Ski.com and Viajes Holam Form Joint Venture
New Joint Venture Aimed at Bringing More Latin Skiers and Snowboarders to the Mountains
Aspen, Colo. (April 15, 2012) - Ski.com (www.ski.com) and ViajesHolam (www.holam.com.mx), two of the largest ski tour operators in the United States Mexico respectively, today announced a new joint venture focused on growing Latin American skier visits in North America and Europe. Through this new relationship, Viajes Holam will utilize Ski.com’s proprietary reservation system and online booking technology while still growing their own brand identities. The new alliance will also allow access to Ski.com’s industry-leading inventory of lift tickets, hotels, condominiums, private homes, flights, ground transfers, rental cars, rental equipment and more.
Skiing has become a popular activity for Latin American travelers and, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce in its most recent report, international travel to the United States is projected to increase from 59.7 million visitors in 2010 to more than 80 million by 2013. Mexico is the number two source of international travel to the U.S. This new joint venture will target ViajesHolam’s existing client base and also Mexico’s general population of untapped potential skiers and snowboarders.
“Latin America represents one of the biggest opportunities for the ski segment of the travel industry in the United States, Canada and Europe,” said Harry Peisach, Ski.com president and CEO. “By partnering with Viajes Holam, we open our distribution to a huge audience of highly qualified potential skiers and snowboarders who will generally stay for several days longer on average than their American counterparts.”
“By forming this new joint venture, we are leveraging each company’s strengths so that we can offer our clients the ski travel industry’s widest selection of resorts and products at the best possible pricing,” said MoisesBraverman, owner of Viajes Holam. “In addition to this being a great way to increase our capabilities, the partnership will allow us to vastly expand our audience of destination skiers and snowboarders.”
The two tour operators are already collaborating on marketing and integrating technology to prepare for a launch in time for the 2012/2013 ski vacation booking season.
About Ski.com
Celebrating their 40th anniversary during the 2011/2012 season and headquartered in Aspen, Colo., Ski.com is the largest provider of mountain travel in North America. Ski.com is the only travel company specializing in mountain destinations to offer the unsurpassed first-hand knowledge and experience needed to present travelers the most options at the best value. The company has the largest mountain lodging inventory, offers the most ski-related package components in the travel industry and customizes complete vacations to 100 of the most popular resorts in the United States, Canada, Europe and South America.
About Viajes Holam
Founded by Ana Braverman 38 years ago by selling ski vacations to Vail, Colorado, Viajes Holam is responsible for the creation and development of the ski market in Mexico and for making Mexico an important market for Vail. Since their inception, they have added other major destinations throughout Colorado, British Colombia, Quebec, Utah and elsewhere. With Moises and Miriam Braverman joining Viajes Holam in 1993, the company has expanded to become a leader in the ski industry and the largest ski wholesaler in Mexico. Their distinguished service record is due to their proven ability to plan and coordinate flawless ski vacations. While Viajes Holam’s clients come from all over Mexico, Mexico City is their most popular market.