Sandbanks Vacations buys Prince Edward County’s First Guided Bike Tour Company, The County Wine Tours
Wellington, ON (PRWEB) April 11, 2023 -- Sandbanks Vacations, one of the largest tour operators and short-term vacation rentals agencies in Prince Edward County, announced it has acquired The County Wine Tours, as the company looks to broaden its services. The County Wine Tours, founded by Sheba Zaidi, Genevive Savundranayagam and Erin Bury, was launched in 2017 as the first tour company to launch guided bicycle wine tours in Prince Edward County (PEC) for small groups with local guides.
Richard Barrett, Founder and CEO of Sandbanks Vacations, said the company had been looking for ways to expand and The County Wine Tours was the perfect fit with their well-established brand and 5-star reviews. The deal allows Sandbanks Vacations to further deepen its foothold in the County market by offering even more experiences for tourists. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“It’s an established name and a credible tour company with happy customers,” Barrett said. “It’s meaningful for us that we are acquiring a friends and family run business that added to the local economy by only hiring local tour guides. It is important for us that we keep that tradition alive.”
The County Wine Tours gives visitors to PEC a way to sip and cycle their way through Ontario’s fastest-growing wine region. The tours, based in the heart of The County, take visitors on a scenic ride along a converted rail line, the Millennium Trail, and quiet country roads, visiting some of the area's 40 wineries along the way. Sandbanks Vacations already aimed to give visitors a fulsome experience with their diverse offering of car wine tours, shuttle services and accommodations, but Barrett said, “we were missing bike wine tours and acquiring The County Wine Tours rounded out our offerings.” The good news is that nothing changes for customers with this acquisition as the brand stays intact and all bike tour bookings will still go through thecountywinetours.com.
“We launched The County Wine Tours between three best friends to cater to young professionals who wanted to see PEC through the eyes of a local. Since launch we have completed five great seasons, become one of the top tour companies in the region and have a long list of customers and a great group of local tour guides,” said The County Wine Tours co-founder Sheba Zaidi. “Now that we’ve achieved what we set out to do, it’s time for us to hand over the reins to a bigger company that we trust will take good care of the brand we’ve built and continue offering exceptional bike tours to visitors.”
The Sip & Cycle Bike Tour takes guests on a leisurely 18km ride along the Millennium Trail and through the country roads of The County, visiting a minimum of 4 wineries along the way. The tour includes a local tour guide, a cruiser bike, all wine tastings, and a stop at the SHED Chetwyn Farms alpaca farm. This tour is perfect for couples or small groups.
All tours offered by The County Wine Tours are led by local guides who grew up in and around PEC. “It was important to us to hire local tour guides and help bolster the economy. During the tour our guides share more about the history of the area and PEC’s role as a hotspot for wine, art, food, and culture,” said The County Wine Tours co-founder Genevive Savundranayagam. Sandbanks will continue to offer the Sip & Cycle Bike Tour with many of the same tour guides under The County Wine Tours brand.
In the past decade, Prince Edward County has become a hotspot for tourists, with over 800,000 visitors to Sandbanks Provincial Park alone in 2020. Its proximity to major cities - two hours from Toronto and three hours from Ottawa - means people continue flock to its sandy beaches, quaint towns like Bloomfield and its wineries.
"I came to The County often as a kid and now live here full-time, and the area has changed so much since I was young. The first winery in the area opened in 2001, and since then it's exploded in popularity, both with winemakers and with visitors," said The County Wine Tours co-founder Erin Bury. "We love that we played a role in attracting more people to the region and showed them why we love The County and its wine.”
Giving back is important to the founders and as part of the acquisition The County Wine Tours is donating a percentage of the sale to SickKids Hospital via The Upside Foundation.
Book a Tour
The County Wine Tours via Sandbanks Vacations is now accepting online bookings, with tours commencing on the May long weekend. Book online at thecountywinetours.com.
For more information or to book a media interview contact: Sheba Zaidi, Genevive Savundranayagam or Erin Bury at mailto:[email protected] [[email protected] __title__ null], mailto:[email protected] [[email protected] __title__ null] or mailto:[email protected] [[email protected] __title__ null].
For details on Sandbanks Vacations, please contact Richard Barrett at mailto:[email protected] [[email protected] __title__ null]
Richard Barrett, Sandbanks Vacations, https://www.sandbanksvacations.com/, 1 613-393-2424, [email protected]
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