| Type | Tour Operator |
|---|---|
| Industry | Tourism |
| Founded | 1989 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia |
| Key people | Darrell Wade, Co-Founder and CEO Geoff Manchester, Co-Founder and director |
| Products | Small group adventures |
| Website | www.intrepidtravel.com |
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,[1] trying local food and staying in locally owned accommodation.[2]
Intrepid is a carbon-neutral company, as of 2010,[3] reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their offices and trips where possible and offsetting the rest.
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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.[4] 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 Europe, 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.[5]
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[6] - Purchased US tour company, Suntrek, expanding product offering and also acquiring Suntrek offices in North America and Germany[7] - 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.[8]