Intrepid Travel says its new 18-29 brand has the potential to shape the future of travel for generations to come - nearly 30 years after the group reinvigorated adventure touring for baby boomers.
The operator will wind down its youth-focused Geckos Adventures brand later this year and replace it with a global 18-29s operation.
Boss James Thornton told TTG while Geckos differentiated Intrepid’s 18-29 offering, sales were almost entirely exclusive to Australia.
“It was either accelerate Geckos beyond Australia or start a new Intrepid brand,” he said. “So that’s what we’ve done.”
Thornton said Intrepid’s first age-specific brand would introduce more young people to its style of travel at an earlier age - and encourage them to continue travelling with the group’s other brands.
“18-29s still travel extensively,” said Thornton. “But they want to do it in a more sustainable, experiential way with like-minded people their own age.
“We’re expecting the number of socially conscious, millennial, Generation Z travellers wanting our style of travel to continue growing.
“They want to stay with locals, see, hear and interact with locals, and have local experiences - we can offer them these kind of experiences they perhaps can’t access as independent travellers."
MORE: Intrepid Travel to create dedicated global 18 to 29s brand
Thornton said “freedom and flexibility” was key to its 18-29 programme: “Our itineraries are quite broad,” he explained. “They are organised in the sense we arrange accommodation and transport.
“However, when passengers arrive, they want a range of opportunities,” he said. “In the 18-29 age bracket, some want to party, some want a local meal, some want a cultural experience.
“This age group is also increasingly affecting travel trends, like the move away from elephant rides. They value travelling with a brand like Intrepid that makes bold decisions.”
Thornton added the 18-29 brand brought Intrepid full circle since its inception in 1989: “I think we always catered for baby boomers,” he said. “Perhaps this is us properly addressing their children.
“If you travel with a brand for a while, you can progress through it, you can move onto other programmes. We recognise the children of Intrepid travellers often want something different."
Last year, Intrepid sales were up 17% globally, a trend it says was driven by youth travel. It has launched more than 80 new 18-29 small group tours to meet demand, priced comparably with its Basix range and with deposits starting from £49.
Its 18-29 product will be promoted through the UK travel trade, with brochures coming later this year.
All Geckos Adventures will become Intrepid 18-29 trips from October 1. Intrepid will add 20% more departures and new destinations, including Iceland and Russia, for 2019.
“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,” Thornton added.
Intrepid’s 18-29 programme will grow dynamically based on demand rather than receiving annual updates.
It will have full access to the group’s network of more than 20 DMCs to quickly add departures to up and coming destinations. Intrepid added Iceland, Central America and Japan last year, and will go to Indonesia this year.
“The most important message is sustainable travel doesn’t have to be expensive,” said Thornton.
“Our network allows us to be extremely competitive on price and offer great value while safeguarding the future of our destinations.”