Action Outdoors

What Action Outdoors does

Action Outdoors Holidays Ltd is a UK-incorporated private travel agency (company no. 05100204) founded in 2004 by Mark Gillis and David Robertson, operating from a registered office in Felixstowe, Suffolk, and an operational base in Chamonix, France. The company functions as the principal English-language booking agent for UCPA (Union Nationale des Centres Sportifs de Plein Air), a French not-for-profit adventure sports organization that operates 70+ centres in France and selected worldwide destinations. Following co-founder Mark Gillis's departure in 2008, David Robertson continues as CEO, leading a small team (headcount band 11–50).

The product is an all-inclusive activity holiday package sold direct-to-consumer: a single per-person price bundles hostel-style UCPA accommodation, buffet meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), equipment hire (skis, snowboards, boots, and for advanced courses, avalanche and touring kit), lift passes where applicable, and professional instruction or guiding from beginner to expert level. Pricing starts from £462 per person for entry-level Val Thorens ski packages and rises into the four figures for expert off-piste, mountaineering, and instructor courses. A £100 deposit confirms bookings made more than 8 weeks in advance, with final balance due 45 days before travel. Beyond French ski resorts such as Val Thorens, Tignes, Flaine, Chamonix, Les Arcs, La Plagne, and Val d'Isère, the company resells UCPA's "Planète Worldwide" product covering Morocco, Spain, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Portugal, spanning kitesurfing, surfing, windsurfing, scuba diving, mountain biking, e-mountain biking, mountaineering, trail running, rock climbing, hiking, and sailing.

The commercial model is a transaction-fee / booking-agency commission on UCPA holiday packages, supplemented by commissions on partner-supplied transport add-ons: Snow Express (overnight coach from London Victoria), Le Shuttle (Channel Tunnel self-drive crossings), and Ben's Bus (shared airport transfers from Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon, Chambéry). Distribution is via the action-outdoors.co.uk website (which includes a resort finder tool, activity search, customer dashboard, and online booking), plus phone and email bookings during office hours (Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00 plus Saturday December-April). Technology integration is modest: Zoho SalesIQ provides the live-chat widget and Wirecard Ltd / Voice Commerce Ltd process payments. Marketing relies on organic social (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube), a weekly email newsletter, and earned UK press coverage in outlets including the Telegraph, Guardian, Irish Independent, Skier and Snowboarder Magazine, Wanderlust Welsh, MyOutdoors, and Express. The customer base is long-tail individual consumers — predominantly budget-conscious solo travelers and small groups, including first-time and beginner skiers/snowboarders, plus watersports and mountain-sports enthusiasts — rather than enterprise accounts; no B2B contracts, no disclosed revenue, and no institutional funding are present in the input.

Name

Action Outdoors

Legal name

Action Outdoors Holidays Ltd

Website

https://action-outdoors.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Action Outdoors, founded in 2004, is a UK-registered booking agent that resells all-inclusive UCPA adventure holidays (ski, snowboard, watersports, mountaineering) to budget-conscious solo and small-group travelers from English-speaking markets, primarily across 70-plus French and worldwide UCPA centres.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adventure Travel Booking Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520), Skiing Facilities (71392), Recreational Goods Rental (532284)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports & Active Travel Agencies (e.g., ski, golf, dive) (THAKAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adventure Equipment Rental Shops (Outdoor Gear, Camping, Climbing, Water Sports) (THAAALAI)

Keywords

• All-inclusive ski holidays
• Adventure activity holidays
• Water sports holidays
• Mountain sports holidays
• Ski booking agent

Headquarters

HQ city

Felixstowe

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Booking Agency/Commission: Action Outdoors acts as a booking agent for UCPA and third-party suppliers. Revenue is generated through commissions on holiday bookings made through their platform. They arrange transport options (coach, transfers) as add-ons to the base UCPA package.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Action Outdoors is a UK booking agent for the French non-profit adventure sports organisation UCPA, selling all-inclusive ski, snowboard, water sports, and mountain activity holidays in France and worldwide destinations. Packages typically include accommodation, meals, equipment hire, lift passes, instruction/tuition, and travel insurance, with optional add-ons such as airport transfers, self-drive packages, and Snow Express coach travel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• All-Inclusive Ski & Snowboard Holidays

Quantifiable outcome

• Ski holidays from £462 per person including accommodation, meals, equipment, lift passes and instruction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UCPA (Union Nationale des Centres Sportifs de Plein Air)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary partnership. Action Outdoors acts as the UK booking agent for UCPA, a French not-for-profit organization offering all-inclusive adventure sports holidays. UCPA provides accommodation, meals, instruction, equipment, and access to their 70+ centres in France and international destinations.
• Snow ExpresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoach travel partner offering overnight journeys from London Victoria to ski resorts in the Alps. Provides affordable and environmentally friendly transport options for Action Outdoors customers.
• Le ShuttleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSelf-drive holiday partner providing Channel Tunnel crossing services for customers driving to Alpine resorts.
• Ben's BuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShared airport transfer partner providing transfers from Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon airports to ski resorts. Transfers included in many Action Outdoors packages.
• Crevasse ClothingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSki clothing rental partner. Action Outdoors customers receive 10% discount code for renting outer clothing (jackets, pants, goggles, gloves) delivered to UK address before travel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Mark Warner Holidays:

Emerging players

• Snowcamp: UK operator running instructor courses and ski improvement weeks in French resorts. Comparable niche overlap on French ski instruction-led trips aimed at UK customers.

Direct peers

• Neilson Holidays: UK active-holiday specialist offering beach clubs and ski chalets with tuition, equipment, and full-board packages. Comparable as a UK operator focused on activity-based all-inclusive holidays.
• Iglu Ski: UK-based ski holiday booking agency offering package ski trips to French, Austrian, and North American resorts. Directly comparable as a UK online travel agent specializing in ski package sales.
• Peak Retreats: UK tour operator focused on French and European ski chalets and apartments. Comparable as a UK-based ski package specialist selling French alpine accommodation and lift passes.
• Ski Solutions: UK ski travel agency curating luxury and tailor-made ski holidays in the Alps and North America. Comparable as a UK ski-specialist booking agency, though positioned more upscale than Action Outdoors.
• Oxford Ski Company: UK luxury ski chalet and hotel operator selling package holidays to premium French and Swiss resorts. Comparable as a UK ski travel agency with package model, though targeting a higher-end customer than Action Outdoors.
• Inghams Holidays: Long-established UK ski and alpine holiday tour operator selling package holidays with accommodation, meals, lift passes, and equipment. Closest comparable in scale and offering within the UK ski market.
• Club Med: Global all-inclusive resort operator with extensive ski and mountain resort portfolio including French Alps. Comparable on the all-inclusive, instruction-and-equipment-included model, though far larger and multi-geography.

Broad incumbents

• Crystal Ski (TUI): UK's largest ski holiday operator, now part of TUI Group, selling mass-market ski packages to mainstream resorts. Overlaps with Action Outdoors on French resort ski packages but operates at significantly larger scale and broader market positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ActionOutdoors
• Facebookfacebook.com/ActionOutdoors.co.uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/actionoutdoors
• TikToktiktok.com/@action_outdoors
• Xx.com/action_outdoors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/action-outdoor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Action Outdoors