Intrepid posts record sales month
Intrepid posted record sales last month, helped by rising demand for destinations previously regarded as off the tourist map.
The operator booked 15,000 passengers globally in February, the biggest month in its 25-year history. It put Intrepid on course to carry 100,000 passengers this year, managing director James Thornton told Travel Today.
Revenue in the first six months of its financial year climbed almost 20%.
The performance has been buoyed by the growing popularity of destinations previously considered no-go zones, Thornton said, including Iran, Colombia and Azerbaijan
“We have seen a sales increase to more remote destinations once seen as dangerous, or that were inaccessible,” he said.
Its sailing trips through Burma have also sold well while Turkey and Morocco have been stand out performers.
But Egypt, and the Middle East overall, has been predictably tough, Thornton said, although sales are slowly returning.
“It’s not helped by the news this week that 530 people have been sentenced to death in Egypt,” he said.
The expanding networks of the Middle Eastern airlines is also helping drive demand for off-the-beaten destinations in Eastern Europe popular with Peregrine customers.
Geckos, meanwhile, is showing the “green shoots” of recovery with last months’ sales the best in a year.
The youth-focused operator’s marketing campaign early last year, which included bad language, “hadn’t been well received”, Thornton said, but a number of partners are now “coming on board”.
“We are re- engaging the travel industry and a number of agents are interacting with our blog,” he said. “Geckos is all about content and community.”
In a separate development, Dutch tour operator Sawadee, part of PEAK Adventure Travel Group, has joined the Intrepid Group. But the brand, which predominantly offers Dutch speaking tours, will not be launched in Australia, Thornton said.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
adventure travel intrepid james thorntonLatest News
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