What a year 2017 was for Intrepid. Not only did they have more customers travel with them to more destinations than ever before, they also had another record year of both financial performance and donations to The Intrepid Foundation.
You can find Intrepid’s successful 2017 wrapped up their recently released annual report.
It paints a picture of a company that has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1989 with two bearded backpackers sitting at a kitchen table with a typewriter.
In fact, Intrepid is now the world’s largest provider of sustainable, experience-rich travel.
“The results we’ve seen this year confirm that our 2020 strategy is working. Having a purpose beyond profit is not only attractive to our staff, shareholders and travellers, but it can be profitable too!”
Darrell Wade Executive Chair and Co-founder of the Intrepid Group.
In 2017 Intrepid saw a 15% year-on-year growth in passenger numbers and overall achieved 14.81% growth in group external revenue, growing external revenue to $341 million.
On top of this, they have grown earnings before interest and tax to $10.7 million, up 1.9% on their 2016 results.
It was also a record year for their not-for-profit arm, which raised almost $1 million for local and international charities.
South-East Asia was again their best-selling destination, followed by South America, Southern Asia and Southern Europe.
Their fastest growing destination was Northern Africa, with departed revenue growth of 56%, followed by Northern Europe with
departed revenue growth of 53%.
2017 also saw Intrepid set up three new destination management companies in Iceland, Japan and Central America.
In other big news for Intrepid, they took a 50% stake in Chimu Adventures.
“The deal was funded from cash reserves and makes us a true seven continent operator,” Intrepid Group’s CEO James Thornton said.
Pictured: James Thornton – CEO, Intrepid Travel, Greg Carter – Co-founder, Chimu Adventures and Chad Carey – Co-founder, Chimu Adventures.
They also launched the first charter trip in their new Adventure Cruising range during the European summer, and the overwhelmingly positive response cemented their decision to make small boat cruising a key focus in 2018 and beyond.
“This new range is a testament to us not only living our core value of innovation but also providing products that our customers want,” Thornton said.
In 2017, they also achieved their best-ever levels of customer enjoyment on their trips, with an overall customer satisfaction score of 4.71 out of 5.
Award-winning start-up Urban Adventures continues to be the fastest growing brand within the business, almost doubling its passenger numbers in 2017.
This phenomenal growth is the reason they’re doubling their investment in Urban Adventures, with the goal of reaching one million travellers by 2020.
“Growth is nice on its own, but it’s this sense of purpose that has us excited about the future.” Intrepid Group’s CEO James Thornton said.
READ: VEGAN FOOD TOURS: No meat, no dairy during Intrepid’s specialty trip
READ: EXCLUSIVE: Intrepid Group celebrates the year’s successes
READ: New women-only tours just part of Intrepid Travel’s equality plan