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MILESTONE: Chimu Adventures celebrates 15 years in business

Latin America and Polar specialists, Chimu Adventures are celebrating 15 years in business this month, and to mark the milestone, co-founders Greg Carter and Chad Carey have reflected on the key lessons they have learned.

Latin America and Polar specialists, Chimu Adventures are celebrating 15 years in business this month, and to mark the milestone, co-founders Greg Carter and Chad Carey have reflected on the key lessons they have learned.

The pair started the business in 2004 after growing frustrated with the inflexibility, low quality and high price of existing tours to South America.

Their mission was to introduce fully flexible, guaranteed Latin America itineraries and polar expedition cruises to the Australian travel industry. July 25th, 2019, marks 15 years of Chimu Adventures doing just that.

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Chimu Founders, Greg Carter and Chad Carey

During the last decade and a half, the business has grown into an AU$40 million enterprise, employing over 70 staff in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, Germany and on the ground in Latin America.

2020 will see Chimu commence their own Antarctic operations aboard the Ocean Endeavour.

Chimu has also helped raise close to $1m in funds towards purpose related activities in the past 15 years.

Greg said both he and Chad and came from households where giving back was always part of life and that always inspired them.

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“One thing that has stuck from childhood is the saying: ‘Don’t help because it is convenient, help because you can.’ Working in countries such as Peru, a developing country, you see how important reciprocity from our operations is.”

Greg Carter, Chimu Adventures.

The pair agree travel is a great teacher – believing the best way teach people about the environmental impact of climate change than to promote places like Antarctica, educate passengers on what is happening there and bring them home as advocates.

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Their vision for Chimu in the coming years is focused around sustainability (particularly with their new Antarctic voyages); empowering and inspiring their employees through encouraging transparency and autonomy, and using data to continue the creative marketing of their unique products.