Tourists don’t own a city, locals do: Intrepid co-founder
Overtourism has gone from being something many ignored, to being front and centre in the travel industry’s agenda.
Speaking to Travel Weekly, Intrepid Travel Group’s co-founder and executive chair, Darrell Wade, had a somewhat controversial view on how tourists can be more proactive in helping create a sustainable travel industry.
Pictured above: Intrepid co-Founders and friends on the overland trip that inspired a new style of travel.
“Overtourism is everyone’s problem. Agents, tour operators, cruise ship operators, CEO’s, travellers, local communities and government all have roles to play,” Wade told TW.
“Our industry needs to provide that experience, and governments need to regulate where required.”
But where do we start, he asked both himself and us. It’s a big question that’s currently hanging over the industry.
Wade suggested that having a little more foresight and thinking more about what people actually seek when they travel – and then creating products around that – was his first thought.
“A little imagination and effort goes a long way,” Wade said.
“Right now, Intrepid are developing a new Adventure Cruising range where we charter very small ships (50 pax maximum) and go off the beaten path in a way that big cruise ships simply can’t.
“It’s only our first year and we’ve got many aspects right – but we still need to work harder in order to find the out of the way experiences that are so much more rewarding for travellers than the worn out clichés.
“Interestingly enough, these experiences are also far better for the local community because the economic and social benefits of tourism are spread further. So everyone wins out of the exchange – the local community, the traveller, and us as a business.”
In terms of how tourists can be more involved in solving the overtourism issue, Wade has some controversial ideas around taxes.
“Most of the industry disagrees with me, but I think taxation has a significant role to play,” he told TW.
“If there was a $50 a night city bed tax in hotspots like Venice, Barcelona and Split then tourism numbers would start to fall away a little, locals would start to be able to live in their cities again and balance would start to be restored.
“It would also see secondary towns and cities that don’t have the bed tax but do have great tourism assets in their own right build up their tourism industry. In that context tourism becomes a genuinely sustainable industry for that city and the country more broadly.
“Meanwhile of course the taxation revenue can be used for public services like education, health and housing in the destination so that the community benefits from tourism.
“In Croatia the locals call cruise ships passengers “ice-cream tourists” because they eat all their meals on the ship and the only money they leave behind in a town is the price of an ice-cream.
“Maybe the cruise passengers should be paying a port tax of $50 a person as well so that they leave some value behind for the town they are visiting?
“Tourists don’t own a city, remember – locals do – so it’s only appropriate that the local population benefits from the industry.”
But solving overtourism and creating sustainable travel products doesn’t have to be a charity case, where businesses lose money.
And Wade and his Intrepid company are testament to that.
“I’ve spent nearly 30 years trying to deliver an alternative, more enriching experience, and it’s not surprising that every year we have double digit growth,” he revealed.
“This year we’ll have north of $300 million in sales.
“This isn’t because we are especially clever (we aren’t!), but because people are voting with their wallets for a more sustainable, experience rich form of travel.”
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
-
Latest comments
Latest News
Collette goes off the beaten track with Canyon Country tour
To be clear TW is not advocating actually walking off the beaten track. Avoid the coyotes. Stay on the beaten track.
Intrepid & Korean Tourism Organisation team up to give agents a cooking masterclass
These guys learnt that Korean cooking is more than just putting kimchi on 2-minute noodles (as we once thought).
Winner, winner! Intrepid reveals the 9 lucky agents that won $2k
Who won the incentive? Which Intrepid trip will they spend it on? What day of the week is it again? Where am I? Huh?
Corporate Traveller reports 42% increase in Easter traffic this year
Business travellers just love Easter! Expect plenty of chocolate stained documents returning to the office on Tuesday.
Turbulent year wiped $384m off Qantas brand value: Report
Meanwhile, eating tuna at your desk can damage your own personal office brand value by several thousand dollars.
FAMIL: Room-Res & Singapore Tourism Board shows agents the Lion City’s roar
Click this article to see a man very impressed by a 20-layer chocolate cake. We're not kidding, he loved it!
Oceania Cruises offers sailors free pre-cruise hotel stay
Looking for ways to make your holidays as long as possible? Look no further.
Bonza launches new website to compliment app, agent portal
Does news about an airline's website fill you with ecstasy, glee and joy? Get your hit of the good stuff here.
MTA agents attends ‘Lunch ‘n’ Learn’ with AMA Waterways
When organising the event, Lunch 'n' Learn beat out Dinner 'n' Divulge and Breakfast 'n' Banter. Understandably so.
Travelmarvel reveals 2025 South America tours
If you spot any typos in the newsletter today it is because TW became distracted Googling images of Machu Picchu.
Tourists from 5 countries could be BANNED from visiting Australia
Anthony Albanese's immigration laws could impact tourism from certain countries.
Just how many passengers will Qantas & Jetstar hop around this Easter?
Airline workers are ready for gleeful Easter travellers! Also prepared for sticky children with chocolate on their face.
Air New Zealand gets ready for bumper Easter weekend
Air NZ gears up for travelling passengers this Easter, while TW looks to beat our egg eating record. 117 here we come!
Four Seasons Yachts reveals first itineraries to the Caribbean & Mediterranean
These trips look so good we wish there were five seasons! Alright, we'll see ourselves out...
FAMIL: Travellers Choice treats top agents to the wonders of Rotorua
This one's got plenty of famil pics and no one looks shockingly hungover in them! Clearly no TW staffers were there.
European Waterways celebrates 50th anniversary with week-long founders cruise
Plan on celebrating your 50th anniversary with a bottle of Moët and fairy bread? European Waterways has better ideas.
100th route! Jetstar celebrates the launch of Brisbane-Avalon with 12 hour sale
Jetstar knocks a ton and celebrates with a sale while TW once scored a ton and celebrated with about 17 beers.
Record-breaking year for NSW as visitor expenditure soars past $50 billion
Enjoy running round the Opera House? Be prepared to elbow even more tourists out the way.
Norwegian Cruise Line makes play for solo travellers
NCL ensuring you don't have to go trawling Tinder to find a cruise partner. Thank goodness, we were sick of catfishing.
Entire Travel Group’s Canada and Europe 2024/25 brochures are out now
Entire's new brochure is bittersweet; it both informs your clients and makes you envious of the holiday they'll take.
Malaysia Airlines adds 3 new destinations & A330neo seats
More seats means cheaper airfares and more money to spend on overpriced airport sandwiches. Woohoo!
Two divine days onboard Crystal Serenity
It's only pure serenity onboard this ship. Anxiety, agitation and anguish have been rejected by the bouncer.
How the Globus Family of Brands elevates coach touring: Travel Weekly TV with Chris Fundell
Chris' here so you don't think coaches mean peeling your thighs off a sticky leather seat every time you stand up!
The Flight Centre Foundation gears up for massive 2024 with 3 new board members
The foundation looks to invest $200k this year, spurring the TW journos to figure out how to qualify as a charity.
Barking Owl Communications to head up Anantara & Avani in ANZ
Fellow PR competitors had been barking up the wrong tree even thinking of bidding for this job!
Amex GBT to purchase CWT for $871m
It's big deals like this that get a firm handshake - hence the sore hands over at the CWT and Amex GBT offices.
1000MTG’s second global conference reminds agents to ‘strive and thrive’
Alongside messages to 'strive' and 'thrive' were those to 'survive', 'drive', 'arrive' and 'jive' (when appropriate).
Qantas A330 makes “loud bang”, pilots forced to shut down one engine
Qantas refusing to let Boeing have all the headlines in aviation world today!
GX Community Tourism Summit 2024 location revealed!
The new location has arrived and it'll blow your socks off! Time for another trip to Target for more socks then.
Visiting the destination my Mum didn’t want me to
Yet again, this journo has been a stress to his mother. Discover how this trip spurred his mother's anxiety here.
Agents come out of their shells at P&O’s turtle hatchery event
For some, it's a few glasses of bubbles to lure them out of their shell. For these agents, it was a bit more literal.
Boeing cleanout: CEO, chair to go as safety crisis plagues the manufacturer
CEOs are falling thick and fast these days. We should have started up a bingo game with their headshots in the office.
Virgin looks to swap MAX 10 order for MAX 8s amid Boeing delays: Reports
Virgin has changed its order for something smaller. Much like we have to at Maccas following a worrying doctor's visit.
Club Med unveils newest luxury yacht for 2024/25 early bird sale
This yacht is preserved for the early birds! Night Owls may also get onboard depending how late they stay up.
Abercrombie & Kent 2024 Asia Portfolio is here
Round up the family and get planning an Asia jaunt. Or, if they're hard to handle, brush them all and go it alone!
Elevate your earnings: Final days to secure double commission with Inspiring Vacations’ March offer
What could inspire you to sell more Inspiring Vacations? Double commission of course! That's all the inspiration needed.
Noting this: “If there was a $50 a night city bed tax in hotspots like Venice,
Barcelona and Split then tourism numbers would start to fall away a
little, locals would start to be able to live in their cities again and
balance would start to be restored.
If he bothered to read complaints made by people in Venice about tourists you will find quickly that they generally like the overnight tourists and its the flood of day only people they have a problem with. This tax idea woudl only reduce the tourists they do want and increase the ones they dont want. Not sure about Barcelona – I’m only commenting on Venice here.