BTA sponsor profile
Founded in 2011, Holiday Pirates is one of the fastest growing online travel companies in Europe. Originally created as a blog by German national Igor Simonow, who was a student at the time, the website was used by Igor to share the best travel deals he could find online. As a student, Igor travelled around the world for bargain prices and was passionate about sharing his insights with the world. In 2012 Igor joined Sebastian Kaatz to create the Holiday Pirates Group.
Today, Holiday Pirates boasts 4.5 million app downloads worldwide and over seven million Facebook likes. This is the first year the company has been a BTA sponsor.
Holiday Pirates CEO David Armstrong spoke to TravelMole.
How did you become aware of the opportunity to sponsor the BTAs?
We have been following the BTAs for a long time and it’s inspiring to see other brands flourish as a result of their BTA involvement, so we felt now was the perfect time for us to get involved, especially as we started putting a strong focus on the UK market this year.
What do you hope to get out of the sponsorship?
Of course we’re thrilled that a sponsorship is getting our name out there and raising brand awareness, but also we pride ourselves on being a reliable search tool for travel inspiration and we hope that comes across.
Do you think the association with the BTA’s will heighten the company’s profile in the industry and with consumers?
Absolutely. The UK is our second biggest market and everyone who follows the travel industry looks to the BTAs as a sort of seal of approval. We receive fantastic feedback from our customers on a daily basis and our association with the BTAs is a great way for us to affirm our status as a highly reliable service, a key player in the European travel industry and a leading platform for our B2B partners to promote their products extensively.
We understand sustainability in the community is something Holiday Pirates is passionate about. Please tell us about the World Parrot Trust?
In 2015 Holiday Pirates stepped up its involvement in the corporate social responsibility sector and committed itself to aiding in the protection of parrots – one of the most endangered bird families in the world – by beginning a co-operation with the World Parrot Trust, a non-profit organization for the safety and care of parrots. The heart of the collaboration initially focuses on protecting the Scarlet Macaw in Costa Rica, the species of parrot that is also the inspiration for the company’s logo.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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