Lindblad Expedition Holdings has acquired
control of Natural Habitat, a Boulder, Colo.-based operator of adventure
travel and ecotourism vacations.
Lindblad will acquire an 80.1% stake in the company,
with its founder and president Ben Bressler retaining the balance of the
shares. Lindblad paid $20 million for the stake.
Bressler will continue as president of the company, which offers polar bear tours in Churchill, Canada;
Alaskan grizzly bear adventures; small-group Galapagos tours; and African
safaris among other excursions.
“I’ve known and interacted with Natural Habitat and
its president, Ben Bressler, for over a decade,” Lindblad president Sven-Olaf
Lindblad said. "Knowing our travel audience has diverse interests beyond
seagoing expeditions, Natural Habitat offers a perfect complement on land to
what we do with ships."
Lindblad said it
expects to market its ship-based trips to Natural Habitat’s customer database
while marketing Natural Habitat’s offerings to its own customers.
Last year, Natural Habitat had a profit of $1.5 million on
revenue of $41 million, said Lindblad.