Photo: 123RF
Traditionally low-budget tourism company Jucy is eyeing growth in the premium market following its acquisition of the Star RV brand.
Jucy Group bought Star RV from Australia's Apollo Tourism & Leisure for $50 million, when it divested the brand as part of its merger with Tourism Holdings.
Jucy chief executive Dan Alpe said the merger of the two market leaders had opened a pathway for a strong challenger brand.
The company bought 310 Star motorhomes, and expected it to be rented at near full capacity during the upcoming peak tourism season.
"We have built Jucy to be the market leading brand in the youth sector over the past 21 years and given the strong international market interest in a rejuvenated Star RV, the acquisition is perfectly timed to expand our service offering to meet the requirements of this premium segment," Alpe said.
"This high-value tourism segment is primarily European or North American, aged 35-plus, move around Australia and NZ in a more structured way and are prepared to spend more for a premium product when they travel the countries."
Alpe said feedback from global wholesalers suggested there was a high level of demand for both the premium and youth markets, with a return to pre-pandemic volumes expected during 2023/24.
He was also expecting substantial investment into additional capacity across the Jucy and Star brands in the coming years and allow the company to double its annual revenue in the near term.
