Australia-based Intrepid Group is marking three consecutive years of record growth, with the multi-brand company reporting 17% growth in revenue to A$397 million (£228m) in 2018.
The adventure travel specialist delivered earnings [Ebit] of almost A$15 million (£8.6m), thanks to a 25% increase in underlying annual profitability.
Almost a quarter of the Melbourne-based company’s 2018 profits will be paid out to its 1,800 staff staff in bonuses.
The Intrepid Foundation, the group’s not-for-profit arm, also marked a record year in 2017, raising A$1 million (£573,000) for local and international charities.
James Thornton, chief executive, attributed the profit growth to an increasing global demand for sustainable travel and the company’s commitment to having a ‘purpose beyond profit’.
The group’s four tour operator brands – Intrepid Travel, Peregrine Adventures, Urban Adventures, Adventure Tours Australia – provide more than 2,700 trips in 120 countries.
The business also includes a global network of local destination management companies, as well as several suppliers in which Intrepid Group has a stake, such as Chimu Adventures.
The diversification has helped to protect the group from the highs and lows of world events and deliver a strong profit result in 2018, according to Thornton.
He said: “Over the past 30 years we’ve seen many of our favourite places suffer through the lows of natural disasters and we’ve learnt how important it is to diversify not only where we go, but also our brands, products and sales regions so that we can cater to all ages, budgets and appetites for adventure.”
The company saw 60% growth in customer numbers from Urban Adventures and the opening of the company’s 21st destination management company in Indonesia.
Thornton believes it is the company’s commitment to creating benefit for all its stakeholders that has enabled Intrepid Group to achieve a record employee engagement score of 82% and a record customer feedback score of 4.7 out of 5 for the year.
“This year we celebrate Intrepid’s 30-year anniversary and it’s fantastic to be achieving this level of growth. We’re as committed to sustainable travel as we were in the beginning, so the truly inspiring thing for everyone here as Intrepid is just to see that the more we grow, the more we can do. Customers really are looking for businesses to be a force for good,” he added.
Further information on Intrepid Group’s 2018 results will be released in April in the group’s annual report.
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