On a visit to Toronto last week, Intrepid Travel co-founder Darrell Wade unveiled the adventure company’s plans for the future. Australia-based Wade’s visit was part of a world tour to each of the company’s 27 country offices this year to celebrate its 35th anniversary – and to unveil the 2030 strategy when the brand will turn 40.

At the forefront of Intrepid’s plans is to double its number of customers to 600,000 globally.

Moreover, North America is set to play a pivotal role in this growth, with the company setting plans to open a new office base on the West Coast. Currently Intrepid employs around 150 staff and over 200 tour leaders and guides in North America, a number which has more than doubled following the pandemic, representing an already huge investment in the region.

“North America is Intrepid’s fastest growing market” said Matt Berna, President of the Americas at Intrepid Travel, adding, “2023 saw a record number of Canadians going on adventures with us and we expect this momentum to continue through to 2030 as we enter this new era for the brand.”

In 2023, Intrepid posted a net profit CDN$19.3 million – a $42.3 million turnaround from 2022 –marking the end of the company’s pandemic recovery period and reflecting the growing global demand for sustainable and experiential travel.

Canadian bookings grew by 36% YOY in 2023, with popular destinations including Morocco, Vietnam, Egypt, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Italy, Japan. 2024 is looking strong for the region with North American revenue in the first quarter of 2024 having grown by 9% YOY.

Key goals of Intrepid’s ‘2030 Strategy’ include:

• Double its customers to 600,000 and achieve revenues of CDN$1.1 billion, 1% of which will be directly contributed to Purpose initiatives.
• Intrepid will be more things, to more people, more often. Its six-year strategy focuses on connecting more people with Intrepid more often by expanding into new verticals, including via accommodation, publishing and more.
• Its strategy is built on the concept of meaningful and lasting human connection – Intrepid will do it better than anyone else by leveraging its existing global operational network and ensuring more local communities can benefit more from tourism.
• The company’s four new values are Ambitious, Impactful, Real and Together. These have been developed collaboratively by employee advocacy groups, or ‘values champions,’ from across Intrepid’s global business.
• Intrepid has formally launched a new deal with leading book publisher Hardie Grant’s travel’s division, Hardie Grant Explore, to publish a series of travel books over the next three years. This will see its first book, The Intrepid List, published in October and in shops and online from November.
• Being a certified B Corp will remain a key priority for Intrepid, with the company set to undergo the rigorous recertification process later this year. B Corp certification means that a business has achieved the highest independent standards of social, environmental and governance performance.

“If we are successful in our 2030 Strategy, Intrepid will give back a record amount to environmental and social causes that we believe in as a business” said Intrepid Travel CEP James Thornton. “We will provide more travellers with more incredible experiences, more inspiration, more joy, and more new ideas than ever before. And we will be one of the most exciting, rewarding, and innovative places to work – not in travel, but in the world.”