Wilderness Safaris has bought the Jacada Travel brand and is to operate a revived version of the luxury tour operator.
The new owner says Jacada Travel will have “the same name, service and worldwide destinations” as the company that ceased trading as it entered administration in May.
It joins the portfolio of Wilderness Safaris, and will become the luxury African operator’s first consumer-facing brand.
Jacada will not sell via the trade initially, but Wilderness Safaris said it may do ‘at some point in the future’.
Wilderness said the two brands “have long been aligned in their vision of a more thoughtful, responsible take on luxury travel”.
Founded in 2008, Jacada Travel bills itself as designig luxury and ‘once-of-a-kind’ travel experiences ‘with a conscience’.
Wilderness has operated for more than 40 years, offering trips to some of Africa’s most remote and pristine wilderness areas.
Despite Wilderness’ African focus, Jacada will continue to offer trips worldwide, including to Latin America, Asia, Australasia and Europe.
“The Jacada brand joining Wilderness Safaris is an example of the creative, positive outcomes that Wilderness Safaris is seeking out during this time of great change for the travel industry,” said Keith Vincent, chief executive of Wilderness Safaris. “Welcoming the Jacada brand to our family is a silver lining in what has been a dark period for international travel.”
Travellers who previously booked with Jacada are being contacted to review or rearrange their trips.
Jacada will support conservation and development efforts in Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as a portion of the brand’s revenue will contribute to protecting more than 2.3 million hectares of wilderness area, as well as the funding of ongoing scientific research and ecological restoration.