Boat Booking Website Zizoo Launches in UK: Set to Revolutionise Sailing Holidays

Zizoo, the boat booking website, officially launches in the UK today, at the same time as uncovering a new long haul sailing collection which includes Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Thailand rental locations, perfect for Winter Sun holidays.

The site is set to revolutionise sailing holidays by totally digitalising the booking process, offering easy access to over 6000 boats in 30 countries worldwide. Prices start from just £25* per person per day.

To date, this sector of travel has been lagging behind other areas such as car rental and hotels, with the consumer finding it tricky to access flexible durations and real time availability for boat hire online. Zizoo now makes all this possible.

Destinations include popular European countries such as Croatia, Spain, Greece, France, Italy and Turkey as well Sweden, Norway, Channel Islands and even some inland locations. Today's announcement also sees the launch of a new long haul collection.

Vessels are available with or without crew for flexible durations (from one day) and include luxury catamarans, vintage gulets and sailboats, as well as motor and speedboats. All relevant insurances are included within the hire fee so all clients need to cover themselves are the mooring fees, which often vary depending on their chosen sailing itinerary. For example:

Canaries from £205pp for a week in November 2015

Set sail around the Canaires from Tenerife's Marina del Sur onboard a stylish nine berthBavaria 46 Cruiserhousingplush wooden-clad bedrooms and a modern kitchen/diner for a week from just £1,848 (£205pp based on nine sharing) in November 2015 - (based on 21 November departure).

Croatia from £250pp for a week in June 2016 for a Cat

Board the 10 berth Lagoon 380 Catamaran in Sangulin Marina to discover Croatia's stunning coastline, hidden islands and coves. A week in June will be priced from £2500 (£250pp based on 10 sharing) in June 2016 (04 June departure).

Or, from £1233pp for a week in June 2016 for a luxury Vintage Motorboat

Splash out on the vintage La Perla motorboat with a group of friends next Summer. Sleeping up to 26 people you will live like the jet set for £32,049 for a week's rental boarding at Split Marina (£1,233pp if you have 26 sharing) in June 2016.

More unusual options include a vintage James Bond'esque speed boatto wizz around the canals of Venice, or a fun BBQ 'Donut' motorboat on Berlin's Tegel Lake. A skipper can be added to any booking from between £100-£125 per day, or experienced sailors can crew the vessels themselves.

New Long Haul Collection

The new collection includes the BVIs, Martinique, Cuba, Phuket and the Seychelles with many more locations and options being added over the next few months. Opting for a sailing holiday often presents a value for money way of exploring these far flung destinations during the winter months, compared to hotel based options.

For example a week's rental of a ten berth Bavaria 45 sailboat, fromTortola, British Virgin Islands, is priced from just £3,694 (£369 per person based on 10 sharing) for a week in November 2015.

Or, choose the six berth Fountaine Pajot Mahe 36 catamaran, located in Mahe, the largest of the Seychelles islands. A week long rental in October is priced from just £1,426 (£238 per person based on six sharing).

How the idea was born

The site was first launched in beta to a mainland European audience last summer and is the brainchild of Anna Banicevic, ex Industry Head of Google Travel Sales in the UK.

Austrian born, Anna spent most of her formative years in the UK and Ireland, learning to sail off the West Coast of Ireland. Looking to rent a yacht for a group sailing holiday a few years ago, she soon realised that the boat rental industry was totally 'undigitalised'.

Spotting this gap in the market she gathered her team together, all talented individuals who had already cut their teeth working for other major online brands such as Expedia and Homexchange. What connected them all was their passion for sailing, and the new company was born.

Global Ambitions

Within just one year, Zizoo has established itself as the largest platform for boat bookings in the world with personalised content and a digital booking system. The aim is to add a further 4,000 boats by the end of the year, increasing to 60,000 by 2019. This means that Zizoo is well placed to capitalise on the sailing industry's expected growth (2014 valued at £35bn** and is expected to grow to a value of £50bn by 2020).

-Ends-

For more information on Zizoo and how to book a boating holiday call their free phone number on +44 800 151 0165 or visit www.zizoo.com

For media information contact Fiona Reece or Emma Harber at Fiona Reece PR: fiona@fionareece.com / emma@fionareece.com or 01242 806 804 / 07702 684 682

Notes to Editors:

About Zizoo - the concept

Zizoo is a boat booking service currently featuring 6000 vessels in 30 locations, with prices ranging from £150 to £10,000 per day.

*The lead in price of £25 per person per night is based on renting a three birth Beneteau Oceanis 37 from Porto Colom in Mallorca with eight people on board for travel in May 2016. A skipper can be added to this booking from £125 per day.

www.zizoo.com/boat-rentals/spain/mallorca/sailboat-beneteau-oceanis-37-2295?date_from=2016-05-21&date_to=2016-05-2

**Source - Reuters, Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015 – 2020www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/17/research-and-markets-idUSnBw175303a+100+BSW20150717

About Zizoo - the name

The background to the name Zizoo is explained by Anna; “We came up with the name from the character Steve Zissou, played by Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic film, inspired by the life of Jacques Cousteau. We felt it had the light hearted nautical connection we were looking for, yet is a totally unique and memorable name, vital for an online brand.”

***About Zizoo – the team

The 15 strong team with a headquarters in Vienna and offices in Berlin, and Zagreb, headed up by the founding team members which include:

Chief Executive Officer - Anna Banicevic – founder of Zizoo with a strong background in online travel having worked for Google for almost seven years as Industry Head of Google Travel Sales in the UK.

Chief Technical Officer - Ivan Miletic – the technical brain with a track record working for iDirect and Homexchange.

Chief Financial Officer - Sinan Masovic - with a strong financial background in investment banking and private equity.

The Zizoo Advisory Board

The heavyweight advisory board includes names as Robin Frewer, Director of Travel Europe for Google, George Balen, Cofounder of Homexchange.com, as well as a number of other UK and international entrepreneurs.

Zizoo - Funding

The company has been funded so far a combination of founders and investment from German publishing company Axel Springer PnP, Austrian State Development Fund for Innovations and a number of 'angel' investors from the digital, marine and finance industries. The company is already generating strong revenues, achieving 50% growth each month throughout 2015.