days, The Helicopter Line specialised in chartered scenic flights with a fleet of 42 helicopters and also held a 54% interest in the Treble Cone ski fields near Wanaka. It listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange in 1986 (THL).
Steady growth, strategic investments and acquisitions changed the nature of The Helicopter Line and in 1996 the company changed its name to Tourism Holdings Limited (THL) to more accurately reflect its diverse stable of tourism experiences, attractions and vehicle rental operations. These included iconic private businesses such as the Newmans Group, The Mount Cook Group, and Horizon Holidays; and from Government origins with the likes of Milford Sound Red Boats, Waitomo Glowworm Caves and hotels purchased from the former Tourist Hotel Corporation (THC).
During this decade, Tourism Holdings Limited firmly established its position as New Zealand’s premier tourism operator with increasing growth and investment in Australia and Fiji.
In 2007, the company commenced a significant strategic alignment to change the asset mix of the group with a focus on the rentals business.
The current phase of change has been about positioning the core business model for the future. The driving forces behind these changes are to be design led and customer focused.
The backbone of the business is now campervan and car rentals, dominated by our Maui and Britz and Backpacker brands .
In New Zealand, Maui has been synonymous with campervans for the last 25 years and was instrumental in establishing the success of the campervan industry in NZ. Britz followed a parallel history in Australia commencing operations in 1982 and has dominated the Australian campervan and 4WD landscape ever since. Given this heritage, Backpacker Campervans is still viewed internally as a young start-up. It was in fact, established in 1996 as a second tier brand to Britz and now, 15 years later, and is well established across New Zealand and Australia with a significant fleet.
In pursuit of growth and leveraging our strengths in the motorhome business we have recently acquired Roadbear RV Rentals and Sales with five locations in the USA. Roadbear is well recognized as a premium provider of RVs in the USA and has been an established player in the market since 1980.
Whilst we are rentals centric, we are not rentals exclusive. Kiwi Experience and the Waitomo Caves cluster of businesses are not only successful in their own right but also provide essential information, trends and customer insights into the tourism experience market from which the rest of the company benefits.
thl History:
1986 – The Helicopter Line listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange
1986 – Acquired 54% interest in Treble Cone Skifield
1987 – Remaining 46% of Treble Cone Ski Field acquired
1988 - Purchase of Maui Rental Campervans from Chris Alpe
1988 – Purchased Mount Cook Group Motorhome Fleet.
1988 – ‘Leisure Port’ established to include Motorhome fleets operating under the Budget, Newman’s,
Mount Cook, Horizon Holidays and Maui brands.
1989 - Acquired Auckland Mechanics Bay Helipad
1990 - Purchase of Newmans Motorhome Fleet
1990 - Purchased Kelly Tarltons Underwater World in Auckland
1992 – Acquired 50% interest in Tourism Milford Limited. The brand portfolio included, Te Anau Hotel,
Milford Track Guided Walk, Milford Sound Red Boat and Milford Sound Hotel from SPHC (former owner of Tourist Hotel Corporation), The Hermitage Hotel, Rotorua THC and Waitomo Hote
1992 – Acquired surveillance and rescue helicopter operation (Mechanics Bay Auckland)
1993 - Acquired Sunseeker motorhomes in Australia & introducesdthe Maui brand into Australia
1993 – Acquired Southern World Vacations, NZ, Australia and Fiji, tour coaches and
The “Newmans Holidays” brand
1994 – Constructed the innovative “Antarctic Encounter” penguin exhibit at Kelly Tarltons
1994 – Acquired Travelmarvel in Australia
1995 - Acquired 60% of CiMunro manufacturing
1995 – Acquired a 50% interest in Kiwi Experience and Oz Experience
1996 – Maui commenced a JV operation in Southern Africa with Imperial Holdings Ltd
1996 – Company renamed as Tourism Holdings Limited to reflect the diversity of the business
1996 – Sold Rotorua Hotel, interests in inbound touring business and series coach tour operations
1997 – Acquired the remaining 40% of CiMunro
1998 – Purchased a range of businesses from The Mount Cook Group from Air New Zealand including
Ski Shuttle, Ski Express, Mount Cook Tours, Mount Cook Landlines, Mount Cook Ski
Planes and a partnership in Mount Cook Flightseeing.
1999 – Acquired Britz Motorhomes New Zealand, Australia and Southern Africa
1999 – Major review and re-focus with the divestment of a wide range of businesses including all hotel interests in Mount Cook, The Milford Track, and Southern World Vacations..
1999 – Acquired 100% interest in Milford Sound Red Boats and Waitomo Caves Management Licences.
2000 – Sold Britz and Maui Campervan operation in Southern Africa
2000 – Acquired remaining 50% interest in Kiwi Experience and Oz Experience
2002 – Sale of interest in Milford Sound Flightseeing, the remaining interests of Mount Cook Ski Planes and The Helicopter Line
2002 – Sale of Treble Cone Ski Area
2002 – Launched Feejee Experience in Fiji
2003 – Purchased The Legendary Blackwater Rafting Company and the licence to operate Ruakuri Caves at Waitomo
2004 – Acquired Hertz Motorhome fleet Australia
2004 Acquired Cruise Motorhome Fleet New Zealand
2004 – Purchase of Fullers Bay of Islands, coaching and maritime cruising experiences
2005 – Opened Ruakuri Caves development
2005 – Fire destroys Waitomo Glowworm Caves Visitor Centre and building works
2005 – Sold OZ Experience to Adventure Tours Australia
2006 – Acquired Milford Deep – Milford Sound Underwater Observatory
2007 – CiMunro Otorohanga factory relocation to new premises in Hamilton
2007 – Purchase of Action Motor Bodies, an engineering and vehicle customisation business
2007 – Launched Explore More NZ low cost campervan and rentals cars
2007 – Sold two-thirds of Johnston’s Coachlines to Coach Investments Limited
2007 – Created a Joint Venture with InterCity Group with a 49% interest and sold Great Sights and Fullers Bay of Islands to the JV
2007 – Sold Discover NZ inbound packaging business including the Horizon Holidays,
Newmans Holidays and Mount Cook Line and Ski Express brands to Tourmasters South Pacific (NZ) Ltd
2007 – Incomplete takeover offer from MVS Living and Leisure
2008 - Sold Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World to Village Roadshow
2008 – Sold Milford Sound Red Boats, Milford Deep Underwater Observatory to Skeggs Group Ltd the Blue Duck Cafe and a 49 percent shareholding in the Milford Sound Development Authority.
2008 – Sold Auckland Airbus and remaining 33% shareholding in Johnston’s Coachlines to Coach investments Ltd
2008 – Sold the remaining 49% stake in InterCity Goup JV to InterCity Group shareholders.
2008 – New lease formed to operate Waitomo Glowworm Caves with an extention to 2027 with the owners, the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapu Trust and the Department of Conservation.
2008 - Rebuild of a new Waitomo Glowworm Caves Visitor Centre commences.
2009 – Brand refresh of thl to reflect new strategic direction & company culture
2010 – Opening of the iconic Waitomo Glowworm Cave Visitor Centre
2010 – New Maui Fleet launched along with new brand identity
2010 – Sale of Feejee Experience and Great Sights and Tourism Transport Fiji to Coral Sun (Fiji) Ltd
2010 – Purchase of Roadbear RV Rentals and Sales, USA