The owners and operators of PlanetWildlife.com, a leading provider of diverse wildlife travel and tours around the world, have announced plans to expand its sphere of international operation and is currently inviting expressions of interest from like-minded operations in the UK and other key markets in Europe, Australia, Asia and the US.  The company is interested to acquire well-established operators in a similar market segment (wildlife/adventure tours) with extensive distribution systems in place and catering to the middle and luxury sectors of the market.  Launched simultaneously in Sweden and India just over a year ago, PlanetWildlife has already established sales and/or representation offices in the UK, Australia, China and soon will have a presence in USA. 

According to Nick Ladd, Director of PlanetWildlife UK, "although we're a young company, we've already established a strategic network of sales and representation offices all over the world and offer a stunning selection of tailored wildlife itineraries in India, Africa, South America and the polar regions.  But we recognise that we would benefit from amalgamation with established operations in these key markets who can help us with sales distribution and rapid market penetration.  We have an impressive product and we know that there are strong niche markets in the USA, the UK, Australia, Asia and in selected key European counties such as Germany.  It makes sense for us to seek out and incorporate respected operations which already have a strong presence in these markets. In return, we can offer a wide range of ready-made wildlife itineraries  -  including the imminent launch of exciting new China programmes, both inbound and outbound."

The market size of wildlife tourism globally has been estimated by the UNWTO (United Nations World Travel Organisation) at US$22 billion and growing at 7 per cent year-on-year, ('Tourism Highlights - 2010 edition' published by UNWTO).  Half of international tourism expenditure is typically on leisure and recreation of which approximately 5 per cent is currently from the wildlife travel segment.

For further information, please visit www.planetwildlife.com or contact a PlanetWildlife office (listed on the website).  PlanetWildlife is as a leading international provider of diverse wildlife and safari tours with over 300 creative itineraries in 26 countries around the world catering to a wide range of interests and budgets. 

####

About PlanetWildlife:

PlanetWildlife is an international travel company based in India with sales offices in UK, India, Australia, Hong Kong  and Sweden. It is backed by highly successful entrepreneurs and managed by a professional team who are passionate about wildlife and have been involved in a variety of nature conservation activities over the years.  The www.PlanetWildlife.com website features over 300 itineraries to Africa, India, and South America comprising a diverse range of photography safaris, hiking expeditions and bird-watching adventures, including ocean cruises to the Arctic and Antarctica.

Most tours offer daily departure dates and each is well-organised, competitively priced, environmentally responsible and tailored to suit the requirements of group or individual travellers. In all instances they are led by highly qualified and experienced leaders.  Respected travel industry professionals and wildlife experts work in consultation with PlanetWildlife and are  instrumental in designing each themed itinerary   Via the website, a comprehensive and continuously expanding reference library on species and destinations is readily accessible and is regularly updated to ensure its usefulness to travellers, students, wildlife enthusiasts and bloggers.

PlanetWildlife is committed to responsible tourism, and in particular:   minimising negative environmental impact; contributing to the conservation of natural and cultural heritages and embracing diversity;  providing rewarding experiences for visitors through meaningful interaction with  local communities to the economic benefit of those communities;  and promoting a greater understanding and respect for local cultural, social and environmental issues.  It is part of PlanetWildlife's corporate policy to fund selected awareness drives and wildlife conservation programmes and welcomes suggestions from the public in this regard.