2015 PRESS & MEDIA KIT THE WORLD S LEADING STUDENT TRAVEL COMPANY

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1 2015 PRESS & MEDIA KIT THE WORLD S LEADING STUDENT TRAVEL COMPANY

2 love your life start over start now start the adventure JULY 2013

3 In 1979 two students returned from their travels newly cultured, slightly jetlagged and on the biggest high of their lives. Bright-eyed and inspired by their wanderlust, they founded STA Travel to help adventurous students explore a world beyond text books. The real world.

4 OUR VISION THE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO START THE ADVENTURE OUR VALUES PASSIONATE RESPONSIBLE EXPERTISE WORKING TOGETHER CUSTOMER OBSESSED

5 OUR STRATEGIC PILLARS CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT INNOVATION IN OUR PRODUCT FIX & PROTECT GROW VOLUMES LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY

6 OUR STORY Throughout the 80 s, STA Travel expanded its presence both locally and globally, extending services beyond the student market catering to travellers who are young at heart. Over 35 years later, the character of STA Travel remains the same. We believe that experiencing the world expands your mind and changes your thinking. Travel is the ultimate inspiration and we re here to help you Start The Adventure. Today you ll find us on-campus, the High Street, in shopping centres and if you can t get to us in person, we re a click or phone call away. Plus we re in the App Store so can book hotels or activities whilst you re away. Our customers want adventure travel and we ve partnered with some of the best brands on the planet to create awesome experiences. We work hard with our suppliers to ensure they offer exclusive product to us so we can make travel affordable and accessible. And our suppliers are handpicked to ensure they meet local and national safety standards. It s not just you we care about, we play our part in making the world a better place. We ve established the STA Travel Foundation that provides employee and customer funding to registered charities and community projects. We ve also developed voluntouring programs that allow our customers to contribute to community development program and education programs. STA Travel is passionate about changing the way people think about travel and in the process, making a positive impact on the lives of millions.

7 OUR STYLE Did you know that in Melbourne, Australia you get free tram travel all day and night across the city? We don t just book airfares, tours and accommodation, we give you genuine personality and local tips because most of our people have been to where you want to go. With over 200 stores across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, North America, UK and Central Europe, we re connected to keep our customers in know on developments across the world. And wherever you are in the world, you can reach us 24 hours a day, seven days a week on

8 1969 STUDENT TICKETS CREATED 1976 AUS TRAVEL WAS FOUNDED The precursor to the STA Travel you know and love, was known as AUS Travel WE OPEN IN KEY MARKETS including Singapore, USA, NZ, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand WE GO GLOBAL. Opening stores in Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa, Switzerland, Canada and Hong Kong. We establish our Asia division, which continues to thrive in Tokyo, Bangkok and Singapore UK LAUNCH ONLINE BOOKING ENGINE 2001 STA ACQUIRE SSR STA ACQUIRE BUNAC FIRST STA TRAVEL CLINIC OPENS IN THE UK ADD LAUNCHED 24/7 GLOBAL TRAVEL HELPDESK STA ACQUIRE IEP 2015 LAUNCHED BACKPACKER STA ACQUIRE INTERNATIONAL RAIL 1953 ISIC IS FORMED The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is founded STA TRAVEL IS BORN Following a quick round of paperwork, the young company was acquired by Diethelm Keller, a family company based in Switzerland STA ACQUIRE ÖKISTA 1985 STA TURNOVER REACHES US$60M 1995 STA TURNOVER REACHES US$340M WITH 120 BRANCHES GOES LIVE 2006 GLOBAL WEBSITES ARE LAUNCHED ACROSS DIVISIONS 2010 Major retail expansion in Germany New Zealand hit $28m in gross sales. WE OPEN BRIDGE THE WORLD. WE ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES Partnership with NFP Planeterra was formed, offering over 90 volunteer projects from 5 days to 6 months, working with children, communities, animals and conservation TURNOVER REACHES $1.2BN STA TRAVEL APP LAUNCHED STA TRAVEL FACEBOOK GROWS TO 800K #STATRAVELCARES LAUNCHED ON TWITTER

9 2015 stats STA Travel is the world s leading student and youth tour operator for year olds. Established over 35 years ago spanning a total of 60 countries worldwide (11 fully Employ 1,850 staff. Own 220 stores worldwide. Database of 8m customers Global distribution of destination brochures total 1,188,700. owned). Total online website visitors 32m per year. Raised over USD150K for our Corporate Social Responsibility programs. We re serious about Animal Welfare and don t sell these tours! Has a turnover of US$1.2BN Social media following of 1 million Your safety is important to us, that why all products we sell go through our safety audit Sends 2 million passengers globally. Worldwide blog 100k visits per week. Privately owned by Diethelm Keller Holding Ltd. 1,500 global sales staff, expertly trained.

10 STA TRAVEL OWNED RETAIL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK UK, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND, GERMANY & FRANCE CHINA JAPAN USA SOUTH AFRICA SINGAPORE & THAILAND AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

11 STA TRAVEL FRANCHISE & PARTNERSHIP DISTRIBUTION NETWORK ARGENTINA HUNGARY NEPAL SRI LANKA AZERBAIJAN KOREA NETHERLANDS SWEDEN BAHRAIN INDIA NIGERIA SYRIA BRAZIL INDONESIA NORWAY TAIWAN BRUNEI ISRAEL PAKISTAN TANZANIA COLOMBIA JORDAN PERU UGANDA CROATIA KENYA PORTUGAL UAE CZECH REP. KUWAIT QATAR VENEZUELA DENMARK LEBANON RUSSIA VIETNAM FINLAND MALAYSIA SLOVAKIA ZIMBABWE GEORGIA MALTA SLOVENIA GHANA MAURITIUS SOUTH SUDAN

12 THE STA TRAVEL FOUNDATION Responsible tourism is at the heart of what we do, and our Foundation is something we re super proud of. It allows us to use all our existing resources, expertise and experience to make sure every penny goes towards our chosen causes around the world. It s a registered charity, so you can be sure that everything you donate goes right to the people who need it most. We focus on a number of different projects throughout the year, including conservation, clean water, projects with children and medical centres. Follow us on Twitter for the latest news and check out our Facebook to find out what we re up to right now. To donate, ask one of our Travel Experts or visit statravelfoundation.org

13 CORE PRODUCTS & SERVICES EXCLUSIVE TICKETS Competitive airfares Flexible terms and conditions Price beat guarantee Group travel Business Travel BlueTicket - exclusive for student and youth LIVE ABROAD RESOURCES Study abroad Au pair Teach english BUNAC ACCESS TO PRODUCTS Tours Accommodations Work abroad Volunteer programs Spring break DISCOUNT TRAVEL ACCESS CARDS International Student (ISIC) Youth Travel (IYTC) Teacher (ITIC) AIRFARE DEPOSIT PROGRAM $49 non-refundable deposit option on select international flights and airlines. Plus, pay final balance one week before departure! RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL We dream big and think local, supporting the communities we visit through the STA Travel Foundation and partnering with the Born Free Foundation on a pioneering animal welfare policy.

14 AIRFARE DEPOSIT PROGRAM Don t have the funds for your ticket just yet, but don t want to risk paying for expensive last minute airfare? The STA Travel Airfare Deposit Program allows you to take advantage of our flexible and affordable exclusive STA Travel tickets. With just a $49* non-refundable deposit, you can lock in the price of your ticket, with the freedom to pay for your flight just seven days before your trip. This program is available to all customers traveling on applicable STA Travel exclusive deal airfare, including many of our student, youth and teacher fares. *Applies to select international flights and airlines. Other fares and routes may require a $300 deposit, per our standard Book Now, Pay Later program.

15 GROUP TRAVEL BOOKINGS It s simple: we are the experts. As travelers like you, we re lucky enough to have been round the block a few times. When it comes to group travel, it s better to make things personal, and our group travel experts are ready to start planning your next adventure. Each of our experts are able to create experiences that enable travelers to have epic adventures in our incredible world. We strive to get students, recent grads and teachers exclusive travel discounts on flights, hotels, tours and more. All of our program participants receive a dedicated Group Logistics Specialist who has the knowledge, experience, and partners necessary to negotiate exclusive fares directly with airlines and product operators to meet your group s needs. Inform your specialist if you have any destination requests and let them do the rest. Stop wondering and start wandering!

16 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT IDENTITY CARD Everybody loves a discount. With an ISIC discount card, access over 177,000 benefits worldwide. If you re a student, under 31 years old or a teacher, grab a discount card and get access to annual travel insurance and to over 40,000 international and domestic discounts including airfare, accommodations, tours, shopping, dining and entertainment. You can get your hands on an ISIC card if you re a full-time student at school, college, language school or university. There s no maximum age limit, but the minimum age is 13 years. Full-time means 12 weeks or more of study during one academic year.

17 WORK & TRAVEL ABROAD WITH BUNAC Established in 1962, BUNAC is today recognized as a specialist in overseas work, travel and volunteer program with opportunities available in every continent. Participants can take part in a BUNAC program during a gap year, summer holidays, after graduation or as a career break. Flexible work and travel program in Canada, USA, Australia, and New Zealand will help young people to gain independence, more confidence and international work experience. BUNAC s wide range of volunteering and teaching placements in Africa, South and North America and Asia offer the chance to make a difference.

18 ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY Animal welfare is important to STA Travel, our staff and our customers. We want to help protect animals from exploitation, neglect and cruelty and we expect our suppliers to share these sentiments. If attractions that we offer to our customers are not meeting recognized standards of animal welfare, or involve unacceptable suffering, we will work with the supplier concerned to improve things, or remove the attraction from sale. STA Travel works with ABTA (The Travel Association), and regularly refers to their Global Welfare Guidance for Animals in Tourism which apply a series of minimum requirements to ensure animals involved in the attractions we promote are properly cared for. STA Travel is privileged to partner with international wildlife charity, The Born Free Foundation to adopt a pioneering animal welfare policy. Setting an industry-wide benchmark for safeguarding the wellbeing of animals, our aim is to eliminate practices that have a negative impact on animals or threaten the protection and preservation of species in the wild. Determined to raise awareness and encourage the wider travel industry to uphold higher standards, the Travelers Animal Alert initiative allows customers to report any animal welfare breaches when travelling.

19 TRAVEL PARTNERS STA Travel provides privileged access to the most sought-after travel products and experiences through our partnerships across numerous lifestyle and student travel categories. We provide exclusive sales to some of the most exciting places in the world leading to consistently exciting experiences for our community and our partners. We also work to provide resources that underscore our commitment to meaningful international experiences, as well as improving accessibility to global opportunities. Partners include the following: Major Airlines Tourism Boards National Retail Stores International Education Organizations

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