Tourism Holdings Limited usually called thl and formerly known as ''The Helicopter Line'' is a large New Zealand

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

company that has been listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange since 1986. The company began as a scenic helicopter flightseeing business and quickly grew by acquiring new businesses and diversifying. The ''thl'' business is now much different from its early years - in 2007 an extensive asset sale programme began followed by various mergers and acquisitions in 2010–2012. It is now the largest provider of holiday vehicles for rent and sale in Australia and New Zealand.

Sale of assets

In 2007, ''thl'' began to sell off a number of its business units including: * Milford Sound Red Boat

* Kelly Tarltons Antarctic Encounter & Underwater Worl

* Great Sights New Zealand and Fullers Bay of Island

initially by way of joint venture, which ''thl'' exited from * Johnstons Coachlines, initially by way of joint venture, which ''thl'' subsequently exited from * Its Wholesale Packaging unit As some of these businesses were sold midway through the ''thl'' 2009 financial year, they are referred to as discontinued operations.

2009 financial results

On 26 August 2009, ''thl'' announced it had achieved a net profit of $2.9 million in the year ended 30 June. This was a substantial decline on the previous year when a $14.3 million profit had been achieved. ''thl'' noted that discontinued operations had made a small profit however continuing operations had made a loss.

2014 financial results

On 25 August 2014, ''thl'' announced a successful turnaround in the company's profitability and outlook with 192% increase in Net Profit After Tax of $11.1 million and gross annual dividend of 11 cents in calendar year 2014. A further 35% increase in forecast NPAT for FY15 of at least 15 million was also announced.

New chief executive

During the 2009 financial year, CEO Trevor Hall resigned from ''thl''. He was replaced by Grant Webste

2012 New Zealand rental business merger

In September 2012, plans began to merge ''thl'' with two other major New Zealand campervan rental companies: United Vehicle Rentals and Kea Campervans. The proposed merger was a result of falling visitor numbers from key markets in Europe such as Germany, The Netherlands and the UK, as well as the strengthened

New Zealand dollar The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New ...

making New Zealand a more expensive destination. Combining the three businesses would lower overall operating costs and make it the most ''“logical, strategic and best response to the challenging realities facing the New Zealand campervan market”''. On 19 October 2012 this merger was approved at a special ''thl'' shareholders meeting, effective 1 November 2012.

El Monte Rents Acquisition

In December 2016, it was reported that Tourism Holdings would acquire US-based recreational vehicle hire company, El Monte Rents, for $65.3 million USD. The deal will be funded through debt from existing lenders and 3.4 million shares in Tourism Holdings. The acquisition provides Tourism Holdings with the second-largest market share, behind Cruise America, in the US recreational vehicle rental market with 28; whilst Cruise America holds 52%. The

New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

noted that the acquisition provided Tourism Holdings with the perfect opportunity to remodel its US operations to resemble its New Zealand and Australian Businesses.

THL businesses

Rentals Group:

Rental car Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for a ...

s and

campervan A camper van, also referred to as a camper, caravanette, motor caravan or RV (recreational vehicle) in North America, is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. The term describes vans that have been fitt ...

s operations under the following brands: * Maui: Maui has operated in New Zealand for nearly 25 years. Expansion into Australia in the early 1990s saw the fleet increase to meet the needs of their international and domestic customer base. Maui's motorhomes range in size from two to six berths and they also rent cars and four wheel drive vehicles. Maui's slogan is 'spirit of independence'. * Britz: Britz is one of the market leaders in Australia with a slogan of 'no boundaries'. Customers can select a two, four or six berth campervan and a modern rental car fleet is also available in both New Zealand and Australia. * Mighty: In mid-2012 the Backpacker and Explore More campervan brands were combined and relaunched as Mighty, aimed to appeal directly to the lower-cost and youth market segments. *Mighway Launched in November 2015, Mighway is a peer to peer motorhome rental platform operating in New Zealand, self-styled as the 'AirBNB' of motorhomes. * Road Bear: In December 2010 ''thl'' purchased Road Bear, a

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper ...

(RV) rentals business in the United States based in Los Angeles, with other depots in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, New York and Orlando. * Kea Campers Australia: In June 2012 ''thl'' announced the acquisition of the Australian operations of Kea Campers, purchased from Kea Campers New Zealand. Kea offers luxury motorhomes targeted at the high end European traveller. * United Vehicle Rentals and KEA Campers New Zealand: In November 2012 two of New Zealand's larger motorhome companies United and KEA merged into the ''thl'' group. United operates United Campervans, a premium fleet of automatic Mercedes-Benz vehicles and Alpha Campervans, a secondary fleet. KEA Campers has a fleet of luxury vehicles aimed at the high-end, European traveller. CI Munro (Caravans International Munro): Manufacturer of motor homes, campervans, caravans and other special purpose vehicles for operators such as Pacific Horizon and thl's own Rentals Group. Located in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

but supplying both the New Zealand and Australian markets.; Kiwi Experience bus tour company logo

Tourism Operations: Owns and manages the youth and backpacker orientated bus Kiwi Experience. THL also operates tours of Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Ruakuri Cave and Aranui Cave, as well as Black Water Rafting tours in New Zealand's

Waitomo Waitomo is a rural community in the King Country region of New Zealand's North Island. There are several solutional cave systems in the area around the village, which are popular tourist attractions. Restaurants and accommodation are centred i ...

region."''thl'' Businesses" o
thlonline.com
THL company website