The touring and adventure sector has become a “trendy” and “sexy” part of the travel industry, according to Intrepid Travel chief executive James Thornton.
Speaking at the Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers (Atas) conference, he recalled how interest in the sector has developed over the past 20 years, telling agents: “We should feel incredibly bullish about the future of touring and adventure.”
He talked about how Intrepid has been invited to speak at more conferences over the years, so much so that recently he was a keynote speaker in Perth for the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) global summit.
Furthermore, Intrepid Travel was named by Time magazine as one of the most 100 influential companies of 2023.
“What we do is no longer a niche; it is the way people should travel in the future,” he told Atas delegates in Leeds.
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He also explained why he felt more positive and optimistic about the challenges of the climate crisis after the WTTC summit.
“One third of the industry utterly believes in sustainable travel; one third want to do it but don’t know how; and one third are burying their head in the sand,” he said.
“We are taking steps but not quickly enough.
“But it is changing, more people in the middle third are taking more action now.”
He admitted it is a “hard balance” between the environment, customers, partners, people and shareholders.
“We want to make money, trying to improve all those metrics is hard,” he said. “If you’re solely for profit, it is too short term.”
He said more holidaymakers want sustainable travel and more people want to work for more sustainable companies.
“We have been a B Corp since 2018, I am pleased to see more companies become B Corps,” he added.
“We have got to keep pushing the sustainability agenda.”
He also admitted it can be hard to remain optimistic in the face of the climate crisis, noting how summer 2024 was the hottest on record.
But he highlighted the power of travel to help economies in overseas destinations – and the importance of offering low-carbon alternatives, such as travelling by rail instead of flying.
Intrepid now has 40 itineraries by rail and is replacing many internal flights with train journeys.
He highlighted how agents can make their own contribution to tackling crises, with the help of Intrepid publications such as the ‘Champion of Change’ guide, decarbonisation guide and animal welfare guide.
And he said travel companies should not compete on sustainability as it should be a “hallmark of all travel”.
“It is incumbent on us to influence the whole industry,” he told delegates.
Thornton also highlighted the “loneliness epidemic”, saying nearly six in 10 adults in the UK feel lonely.
“Loneliness has the same impact on your health as 15 cigarettes a day,” he said.
“But our trips bring people together; you travel with like-minded people. Touring and adventure can be the antidote to loneliness.”
Describing climate change and loneliness as “existential threats”, he told the audience: “Collectively we do have solutions, we can solve them together.
“If more people travel in our low-impact, community-centred style of travel, it will help tackle these problems.
“We have the ability to solve them together. We create and deliver incredible dreams together.
“Together we can create amazing stories and change people’s lives.”
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