The Intrepid Group has announced its end of year results, reporting 21% growth in Total Transaction Value (TTV), with the B Corp certified travel company turning over AU$488m in 2019.
The multi-brand company also delivered an EBIT (Earnings before interest and tax) result of $22.6M, a 56% growth in profitability.
Proof that you can have a business that is both profitable and good for the planet and the people and communities it positively represents and impacts upon.
In fact, this is the fourth consecutive year of record growth in revenue and operating profit for Intrepid Group.
With its HQ in Melbourne, Intrepid Group has more than 2,300 staff and leaders. Remarkably, more than $4.5M will be paid out to staff in bonuses.
Intrepid Group CEO James Thornton says the company’s growth is driven by the increasing global demand for sustainable and locally immersive travel experiences.
“It’s fantastic to achieve strong double-digit growth again in 2019”, says Thornton. “But this year’s results are also hugely significant to our team because just four years ago this kind of growth seemed like an impossible dream.”
Intrepid Group CEO James Thornton
The 2019 results mark the successful completion of a four-year strategy that was developed by Intrepid after the company split from TUI Plc to become an independently owned business with a ‘purpose beyond profit’.
Now the world’s largest provider of adventure travel experiences, Intrepid Group offers more than 2,700 trips in 120 countries through its three tour operator brands: Intrepid Travel, Peregrine Adventures and Urban Adventures.
Having celebrated its 30-year anniversary in 2019, Australian-owned Intrepid Group has continued to see growth from its most established market, with APAC bookings up 13%.
Intrepid also saw a 23% increase in customised trip sales from independent travellers drawn to the brand’s sustainability credentials and local expertise.
But it was Intrepid’s global destination management company, PEAK DMC, that saw the biggest year-on-year growth with sales from DMC partners up by 67% in 2019.
Thornton says PEAK DMC sales are an emerging area of the business for Intrepid Group that will help to grow the overall market for sustainable and experience-rich travel.
“Each year brings new challenges and opportunities for the global travel industry. We’ve learnt that to balance our Growth and Purpose, that we must continue to innovate and to diversify our business” says Thornton.
“Responsible travel has been a driving force for Intrepid since our beginnings and the more we grow, the more we can do”.
The Intrepid Foundation, the company’s not-for-profit, also marked a record year in 2019, raising $1.5M for local and international charities.
“We truly believe that the travel industry can be a force for good, but with a new decade upon us, it is increasingly clear that our industry needs to accelerate action on climate change.”
Intrepid Group CEO James Thornton
A carbon-neutral travel company since 2010, last month Intrepid declared a climate emergency and publicly committed to a 7-point action plan to become climate positive in 2020.
As part of its commitment to transparent reporting, Intrepid Group will publicly report on its emissions in its Annual Integrated Report, which is released in April. The report will talk to the highlights and challenges of 2019, as well as reveal details of Intrepid’s ambitious 2025 strategy.
Travel to change the world? Congratulations to the Intrepid Group.
Find out more: www.intrepidgroup.travel/our-purpose