Travelzoo Reports Fourth Quarter 2013 Results and Announces Share Repurchase Program

Travelzoo Inc. (NASDAQ:TZOO):

Fourth Quarter 2013 Financial Highlights:

• Revenue of $37.5 million, up 1% year-over-year
• Operating income of $4.5 million, up 3% year-over-year
• Net income of $3.2 million
• Earnings per share of $0.21, compared to $0.24 in the prior-year period
• Cash used in operations was $1.8 million

Travelzoo Inc., a global Internet media company, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2013, with revenue of $37.5 million, an increase of 1% year-over-year. Operating income was $4.5 million, up 3% year-over-year. Net income was $3.2 million, with earnings per share of $0.21, down from $0.24 in the prior-year period.

Travelzoo also announced that its board of directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 500,000 of the company's outstanding common shares. Purchases may be made, from time to time, in the open market and will be funded from available cash. The number of shares to be purchased and the timing of purchases will be based on the level of Travelzoo's cash balances, general business and market conditions, and other factors, including alternative investment opportunities.

"Our Travel products showed continued strength in Q4, particularly in Europe, which contributed 40% of the company's profits. These gains were offset by revenue declines in SuperSearch and Fly.com," said Chris Loughlin, chief executive officer. "We will continue to invest in audience and products to spur future growth. These include our hotel booking platform, which is now in internal testing, as well as features that make it easier for our users to find deals when and where they need them, particularly on their mobile devices."

For the full year, revenue was $158.2 million, an increase of 5% year-over-year. GAAP operating income was $2.3 million, down 91% year-over-year. Non-GAAP operating income was $24.3 million, down 15% year-over-year. GAAP net loss was $5.0 million, with loss per share of $0.33, compared to earnings per share of $1.14 in the prior-year period. Non-GAAP net income was $17.0 million, with earnings per share of $1.11, down from $1.33 in the prior-year period. For the year ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per share exclude a $22.0 million and a $3.0 million charge related to a reserve for Travelzoo Inc.'s settlement agreements in connection with a dispute over unclaimed property audits.

North America

North America business segment revenue decreased 3% year-over-year to $25.6 million. Operating profit for the fourth quarter was $2.7 million, or 10% of revenue, down from $3.4 million, or 13% of revenue, in the prior-year period.

Europe

Europe business segment revenue increased 12% year-over-year to $11.9 million. In local currency terms, revenue increased 11% year-over-year. Operating profit for the fourth quarter was $1.8 million, or 15% of revenue, up from $1.0 million, or 9% of revenue in the prior-year period.

Search Products

In response to declining revenue and profit from its Search products, which include SuperSearch and Fly.com, the Company has initiated a performance review, which may result in merging the products, discontinuing or replacing one or both of them. "Challenges in traffic acquisition from search engines and poor monetization on mobile devices have led to continued declines in Search revenue," said Glen Ceremony, chief financial officer. "As we are reviewing these products and working on their improvement, we will also put a stronger focus on profitability, which could result in a revenue decline of approximately $1.5 million from SuperSearch versus the prior-year period."

Subscribers

Travelzoo had a total unduplicated number of subscribers in North America and Europe of 23.3 million as of December 31, 2013, up 4% from December 31, 2012. In North America, total unduplicated number of subscribers was 16.6 million as of December 31, 2013, up 3% from December 31, 2012. In Europe, total unduplicated number of subscribers was 6.8 million as of December 31, 2013, up 6% from December 31, 2012.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense was $1.3 million, compared to $692,000 in the prior-year period. The effective income tax rate was 29%, up from 16% in the prior-year period.

Asset Management

During the fourth quarter of 2013, Travelzoo used $1.8 million of cash from operating activities. Accounts receivable increased by $360,000 over the prior-year period to $14.0 million. Accounts payable increased by $3.1 million over the prior-year period to $31.8 million. Capital expenditures were $1.9 million, up from $698,000 in the prior-year period. As of December 31, 2013, cash and cash equivalents were $66.2 million.

Non-GAAP Measures

To give an enhanced view of Travelzoo's operating performance, management has calculated non-GAAP operating expense, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP effective tax rate, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per share by excluding the charges related to our unexchanged promotional shares. The company believes these metrics assist investors to assess certain business trends in the same way that these trends are analyzed by management. The discussion of these non-GAAP metrics are not in accordance with GAAP and may differ from non-GAAP methods of accounting and reporting used by other companies. Non-GAAP metrics are merely a supplement to, and not a replacement for, GAAP financial measures. As the only difference between GAAP and non-GAAP measures is the charges related to our unexchanged promotional shares, today’s reporting should not be viewed as Travelzoo’s intention to report non-GAAP measures in future periods. Refer to the “Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures” section of this press release for a summary of these non-GAAP measures and their reconciliation to the reported GAAP measures.

Conference Call

Travelzoo will host a conference call to discuss fourth quarter results at 11:00 a.m. ET today. Please visit http://www.travelzoo.com/earnings to

• download the management presentation (PDF format) to be discussed in the conference call;
• access the webcast.

About Travelzoo

Travelzoo Inc. is a global Internet media company. With more than 26 million subscribers in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific and 25 offices worldwide, Travelzoo® publishes deals from more than 2,000 travel and entertainment companies. Travelzoo’s deal experts review offers to find the best deals and confirm their true value. In Asia Pacific, Travelzoo is independently owned and operated by Travelzoo (Asia) Ltd. and Travelzoo Japan K.K. under a license agreement with Travelzoo Inc.

Certain statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, expectations, prospects and intentions, markets in which we participate and other statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts. When used in this press release, the words “expect,” “predict,” “project,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including changes in our plans, objectives, expectations, prospects and intentions, and other factors discussed in our filings with the SEC. We cannot guarantee any future levels of activity, performance or achievements. Travelzoo undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release. Travelzoo and Top 20 are registered trademarks of Travelzoo Inc. All other company and product names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners.