TrekAmerica has introduced an 03 phone number in a bid to reduce call costs for customers and encourage the industry to follow suit.
The move follows a Which? report last month which revealed that 70% of travel firms were using high rate numbers.
High rate numbers, including 0843, 0844, 0845 and 0871, can cost up to 10p per minute to call from a landline and up to 40p per minute from a mobile phone.
Some operators offer 0800 numbers, which are free to call from landlines but these still incur charges when dialled from a mobile.
By comparison, 03 numbers are charged at the same basic rate as 01 and 02 numbers and must be included in inclusive call packages for both landline and mobile phone contracts, removing the burden of call charges to high rate numbers and keeping costs down for customers.
TrekAmerica managing director Richard Hanson said: “These recent findings have led us to take the decision to offer an 03 number to our customers, to ensure they are not suffering costly phone bills when arranging their trips with TrekAmerica.
“Many of our customers are under the age of 30 and, we anticipate, most likely to be calling us from a mobile device.
“We don’t want them to be penalised for this. Booking an adventure tour should be an exciting experience and we want to ensure our customers feel that from start to finish.”
He added: “The recent reports are very worrying and the problem is wide reaching.
“We support the call for a new EU law to enforce that helplines should only be charged at no more than a basic rate and hope that our decision to move away from high rate numbers will encourage other operators in the sector to do the same.”
The introduction of 03 numbers also covers sister company Grand American Adventures.