The brand-new tour range will bring travellers together closer to home, while supporting local communities along the way
Intrepid Travel, the world’s leading sustainable tour operator, has introduced a new collection of tours called Intrepid Local, with initial offerings in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. With 75+ multi-day adventures, these trips will give travellers the opportunity to explore closer to home while many international borders remain closed.
The product range has been curated in direct response to local restrictions beginning to lift following the COVID-19 outbreak, with domestic and regional travel starting to re-open in some areas of the world. All Intrepid Local tours were developed to empower and support local communities during the economic recovery, in line with Intrepid’s values of using travel as a force for good.
“Intrepid Local is our way of bringing over 30 years of experience closer to home,” said Sarah Clark, Managing Director of APAC and Global Project Lead for Intrepid Local. “We wanted to create a product range for locals by locals, that would not only bring travellers back together after months of isolation, but also give them a way to support their own communities and businesses rebounding from the pandemic.”
Highlighting the Local range is a new theme called Intrepid Retreats. This innovative new category is a first for Intrepid, in which groups immerse themselves in one location, in handpicked accommodation ranging from small boutique properties to glamping, with nearby experiences ranging from hikes to wineries to farm visits, foraging, and more.
“We predict a style of travel will emerge post-pandemic toward slow and grounded travel, where travellers will want to engage with local communities,” Clark said.
Recent research conducted by Intrepid Travel revealed that respondent’s number one priority in domestic travel is to support local economies. “Intrepid has always given back to the places and communities that we visit. Our local experiences are designed to give back to local communities that have been hit hard by both the pandemic and in Australia, the bushfires,” Clark said.
Research of close to 2000 people found that 66% sought hiking and nature walks, 49% sought food and wine experiences while 46% want multi-day trips to new regions on their next travel experience.
The recent research by Intrepid also found that 49.7% see themselves travelling solo on their first domestic trip, and 39.7% travelling with a partner.
In addition to these new tours, Intrepid Travel will still be offering day tours in over 200 cities and 100 countries through Intrepid Urban Adventures. Intrepid will also be ramping up their tailormade and private group product for travellers who want a custom version of Intrepid’s group tours.
“More than a response to a new world of travel, Intrepid sees this range as an evolution of our product range to be more sustainable and offer climate conscious short haul travel,” Clark said.
As with all Intrepid Travel tours, the Local range will be 100% carbon-offset and designed to have a low environmental footprint while having a positive impact on local communities. All Intrepid trips will be operated under new Safe Travel protocols developed and endorsed by the World Travel & Tourism Council. Travelers can also book with confidence with Intrepid’s newly introduced Flexible bookings policy.
A sample of the new range as follows:
4-day Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands Road Trip
Visit bushfire affected areas to see how locals are bouncing back and support local communities, have a delicious First Nations food experience, soak in the coastal beauty of Jervis Bay. Watch a spectacular Kangaroo Valley sunset together with wombats, see the Three Sisters, and hike through untouched wilderness.
5-day New Zealand North Island Hike Bike and Canyon:
This active adventure will see travellers digging their own hot spa in the sand at Hahei, taking a guided bike ride of the Blue and Green Lakes in Rotorua, a night walk in Redwood Forest, sleeping overnight in a Marae (Maori meeting grounds), and canyoning through glow worm caves.
6-day West Kimberley Adventure:
Travellers will sleep under the stars and explore the gorges, ranges and rivers that typify the Kimberley landscape. This short journey will show you some of the region’s best natural landscapes and places of cultural importance, like croc spotting on a wildlife cruise through Geikie Gorge, learning about the legend of Jandamarra on a tour of Tunnel Creek or bushwalking to Manning Falls. There will be plenty of bush tucker as well as swims to cool off among water lilies and boab trees.
For more information on Intrepid Local, visit www.intrepidtravel.com/local
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