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Intrepid Prioritises Decarbonised Tours Amid Tourism Recovery

Intrepid Travel says it is continuing its commitment to sustainable travel by introducing 42 new low carbon alternatives to enhance traveller experience while being better for the planet.

Intrepid Travel says it is continuing its commitment to sustainable travel by introducing 42 new low carbon alternatives to enhance traveller experience while being better for the planet.

It’s World Earth day and Intrepid Travel has announced it has reimagined its product line during its rebuild to incorporate both new and amended itineraries with lower carbon outputs. 

The company says it has been carbon neutral since 2010 and in October 2020 became the first and only tour operator in the world with verified science-based climate targets, operating in line with a 1.5°C future championed by the historic 2015 Paris Agreement. 

As part of its decarbonisation work in the last year alone, Intrepid has introduced over 40 low-carbon alternative tours including new closer-to-home adventures and walking and cycling trips around the globe, including Australia and New Zealand.

The tour operator is also committed to switching out carbon-intensive inclusions for more sustainable activities on a number of its tours, each of which provides an added benefit of enriching the overall trip experience further.  

“Although Intrepid has placed a major importance on reducing our carbon footprint over the years, decarbonisation has become a real focus to our product design as we begin to rebuild,” said Sarah Clark, Managing Director APAC of Intrepid Travel. 

“We urge other Australian and New Zealand companies in the travel industry to follow suit, looking beyond offsetting, advocacy and administrative green practices to focus on things that make the most positive impact such as trips,”

Sarah Clark, Managing Director APAC of Intrepid Travel. 

Decarbonised Itineraries

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As part of Intrepid’s commitment to a 1.5°C future, the travel company confirms it will continue to reduce emissions across its operations and trips, replacing transportation options on many of its itineraries to lower-carbon alternatives.

Intrepid’s decarbonisation plan will include reviewing removing flights 90 minutes or less on our top 50 trips by the end of 2022 where a feasible land or rail alternative exists.

For example, Intrepid has traded out internal flights with high-speed rail on the majority of its trips in China and continues to make similar changes elsewhere whenever there is a feasible land or road alternative available. 

New “Human-Powered” Tours

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During the past year, Intrepid has increased its portfolio of walking- and cycling-based trips, recognising that they are some of the lowest carbon-output trip styles, while also being in high demand as travellers seek outdoor active adventures following months of indoor quarantining. 

The onset of the pandemic accelerated the company’s focus on more travel options closer to home in its major source markets – including Australia and New Zealand – resulting in the addition of 25 new walking tours and 15 new cycling tours across a range of destinations.

Some of these tours include Trek The Larapinta Trail, Cycle New Zealand: Otago Rail Trail, and Cradle Mountain Overland Trek.

All Intrepid trips operate under  Safe Travel protocols developed and endorsed by the World Travel & Tourism Council. Travellers can also book with confidence with Intrepid’s Flexible bookings policy.  

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