The return of adventure group travel will be “challenging”, according to the global boss of the Intrepid Group.
James Thornton, chief executive of Intrepid Group, parent of Intrepid Travel, said there was likely to be a ‘two-tier recovery’ for global travel as parts of the world opened up faster than others.
The Australia-based travel group has suspended its global operations until September 30 but said some of its itineraries, such as its new Intrepid Retreats, and its Urban Adventures brand were due to restart in July.
Travel for the company’s Australia and New Zealand client base was likely to restart later, with borders due to remain closed until early 2021, he said.
Thornton said: “We’re seeing the opportunity to get UK, European and north American travellers travelling on to our worldwide product range.
“Hopefully, we can get some trips operating in quarter four, from October onwards, but obviously, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Group travel was particularly difficult under the current health restrictions, he conceded. He said: “It’s going to be challenging. Safety is our biggest priority.”
He said it was possible the operator would charter its own transport rather than using local transport. “We are investigating that now,” he said.
Tour group leaders would also be trained to ensure they meet health and safety protocols set out by the World Travel & Tourism Council, he added.
There is increased demand for active and wilderness tours, he said, as a result of holidaymakers spending so much time at home during the lockdown.
“We are seeing from the customer research consistent feedback that customers want to be able to get out. They have been cooped up and they want to do something physically active,” he added.
The operator plans to increase its marketing of these types of tours to capitalise on consumer demand.
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