Exciting Channel Islands marine business for sale

The opportunity to purchase one of the most successful tourist adventure businesses in the Channel Islands.

If you are considering expanding and developing your business you couldn’t do better. Island RIB Voyages is the most successful activities and tours operator in Guernsey. Our boats appear in almost every promotion for the island.

The company operates two RIBs and provides mainly eco-tours and local history rides. Experiences range from the Herm Explorer Wildlife Voyage, which visits a seal colony and goes puffin spotting, to the Sark Coast and Caves Experience where we take the boat inside three Sark caves. On the Hanois Lighthouse Adventure guests learn a lot of the rich maritime history of the island.

The company is listed by TripAdvisor as no. 1 of 17 tours in St Peter Port, with almost exclusively five-star reviews, and was awarded their prestigious Travellers’ Choice Award for 2021, 2022 and 2023.

We have an extensive and imaginative marketing programme.

All licences and approvals are in place to allow the company’s vessels to operate anywhere within the Channel Islands.

Maintenance programmes are rigidly adhered to so that in recent years there has been no down-time due to mechanical problems.

Business is essentially seasonal and we offer scheduled services between Easter and early October each year. We are available for private and corporate charter throughout the year.

Income roughly breaks down as -

Locals           40%

Visitors         60%

Cruise ships 7%

Sales may be –

1. Purchase of tickets for our scheduled experiences, always on-line and prepaid
2. Corporate and private charter. We have been working to develop this side of the business and this now accounts for some 25% of total sales. Charter is one of the best opportunities for growth. A separate marketing programme and brochure are aimed each year at the corporate market. We also do popular children’s parties.
3. Cruise ships - Guernsey is fortunate in being a popular destination for cruise ships. Upwards of 100,000 cruise passengers visit the island each year. Having worked with excursion agents for many years we have valuable bookings every year.

All sales are online – we have no physical sales outlet

We have carried over 6,400 passengers in 2022 and the pattern is similar for the current year..

With a choice of experiences many guests have opted to repeat their experience with one of our other products, encouraged by a voucher promotion.

Our philosophy is that we are in the hospitality business first and a boat operator second and this is reflected in the broad smiles every passenger disembarks with.

Additional points

·                 The ownership of a Guernsey business can potentially confer substantial tax benefits to a group with multiple businesses.

·                 No corporate tax in Guernsey

·                 No VAT in Guernsey

·                 No Capital Gains Tax

·                 Wealthy population looking for outdoor activities

·                 Wealthy finance industry creating demand for corporate adventures

·                 We have a close working relationship with VisitGuernsey the island’s tourism promotion body

·                 Sophisticated marketing programme includes discount structures, free trips for hotel staff, gift vouchers, repeat trip promotion.

·                 Ongoing charity support programme

·                 Regular mailshots to 3,000+ customers

·                 Regular Facebook posts

·                 £13,000 of gift vouchers sold in last 12 month period

·                 Corporate entries on LinkedIn, Instagram and Google My Business

·                 Website constantly reviewed and updated

·                 Working with wildlife, our environmental credentials are impeccable. We work with several wildlife organisations.

·                 Links maintained with many local information apps and sites