Lowestfare.com Books Vacation Firm

Online travel firm Lowestfare.com will add packaged tours to its list of available services as a result of Wednesday’s acquisition of Maupintour, a privately-held tour company.

Maupintour, a division of Global Leisure, Inc., operates more than 150 tours in 50 different countries and 35 states. Special-interest products include MaupinTrek — action-oriented
tours that encompass such activities as whitewater rafting, mountain biking
and safari camping; as well as MaupinWaterways — leisurely, independent river and
canal hotel-barge and small-ship vacations.

It will be integrated into Lowestfare’s proprietary services. No financial terms were disclosed.

“We recognized that Maupintour’s product line is so varied that it can readily complement and extend the Lowestfare.com offerings to our customers,” said Ken Swanton, CEO of Lowestfare.com. “The acquisition helps deliver on our goal to provide a one-stop vacation planning source that
meets our customers’ needs.”

Swanton specifically said that the combine company will work with travel agencies, a large portion of Maupintour’s business, to offer comprehensive services.

“As a leader in this industry that is extremely focused on value and customer service, we will work to help redefine the agency relationship in this market segment,” Swanton said.