OLIMAR

What OLIMAR does

OLIMAR Reisen Vertriebs GmbH is a privately held German tour operator headquartered in Cologne that has specialized in package holidays to Portugal and Southern Europe since 1972. The company generates revenue by aggregating flights, hotels, car rentals, transfers, travel insurance, and curated experiences (round trips, cruises, active travel, culinary tours, island hopping, bus and rail journeys, surf courses) sourced from a network of supplier partnerships that includes heritage Portuguese hotel collections (Pousadas de Portugal, Solares de Portugal) and major chains (Pestana, Tivoli, Vila Galé, Grecotel). Customers are predominantly German-speaking leisure travelers across the DACH region, with segments ranging from families and experiential travelers to luxury and active-travel personas.

Distribution is built around a self-serve booking website (olimar.de), a phone-based personal-consultation team, email inquiry channels, and printed and digital catalogs. Marketing combines the Sonnenseiten content blog, a Mailchimp-powered email newsletter, paid Google Ads and remarketing, social media across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter, and the meinOLIMAR customer portal. Revenue mechanics are transaction-based: commissions on hotel bookings, margins on package holidays, affiliate referral income on car rentals, and ancillary fees from services such as the OLIMAR Flex Fee flexible-booking option introduced in 2024. Sustainability credentials (TourCert certification, FAIRWEG hotel ratings, KlimaLink founding membership) and long-standing DRV board membership position OLIMAR within the regulated German package-travel framework.

The technology estate is conventional and consumer-facing rather than proprietary: no public API, no mobile app, and AI/ML capabilities are not disclosed. Stake in growth reflects a 50-year-old, founder-controlled specialty operator incrementally broadening its Southern Europe footprint through new destination coverage (Sicily magazine, Azores and Porto Santo extensions, Santorini and Mykonos additions) rather than expansion into new customer segments or geographies outside the DACH region.

Name

OLIMAR

Legal name

OLIMAR Reisen Vertriebs GmbH

Website

https://olimar.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OLIMAR Reisen is a Cologne-based, privately held German tour operator founded in 1972 that specializes in package holidays, hotels, car rentals, and curated experiences primarily to Portugal and Southern Europe for German-speaking leisure travelers in the DACH market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tour Operator Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (561510), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (48711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Destination-Specific Custom Itinerary Specialists (THAKAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic/In-Country Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAL), Bespoke Multi-Day Itinerary Planning & Custom Tour Design (THAJALAB)

Keywords

• Package holidays
• Portugal tours
• Hotel bookings
• Guided tours
• Car rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Package Holidays (Flug + Hotel): OLIMAR generates revenue through bundled travel packages combining flights and hotel accommodations, representing their core business offering. Customers can book complete package holidays to Portugal and Southern Europe destinations.
2. Hotel Bookings: Commission-based revenue from hotel reservations across their portfolio of partner properties including luxury hotels, sustainable accommodations, and special lodging options in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Cape Verde.
3. Car Rental: Revenue from car rental partnerships, with many packages including complimentary or discounted car rental options.
4. Travel Services: Additional revenue streams from travel insurance, transfers, rail & fly tickets, and excursion bookings.
5. Catalog and Newsletter Marketing: Revenue indirectly generated through catalog distribution and email marketing campaigns to maintain customer engagement and drive bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OLIMAR is a German tour operator specializing in package holidays, hotel-only bookings, car rentals, and curated travel experiences (round trips, cruises, active travel, excursions, group travel) primarily to Portugal and Southern Europe. The company curates personally selected accommodations including luxury, sustainable, and heritage properties, and serves German-speaking leisure travelers through direct booking channels and personal consultation.

Product overview

OLIMAR is a German travel specialist offering a comprehensive portfolio of travel products centered around Portugal and Southern Europe. The core offering consists of package holidays combining flights and hotels, hotel-only bookings, car rentals, and round trips/experiences. The company provides diverse travel types including cruises, active travel (cycling, hiking, golf), culinary tours, island hopping, bus tours, and rail travel. Supporting services include transfers, travel insurance, and the OLIMAR Flex Fee for flexible cancellation. The company operates a digital ecosystem including the Sonnenseiten blog magazine, downloadable catalogs, email newsletters, and the meinOLIMAR customer portal. OLIMAR positions itself as the #1 specialist for Portugal travel since 1972, with particular expertise in destinations across Portugal (Algarve, Madeira, Azores), Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Cape Verde.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pauschalreisen (Package Holidays) Complete travel packages combining flights and hotels to Portugal and Southern Europe destinations, with prices varying by destination, season, and hotel category. Available with options including Flex Fee for flexible cancellation.
• Nur Hotel (Hotel-Only Bookings) Standalone hotel reservations for customers arranging their own transportation, with options for various meal plans including All Inclusive, Breakfast, Half Board, and Full Board across partner properties.
• Mietwagen (Car Rental) Car rental services in Portugal and worldwide destinations, often included as complimentary or discounted option in package travel deals, with standalone rentals also available.
• Erlebnisreisen (Experience Tours) Round trips and guided experiences across Portugal, Azores, Madeira, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Cape Verde, including exclusive small-group experiences.
• Kreuzfahrten (Cruises) Cruise packages included in the OLIMAR travel program across Southern Europe and Portuguese destinations.
• Aktivurlaub (Active Travel) Activity-focused travel including cycling tours (Radreisen), hiking tours (Wanderreisen), and golf trips (Golfreisen) across Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Greece.
• Ausflüge (Excursions) Guided tours and activities at destinations including Madeira, Porto Santo, Alentejo, Porto, Lisbon, Algarve, Azores, and Cape Verde, plus surf courses on Lisbon coasts.
• Gruppenreisen (Group Travel) Organized group travel packages for coordinated trips to Portugal and Southern Europe destinations.
• Kulinarische Reisen (Culinary Travel) Food and wine-focused travel experiences across Portugal and Southern Europe destinations.
• Inselkombinationen (Island Hopping) Multi-island travel combinations for destinations including Madeira, Porto Santo, Azores, Greek islands, and Cape Verde islands.
• Busrundreisen (Bus Tours) Guided bus-based round trips across Portugal and Southern Europe destinations.
• Bahnreisen (Rail Travel)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DRV (Deutscher Reiseverband)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOLIMAR is an active member of the German Travel Association, the leading trade association for the German travel industry. Beyond membership, the company is represented on the DRV board, demonstrating significant industry influence and commitment to travel industry standards.
• TourCertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent certification body for sustainable tourism. OLIMAR has received TourCert certification as a sustainable travel provider, demonstrating commitment to environmental and social responsibility in travel operations.
• FAIRWEGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability rating system that evaluates hotels based on 12 sustainable criteria. OLIMAR uses FAIRWEG ratings to help travelers identify and book environmentally responsible accommodations.
• KlimaLinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate initiative for the travel industry. OLIMAR is a founding member of KlimaLink, demonstrating early commitment to climate action and sustainable travel practices.
• Solares de PortugalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollection of traditional Portuguese manor houses and estates offering authentic accommodations. OLIMAR distributes these properties as part of their 'special accommodations' portfolio.
• Pousadas de PortugalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState-owned historic hotels in Portugal including former monasteries, castles, and palaces. OLIMAR offers these unique heritage properties as part of their Portugal portfolio.
• Pestana Hotels & ResortsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPortuguese hotel chain with properties across Portugal and internationally. OLIMAR distributes Pestana hotels as part of their accommodation offerings.
• Tivoli Hotels & ResortsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLuxury Portuguese hotel brand operating properties in Portugal and Brazil. OLIMAR offers Tivoli hotels as premium accommodation options.
• Vila Galé HotelsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPortuguese hotel group with mid to upscale properties. OLIMAR features Vila Galé hotels with special promotional pricing for winter 2026/27 season.
• Grecotel Hotels and ResortsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGreek hotel chain with resort properties across Greece. OLIMAR distributes Grecotel properties as part of their Greece portfolio.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TUI Deutschland: TUI is Europe's largest integrated tourism group with a massive German tour operator arm. It competes with OLIMAR across package holidays, hotels, and cruises, but at vastly greater scale and a much broader geographic footprint spanning beach resorts worldwide.
• Booking.com: Booking.com is the world's largest online travel agency and a broad competitor to OLIMAR's hotel-only and accommodation distribution. While not a direct tour operator, its scale and supplier relationships affect OLIMAR's commission-based hotel revenue stream.
• DERTOUR (DER Touristik): DER Touristik is a major German tour operator group (part of REWE Group) operating multiple brands including DERTOUR, ITS, and Neckermann. It competes with OLIMAR on package holidays to Southern Europe but serves a much broader destination portfolio and customer base.
• FTI Group: FTI Group is one of Germany's largest tour operators with brands including FTI, 5vorFlug, and BigXtra. It competes with OLIMAR across package holidays but serves a far wider geography including Egypt, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Direct peers

• Vtours: Vtours is a German online tour operator offering package holidays, hotel-only, and last-minute deals to Mediterranean and Southern European destinations. It competes with OLIMAR on similar destinations with a more digital-first distribution model.
• Alltours: Alltours is a Duisburg-based German tour operator focused on Southern European and North African beach destinations. Its product mix (package holidays, hotel-only) and customer profile closely parallel OLIMAR's, making it a head-to-head competitor for Southern Europe bookings.
• 1-2-Fly: 1-2-Fly is a German tour operator offering package holidays to Mediterranean destinations including Portugal, Spain, and Greece. It targets similar DACH leisure travelers with comparable package and hotel-only products.
• Schauinsland-Reisen: Schauinsland-Reisen is a German tour operator specializing in Mediterranean destinations including Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Croatia. It is directly comparable to OLIMAR in product mix (flight+hotel packages, hotel-only) and target market (DACH leisure travelers).
• JT Touristik: JT Touristik is a Cologne-based German tour operator specializing in package holidays and last-minute trips to Mediterranean destinations including Spain, Greece, and Portugal. Its geographic and product overlap with OLIMAR makes it a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Sunvil Traveller: Sunvil is a UK-based tour operator specializing in Portugal and Southern European destinations with curated, authentic accommodations. It mirrors OLIMAR's Portugal specialist positioning but serves UK rather than DACH customers, making it a non-overlapping geographic peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/olimarreisen
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/olimarreisen
• Facebookfacebook.com/olimarreisen
• Instagraminstagram.com/olimarreisen
• Pinterestpinterest.com/olimarreisen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olimarreisen

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OLIMAR