NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
Intrepid Travel is vowing to put agents at the heart of its strategy as demand for adventure travel takes off. Jennifer Morris reports
Intrepid
organises a Nepal
promotion with agents
Feel our love, Intrepid tells agents
Intrepid Travel plans to take more than 500 agents on fam trips and hosted holidays over the next three years as it unveils a trade-facing campaign designed to make agents feel ‘loved’.
The ‘Intrepid Loves Agents’
initiative is part of a strategy to increase trade sales and address the fact that “some agents feel they’ve been marginalised by operators”. The experiential tour operator,
which sells everything from safaris to camping in Antarctica, saw a 23% increase in trade sales last year and a 40% growth in sales through independents. Overall, the Intrepid brand in
the UK grew 12% last year and UK managing director Michael Edwards expects to see its agency business double in the next two to three years.
Intrepid Loves Agents
At the heart of the initiative is a new online ‘hub’ – at
intrepidlovesagents.com – where users can register for places on fam trips, watch webinars, complete the brand’s first training modules and download flyers and posters.
There will also be a ‘social’ section with content from agents who have been hosted on trips. There are five video training modules – travel themes, travel your way, booking is easy, life on tour and adventure travel myths, – with each followed by five multiple choice questions.
Fam trips and prizes
The first of four 2016 fam trips will see 10 agents visit Nepal, which has been rebuilt after last year’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake. The trip will run in partnership with Jet Airways from April 22-30. Agents must register and complete two training modules by February 29 to enter the draw. Other fam trips organised for
this year will visit Vietnam, Italy and Morocco, while Intrepid will also offer the chance for 50 agents to experience a scheduled itinerary for themselves. Every agent who makes a booking before the end of February will win a prize, including trip places and Amazon vouchers. “We wanted to put a bit of love
back into agents,” said Edwards. “They’ve helped spur our
14
travelweekly.co.uk 4 February 2016
business – we want to make sure they feel rewarded and vital. “This is a long-term pledge to
make sure they are at the centre of everything we do as a business. “In three to five years our
market will become a staple for agents because it plays to that experiential thing they do so well that online can’t. “But there are a lot of independents out there who don’t sell our type of product yet and are missing out on great commission. “We’ve done a lot of work with
agents on things like improving commercials, and this concept is for our existing partners too, but for independents it will be a way for us to more easily communicate with them and them with us. “Over time we hope
to create adventure specialists and ambassadors who will be rewarded more and more.” Edwards
wouldn’t reveal commission
Michael Edwards, UK managing director
rates but said they were in the “double digits” and are always open to discussion with independents who think they can sell high volumes.
Destination plans
In the past two years Intrepid Travel has increased its number of business development managers from three to five. It has also hired a head of business development and created two dedicated trade marketing positions. The business also has plans to add destinations “after spending time getting its brand and agency strategies right”. Tui Group and the founders of Intrepid Travel joined forces in 2011 to form a strategic partnership but parted ways last summer. “A big part of us and Tui
deciding to go amicably our separate ways is that we’re an entrepreneur-led business and always have been,” said
Edwards. › Competitions, page 50
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