Intrepid Travel has launched a new range of more than 80 small group adventures exclusively designed for 18 to 29-year-old travellers.
From camping in Iceland to surfing in Morocco, the company has seen a growing appetite for sustainable and immersive local experiences. Global sales are up 17% last year, with millennials a key demographic fuelling this growth, and the UK seeing a 15% increase in departures last year from the 18 to 29 age group.
This new range of tours aims to provide a socially conscious generation with a stress-free alternative to backpacking and big bus tours and is available from a ?49 deposit.
The company?s group CEO, James Thornton, said: ?Sustainable travel doesn?t have to be expensive. This age group will increasingly influence travel trends and their buying decisions can help to reduce demand for activities like visiting orphanages or riding elephants.?
The adventure brand has also partnered with Friends-International, a leading social enterprise saving lives and building futures for marginalised young people around the world, and will make a donation for every 18 to 29s trip booked.
The launch of this new range means the end of an era for Geckos Adventures, which was originally a competitor to Intrepid?s Basix range but has been managed by the Intrepid Group since 2013.
From October 1, all Geckos Adventures will become Intrepid Travel?s 18 to 29s trips. The operator?s range will offer 20% more departures and new trips to destinations including Iceland and Russia for 2019.
Thornton said the decision to merge Geckos would enable the trips to reach a wider audience: ?We know this is the right decision. Intrepid has four times the number of travellers aged 18 to 29 as Geckos. It?s a global brand, whereas Geckos is almost entirely sold in Australia.
?Focusing the power of our global brand on the youth market is just another way that we can invest in sustainable travel for the long-term. Intrepid has a much bigger audience and this decision means we can have better conversations with 18 to 29s about the things that matter.?
A new dedicated brochure will be distributed to agents later this year.
For more information visit intrepidtravel.com
