‘Purpose Beyond Profit’ and diversification drives record growth for Intrepid

‘Purpose Beyond Profit’ and diversification drives record growth for Intrepid
By Alexandra Coulton


Intrepid Group is no doubt popping the most eco-friendly champagne they can get their hands on this morning, as they toast to their third year of consecutive growth!

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The adventure travel company reported a whopping 17 per cent growth in revenue to take the group to $397M in 2018.

The independently-owned company delivered an EBIT result of almost $15M in 2018, thanks to a 25 per cent increase in underlying profitability that CEO James Thornton believes is driven by an increasing global demand for sustainable travel and the company’s commitment to having a ‘Purpose Beyond Profit’.

Now the world’s largest provider of adventure travel experiences, Intrepid Group has more than 2,700 trips in 120 countries operated by the Group’s four tour operator brands (Intrepid Travel, Peregrine Adventures, Urban Adventures, Adventure Tours Australia).

The vertically integrated business also includes a global network of local destination management companies, as well as several suppliers which Intrepid Group has a stake in, such as Chimu Adventures.

See also: “Price isn’t the barrier it once was”: Intrepid and Chimu launch new Antarctica trips

It’s this diversification that has helped to protect the Group from the highs and lows of world events and deliver a strong profit result in 2018 said Thornton.

“Over the past 30 years we’ve seen many of our favourite places suffer through the lows of natural disasters and we’ve learnt how important it is to diversify not only where we go, but also our brands, products and sales regions so that we can cater to all ages, budgets and appetites for adventure”.

2018 also saw 60 per cent growth in customer numbers from Urban Adventures and the opening of PEAK DMC Indonesia, the company’s 21st destination management company.

Almost a quarter of the company’s 2018 profits will be paid out to staff in bonuses.

In 2018 Intrepid Group also achieved B Corp certification joining a growing global community of businesses looking beyond the bottom line.

The Intrepid Foundation, the Intrepid Group’s not-for-profit also marked a record year in 2017, raising $1M for local and international charities.

Thornton believes it’s the company’s commitment to creating benefit for all its stakeholders that has enabled Intrepid Group to achieve a record Employee Engagement score of 82 per cent and a record customer feedback score of 4.7 out of 5 for the year.

“This year we celebrate Intrepid’s 30 year anniversary and it’s fantastic to be achieving this level of growth,” Thornton said.

“We’re as committed to sustainable travel as we were in the beginning, so the truly inspiring thing for everyone here as Intrepid is just to see that the more we grow, the more we can do. Customers really are looking for businesses to be a force for good”.

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