San Francisco’s Hornblower Group has snapped up Australian travel company Journey Beyond, in a $600 million sale.
Journey Beyond is the parent company of brands and products including The Ghan and Indian Pacific, Cruise Whitsundays, Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef (a member of the Luxury Lodges of Australia), Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, Outback Spirit, Rottnest Express and Cruise Whitsunday.
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According to the Australia Financial Review, the appeal to Hornblower Group is Journey Beyond’s interconnected rail services and luxury coaches which will provide an end-to-end network across the country.
Hornblower Group owns a bounty of tourist attractions, experiences and transportation brands across the United States, split under two divisions – City Experiences and American Queen Voyages. Its portfolio spans city cruises in Niagara Falls, New York and San Francisco, to cruising brands such including American Steam Boat Company and Victory Cruise Lines.
While based out of San Francisco, the company also has offices in Boston, Chicago, New York, New Albany, Ontario (Canada) and London (UK).
The deal, which was understood to have been announced to Journey Beyond’s staff this week, is expected to be finalised by the end of February 2022. The AFR reports the Australian business will remain headquartered in Adelaide.
“Hornblower is extremely optimistic about the tourism industry and the rebound ahead, one in which Australian tourism is seen as both resilient and highly desirable,” Hornblower Group said.
Through the acquisition of Journey Beyond, Hornblower will have “the unique opportunity to leverage its unmatched technology and marketing expertise to further develop and deliver incredible tourism experiences in iconic locations in Australia and around the world”.
Meanwhile, Journey Beyond is taking pre-registrations for its 2023 journeys aboard The Ghan, Indian Pacific, Great Southern and The Overland. Interested guests are encouraged to sign-up here.
Lead image: The Ghan | Source: Facebook/Journey Beyond Rail