30 year olds will be ?too old? for Geckos Adventures next year, as the Intrepid Group has announced that it will cut the age range to meet a growing demand from the next generation of travellers.
The company says the bold decision to drop the maximum age-limit from 39 to 29 years old is in response to travel agent focus groups and feedback from its youngest travellers, who told the company they were looking for a ?genuine? youth product that enabled them to travel with like-minded people of their own age.
The decision to now only offer Geckos style of small group adventures with local leaders to travellers aged 18 to 29 years old means that that the age-range will be almost halved next year. However, the company's managing director, James Thornton, says that this is a strategic move by the company to invest in and grow the youth market with its style of sustainable experience-rich travel. He said: ?This move is not intended as a wake-up call for 30 something?s, it?s about transforming Geckos in to a brand that provides the next generation of travellers with a responsible small group alternative to party bus tours. While there are other travel brands with age limits, there is nobody offering a dedicated youth product to travellers who want an authentic experience that gives back to the places they visit and people they meet.?
The change will apply to all trips in 2017, with the exception of trips to the Galapagos Islands which will be open to all ages and run by sister-brand Intrepid. Other changes include reducing the deposit from ?150 to ?50 per person per trip, introducing 20 new trips for 2017, the return of trips in North America and Africa, plus an increase in departure frequency to round off the expansion of the brand.
