We hear Pelorus is in expansion mode? Would you usually look for travel people, or those from outside the sector with other skills?
Yes, we are expanding in London and in the US, where our co-founder Jimmy Carroll has re-located as enquiries and sales have started to increase with the easing of travel restrictions. We look for a range of skills when hiring and often choose people who don’t have a travel background and look at the industry with fresh eyes, through a different lens. Having said that, there is some amazing talent out there at the moment with strong careers in travel behind them, and we are looking for motivated, creative travel designers, marketing professionals and project directors to join our team.
What do you see as the opportunity in the US – why was this step taken? How’s it going?
This move was always part of Pelorus’ original growth strategy as it allows the team to continue its highly personal service, gaining in-depth understanding of guests’ needs through face-to-face meetings, on both sides of the pond. Whilst based in Texas, Jimmy will be making regular visits to Florida, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Colorado to continue this service. It’s been a great start and he will remain there to continue driving this growth in the US, as well as exploring the rare and the remote across the US, in search of epic experiences and unusual accommodation for all Pelorus’ clients. Stateside travellers have been extremely receptive to Pelorus’ focus on travelling with purpose and this means we can continue to focus our energy into creating experiences through a philanthropic lens. We are really excited to see how the US market develops and to building our product knowledge there too.
Scott Maucher also recently joined the company – what does this mean for the business?
Scott was hired to continue the Pelorus Travel drive here in the UK and his background in private jet and wildlife adventure holiday sales has been a real asset to the team. His role is to continue to build on the extraordinary experiences created to date, and to lead that highly personal service ethic for UK clients looking for land-based holidays. Business is returning to a ‘new normal’ and we are delighted to bring him onboard to create outstanding private adventures for our clients. For UK and European clients, celebration bookings are back on track with honeymoons and once-in-a-lifetime trips such as yachting in Antarctica or Costa Rican jungle adventures at the fore, so this is great time for Scott to get cracking.
How else are you re-shaping the business generally, and as a result of the pandemic?
This isn’t so much a re-shape, but the pandemic has focused everyone’s minds even further onto the incredible impact that tourism can have on global economies, communities and wildlife, so we are pushing even harder in our support of The Pelorus Foundation, ensuring that each and every trip we plan positively impacts the community and landscape it is entering into. We want our clients to feel sure they are spending their money in the best possible way, without eroding the heritage or environment of the places they visit.
What do you see as being the key growth areas and business development opportunities at the moment?
We are working with a growing number of industry partners, agents and travel concierges whose clients want more Pelorus-style experiences post-Covid. Developing this network across the UK and US is key to the next phase of our growth strategy. The crisis also allowed us to recognise the power of the brand, and therefore we are also investing more across all digital platforms to strengthen brand presence in our target markets.
How do you see the current landscape for the one-off, experiential travel landscape you specialise in?
The pandemic has sparked a feeling of ‘you only live once’ among our travellers and this is driving bookings for once-in-a-lifetime trips. Our clients are more focused on exploring the globe in style and experiencing those ‘bucket list’ holidays they’ve always wanted to do, be it snorkelling with whale sharks or seeing the Northern Lights, but also with a sharp eye on leaving those destinations in a ‘better’ place than they found them.
The wealthy have not really got poorer during this, just more frustrated they can’t do as they wish – do you agree?
Yes, and this sees our trip planning services come into play as we always encourage our clients to let us look after their downtime, in the same way they would have a wealth manager to look after their investments. At Pelorus we specialise in putting together multi-year journey calendars so that they don’t miss any time and can maximise those precious moments with family and friends.
What are clients asking you for, and what are you able to do for them at the moment?
We are organising trips in 2021 to Alaska, Colorado, Costa Rica, Corsica, Greenland, Italy and Iceland. There is so much that can be done right now, we have honeymoons in Iceland and Italy, lots of yacht action in the Mediterranean, and we are confident that more and more will be possible for the rest of this year. Alongside all of this, guests are also finalising long-term bookings for 2022 and 2023 to ensure they get the best boats, or camps in remote regions.
What’s the lead time on trips – are people coming to you for last-minute requests, or looking for long-term plans?
It’s 50/50 at the moment, which is exciting for our teams. Some are working on intricate and complex trips that require plenty of planning time, and others are jumping on to short-lead adventures where creativity and dogged commitment to getting the best for the client are the name of the game.
What else is coming up soon?
On 13 October, The Pelorus Foundation is hosting an evening event to raise money for its expanding projects. Renowned sailor and inspirational conservation activist Emily Penn will be the guest speaker and there will be an opportunity to find out more about the vital work The Pelorus Foundation is implementing across the globe. The event will be held at the RGS and tickets are £45pp, with all funds raised going to our charity.
