Intrepid Travel
Encyclopedia
Intrepid Travel is a small group adventure travel company that offers close to 1000 trips in Asia
, Latin America
, North America
, Europe
, The Middle East, Africa
, Australasia
and Antarctica.
Intrepid trips are of the grassroots type, and include travel via public transport
, trying local food and staying in locally owned accommodation.
Intrepid is a carbon-neutral company, as of 2010, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their offices and trips where possible and offsetting the rest.
, Africa
, the Middle East, North America, Antarctica and South America
. This has given the company a broader and thus more stable base rather than relying solely on Asia as a destination and the company has grown rapidly as a result, averaging annual compound growth of 25% over the last ten years.
Acquiring and partnering with other companies also lead to Intrepid's increased stability. Acquisitions and partnerships since 2006 include:
- Purchase of UK-based Africa specialist, Guerba World Travel, including its sales and marketing business in the UK and its operations company in Kenya, Africa
- Expanded overland product with a strategic investment in leading overland trip company, Dragoman
- Expanded Africa product with a strategic investment in South African-based safari company, Bundu
- Signed joint venture with Flight Centre to continue its retail expansion in Australia and New Zealand
- Purchased US tour company, Suntrek, expanding product offering and also acquiring Suntrek offices in North America and Germany
- Launches new product range, Urban Adventures through a joint venture with WHL
Most recently (in February 2011), it signed a strategic venture with the world's largest leisure travel group, TUI Travel PLC that combines Intrepid Travel with TUI Travel PLC's international portfolio of adventure travel brands to create PEAK Adventure Travel Group, an independently managed company specialising in the fast growing adventure travel market. PEAK Adventures consists of over 20 businesses with combined revenue circa AUD $400 million.
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, The Middle East, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
and Antarctica.
Intrepid trips are of the grassroots type, and include travel via public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
, trying local food and staying in locally owned accommodation.
Intrepid is a carbon-neutral company, as of 2010, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their offices and trips where possible and offsetting the rest.
History
Intrepid Travel has grown to become a major, multi-national company taking almost 100,000 passengers to over 100 destinations each and every year. Since being founded in 1989, the company has grown to have a turnover of $129 million. With much of the growth occurring in the last ten years, the company had to come up with new strategies to deal with the problems of the decade – September 11, the 2002 Bali bombings and SARS. It has since expanded to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, the Middle East, North America, Antarctica and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. This has given the company a broader and thus more stable base rather than relying solely on Asia as a destination and the company has grown rapidly as a result, averaging annual compound growth of 25% over the last ten years.
Acquiring and partnering with other companies also lead to Intrepid's increased stability. Acquisitions and partnerships since 2006 include:
- Purchase of UK-based Africa specialist, Guerba World Travel, including its sales and marketing business in the UK and its operations company in Kenya, Africa
- Expanded overland product with a strategic investment in leading overland trip company, Dragoman
- Expanded Africa product with a strategic investment in South African-based safari company, Bundu
- Signed joint venture with Flight Centre to continue its retail expansion in Australia and New Zealand
- Purchased US tour company, Suntrek, expanding product offering and also acquiring Suntrek offices in North America and Germany
- Launches new product range, Urban Adventures through a joint venture with WHL
Most recently (in February 2011), it signed a strategic venture with the world's largest leisure travel group, TUI Travel PLC that combines Intrepid Travel with TUI Travel PLC's international portfolio of adventure travel brands to create PEAK Adventure Travel Group, an independently managed company specialising in the fast growing adventure travel market. PEAK Adventures consists of over 20 businesses with combined revenue circa AUD $400 million.
Awards
- 2011 Winner, Australian Business Awards, Environmental Sustainability
- 2011 Winner, Global Tourism Business Award, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
- 2009 Finalist, BRW's Private Business of the Year Awards
- 2009 Outside Magazine's 'Best Places to Work' (USA)
- 2009 Budget Travel Magazine's 'Extra Mile Award' for Intrepid Travel's Carbon Offset Trips
- 2008 Winner Gold Award Wanderlust Paul Morrison Guide Award – Esam Al El Salaam (Egypt tour leader)
- 2007 Winner Environmentally Responsible Tourism Small Tour Operator category, British Travel Awards
- 2007 Winner of the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel AssociationPacific Asia Travel AssociationThe is a membership association working to promote the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.-Beginnings:The association began in 1951 when Lorrin P...
) Gold Award for Corporate Environmental Programme - 2007 Best Green Specialist Tour Operator, Tourism Authority of Thailand Green Awards
- 2007 Highly Commended, Conservation and Cultural Heritage, Virgin HolidaysVirgin HolidaysVirgin Holidays Limited is a company within Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, headquartered in "The Office" in Crawley, West Sussex. The company was formed in 1985, a year after the successful launch of Virgin Atlantic Airways in June 1984...
Responsible Tourism Awards - 2006 Overall Joint Winner, Best Tour Operator, First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards
- 2006 Runner up, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
- 2002 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award (Darrell Wade and Geoff Manchester)