FORMER Thomson Holidays managing director Charles Newbold has helped raise $6m to upgrade his on-line ski site Iglu.com.
Venture capitalists Geocapital Partners backed the Internet ski travel service to the tune of $4m and Newbold and other entrepreneurs raised the remaining $2m.
Newbold, who is chairman of Iglu.com, said the money will help to improve the site.
“It is very important that the Web site is consistently developing so that there is something new and interesting for the user to look at which makes him or her keep going back,” he said.
“We have got a long list of developments we plan to bring out and we will bring at least one new feature out a month.”
New features include better maps, more destination photography and up-to-date information such as a service which allows users to look at a destination in real-time to see if it is snowing.
Newbold added:”It makes the site more interesting and more fun to look at.”
Iglu.com was launched last year in a pilot scheme.It has since achieved 500 on-line bookings and Newbold expects 10,000 new bookings in the next one to two years.
He said:”I am always a bit suspicious of figures about the Internet but recent statistics show 70% of skiers are buying on-line.
“The ski market is particularly suited to the Internet because skiers are generally young, male, affluent and computer literate, exactly the people that are currently using the Internet.”
He said Iglu.com may expand into offering other types of holiday which would be of interest to skiers, such as diving and adventure holidays.
But he warned:”Too many travel companies are riding on the bandwagon of the Internet and are not offering anything special. Most sites seem to want to be absolutely everything to everybody, offering any sort of holiday and any sort of travel product.
“Their site is exactly the same as everyone else’s and they are all competing for the same customers.”
IGLU.com
What is it? an on-line travel agency and information site for skiers and snow-boarders.
Launched: autumn 1998, offering holidays for 1999.
Number of bookings taken on-line: 500 in the first year. A figure of 10,000 is expected within the next one to two years.
Holidays on offer: more than 1m holidays from a database of 12,000 ski chalets and apartments in 300 resorts across 20 countries. Users can also buy ski and snowboard insurance, equipment hire, ski passes and arrange for child-care on-line.
Information available: up-to-the minute information on any destination, including weather reports and ski conditions. Tips such as busy times in resort, driving hints and favourite resorts.
Other features: users who register receive a regular newsletter by e-mail. A bulletin board provides details of job opportunities and equipment exchange.
Web site address: www.iglu.com