There is a couple in Wisconsin with a niche business of arranging land excursions for people on cruises. While cruises have offered land excursions for years, the company Shoretrips offers a cheaper, more genuine experience for passengers, apparently. The founders have been in the travel industry for years so they know the ins and outs of the areas they service. Customers mainly come to Shore Trips via travel agents, who are paid commissions for every person they book. Founders Barry and Julie Karp believe they currently have about 1.5% of the cruise ship tour business, so there is much room for expansion. The company is growing by leaps and bounds since they started in 2001. Last year they booked 100,000 passengers, and revenue was $7.5 million. They are currently offering excursions in the Carribean, Alaska, the Mediterranean, and the Baltic, among others. Sign me up!
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Building this business has been a terrific experience. While we knew there was a need for organized, insured and passionate tours that took smaller numbers of passengers, we never realized the value we could be for the operators. These great guides and small operators have no way of exposing their quality, especially as anyone can have a website today. So we have made friends all over the world. Also, as we explore each destination before offering it, we are able to answer crazy questions like number of steps or which museum is better. It has been exciting and very rewarding.
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