Intrepid Travel has acquired leading Dutch tour operator Sawadee Reizen from Travelopia in a landmark deal, signalling a major step into a new market and an ambition to grow its style of responsible small group travel in Europe.

Headquartered in Amsterdam, Sawadee is one of the largest experiential tour operators in the Netherlands and delivers over 250 trips across 100 countries with a global team of 180 people.

The acquisition, which completed on Jan. 31 supports Intrepid’s ambitious 2030 Strategy, which aims to grow to more than $1bn in the next five years. It immediately makes the Netherlands Intrepid’s fourth largest source market (after Australia, the US and the UK).

Intrepid and Sawadee have had a successful working partnership since 2011. Intrepid DMC operates a number of Sawadee’s trips to deliver high-quality, locally focused, immersive travel experiences, with a commitment to responsible travel.

Both Intrepid and Sawadee achieved record financial results in 2024 and share a strong cultural alignment in their commitment to customers and their teams. Sawadee has a 4.5-star rating on Trust Pilot, while Intrepid has a world-leading NPS of 81.5.

“We’re delighted to welcome the Sawadee team to Intrepid after more than a decade working successfully together,” said Intrepid CEO, James Thornton. “Intrepid aims to be the world’s largest vertically integrated experiential travel company and bringing our two brands together is a major step towards that. We also both believe that travel can be a force for good in the world,” he added.

Under the deal, Sawadee will continue to be led by Managing Director Berend Simons, who will report to Intrepid’s Managing Director EMEA, Zina Bencheikh. Sawadee will remain based in Amsterdam and will continue to operate with its existing name and brand, which is well-recognized in the Netherlands.

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