A Denbighshire adventure tours business is looking forward to better times ahead having secured a significant angel investment from Angels Invest Wales’ investors.
Established in August 2018 by Claire Copeman and Jim Gaffney, Adventure Tours UK offers scheduled and tailor-made adventure holidays of a lifetime in Wales. As the only inbound adventure tour operator in Wales, the duo craft hiking, trail running, mountain biking, canoeing, wellness breaks and multi activity holidays in unforgettable locations including North East Wales, Snowdonia and Anglesey.
Angel investors John and Michaela McDonald will now help to grow the business post Covid-19. With their respective backgrounds in technology and financial services, the North Wales based couple manage a range of business interests, including a property development company and a management consultancy business. Commenting on the investment, they said: “This is our first venture into the travel sector and we are really excited about the possibilities. The Adventure Tours UK team have pulled together a quality offering to address a clear gap in the market, and we have every confidence in their ability to access new customers and scale up operations as we emerge from lockdown."
Co-founder Claire Copeman said: “We curate the perfect adventures, whether you’re a solo traveller looking to join a small group experience, a couple seeking epic adventures together or a family on your own tailor-made journey of discovery. For corporate groups we create incentive trips, team-building weekends, charity events, out-of-conference experiences and product launches in unforgettable locations.
“Responsible tourism is at the heart of everything we do. Nobody could have foreseen the huge impact that Covid-19 is having on the tourism sector but we remain absolutely focussed on our strategy to scale-up and come out stronger than ever before in 2021.
“The support of Angels Invest Wales and John and Michaela as our investors will have a huge impact; safeguarding and creating new jobs, funding crucial marketing activity post Covid and helping us to promote just how special our offer is to a global travel trade market as Wales reopens.”
Laura James-Mowbray is a Regional Manager for Angels Invest Wales. She added: “Adventure Tours UK set out to be a truly scalable business from day one. This investment is a significant boost for international Welsh tourism. Completing this deal in the midst of the current COVID-19 crisis, which has had a significant impact on the travel industry, is testament to the strength and resilience of Adventure Tours UK’s business plan and the belief of the Investors in Claire and Jim as the co-founders. We’re sure they are going to do brilliantly now that it is safe for visitors to return to Wales.”
Established in 2017, Angels Invest Wales (AIW) is Wales leading angel investment network and an integral part of Development Bank of Wales. AIW has over 200 registered Business Angels in a wide ranging network that seeks to provide private investment for growing and start-up businesses in Wales.
Adventure Tours UK won the Tourism and Leisure Start-up of the Year award at the Wales Start-Up Awards 2019.
