Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. announced that it has acquired adventure travel group Wineland-Thomson Adventures, Inc. through its subsidiary Natural Habitat, Inc. ("Natural Habitat Adventures").
Wineland-Thomson consists of several established adventure travel offerings, including Tanzania safari specialist Thomson Safaris, which has been operating for over 40 years and focuses on leading socially responsible and positively impactful light-treading safari tours.
Today, the brand's name has earned its place as one of the top safari outfitters in the world, being recognized with consecutive accolades from trusted publications, like Condé Nast Traveler Best Travel Specialists in the World and Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards.
The acquisition also includes the historic, award-winning Gibb's Farm Lodge, considered one of the top lodges in East Africa.
"With the addition of Wineland-Thomson and its esteemed Tanzania-based travel offerings, and world-class team members, we are not only expanding our footprint, but also creating more opportunities to inspire, educate, and preserve the wonders of our natural world, ensuring future generations can continue to be enriched by these remarkable adventures. Judi Wineland and Rick Thomson are well-respected pioneers of the adventure travel industry, and we are honored to be the stewards of their brands going into the future," said Sven-Olof Lindblad, Founder, CEO and Board Director of Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. "We remain committed to expanding and enriching our adventure travel offerings, actively seeking opportunities for both strategic acquisitions and organic growth, with the goal of attracting a wider audience and enhancing the lifetime value of our loyal guests."
Like the Company's past acquisitions, Wineland-Thomson operations will continue as stand-alone offerings and Lindblad Expeditions—along with Natural Habitat Adventures—will use its experience and resources to further accelerate the growth of the Wineland-Thomson offerings and capitalize on the growing demand for authentic and immersive adventure travel and safaris.
"The strategic acquisition of Wineland-Thomson will allow us to further expand our land offerings in and around East Africa, and with the addition of the Thomson Safaris brand, which has been a highly regarded leader in the safari sector for decades, we will tap into the growth potential of small-group safaris in the beautiful Great Plains of Tanzania and beyond," added Ben Bressler, Founder and President of Natural Habitat Adventures. "Since joining the Lindblad Expeditions family in 2016, Natural Habitat Adventures has continued to experience exceptional growth. Now, we are excited to welcome the incredibly talented Wineland-Thomson team members, plus past, present and future guests into our family."
Judi Wineland, co-founder of Wineland-Thomson, continued, "Rick and I have spent more than 40 years building a set of companies we can be truly proud of, so when it came to passing the baton, we had extremely high expectations. We knew we wanted our legacy to be honored and our values to be upheld. We knew it had to be a company that believed tourism must be an instrument for good, benefiting local communities, preserving the land and wildlife, and bringing guests closer to the natural world. We found the perfect match in Lindblad Expeditions and Natural Habitat. We are excited to see our companies reach even greater heights under their careful and caring stewardship."
