Ambitious Adriatic tour operator opens first office in UK to bring a fresh new travel business to the sector.
This summer, Happy Tours Ltd. opened an office in the London borough of Greenwich, becoming the only Slovenian destination specialist with a base in the UK. Not only does this opening help to establish and develop inbound package holidays to Slovenia, and further in the Balkan region, but also help support the head office’s contracting team for package holidays to Western Europe.
Happy Tours is a Slovenian B2B company founded in October 2000. Initially a family business with strong ties to the tourism industry, it gradually evolved into the second largest tour operator in the Balkans. Today the company employs 40 skilled staff in the Slovenian headquarters alone, with further multinational operational offices spread from Dubrovnik, Pula and Athens, to numerous sales offices in Asia (Bangkok, Kota Kinabalu and Shanghai).
Their main products range from classical Summer packages (from the Slovenian Alps to the Croatian seaside), city breaks (including Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Zagreb and Belgrade), special interest products, Incentives, Winter and ski packages, spa products, as well as sport preparations, music and choir arrangements, etc.
Happy Tours is a full member of ETOA and UK Inbound, and is a regular partner of Slovenian Tourist Board, as well as other regional tourist boards. Each year, the company manage around one thousand tours for some 30,000 guests. While their main markets are predominantly from Asia and North America, they are now looking to create a stronger foothold within the growing UK market.
The founder of Happy Tours and CEO of Happy Tours UK Ltd, Mr Saso Krumpak said: “The decision to open an office here in London has been based on the fact that UK, as the fifth biggest outbound market, has great potential and the solid growth in recent years is a clear indication of that.
As the only real destination specialist from Slovenia or Croatia to have a permanent office in UK, we believe we can partner with the outbound industry to serve the right packages and itineraries. We would also like to welcome the opportunity to share and design future partnerships within our field of business, which already welcomes a growing number of British and North American tourists every year.”
Tine Murn, the Slovenian Tourist Board’s representative in London, welcomed the arrival of Happy Tours to the UK: “I believe that Slovenia and the region are becoming increasingly popular with British holidaymakers looking for a new and exciting European destination reachable in just two hours. With continued growth of tourist arrivals and overnights (a 20% increase on last year) and increased awareness, we can expect more tour operators and airlines to acknowledge our diverse tourist offer. Happy Tours opening an office in London means that we now have the first true destination specialist for Slovenia and the Balkans in the UK.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
