Intrepid has reported an “immediate surge” in sales in youth holiday sales after ditching its Geckos Adventures brand.
The Geckos Adventures range, sold mainly through its Australian business, was dropped almost three months ago and the product merged into a new trade-friendly collection of holidays for 18 to 29 year olds under the Intrepid brand.
Sales of 18-29 year old holidays through the trade are up 50% globally year on year and 30% in the UK, said group chief growth officer Michael Edwards.
The sales growth validated the decision to focus on this market, added Edwards, although he admitted there was “a long way to go” in terms of increasing more agents to sell the range in the UK.
Growth so far was a mix of new clients and market share from rivals with larger group tours, he said.
He said: “We have seen an immediate surge in sales and we are incredibly happy with the change, perhaps we should have done it earlier. The appetite is there; we were not positioning it in the best way under Geckos.
“We still have a lot to do in the UK market with the trade. They can expect a lot of activity around the 18-29s product next year.”
Edwards said the recent demise of Club 18-30 demonstrated the changing demand in the millennials generation of holidaymakers for the type of holidays Intrepid is now offering, with sustainability, cultural experiences, wellness and social responsibility high on the agenda.
“We have definitely seen a change from this age group in terms of what they want and how they want to travel. We have already added yoga and trekking for example in Morocco and we will continue to develop the product,” he said.
He urged agents in the UK to tap into this market to provide an additional revenue stream, and said many of these clients would be children of agents’ existing customers.
He added: “There is an appetite for these holidays but not many agents are selling to this type of customer and there is a real opportunity for extra sales.”
A dedicated brochure will be out next year, with more targeted trade activity, including a fam trip, also in the pipeline.