Intrepid Travel has refreshed its line of tours, committing to a new
product statement of sustainable, experience-rich travel and "the joyful
travel experience".
The changes are part of a top-to-bottom refocus or "rebranding" of
Intrepid. In addition to the new product statement, Intrepid homed in on
a vision of a more inclusive experience and mission of affecting
positive change through the joy of travel.
To that end, Intrepid retooled its tour lineup by downsizing its
previous offerings and then adding 200 new trips that now make up about
20% of its entire product line.
The tours have a renewed focus on conservation, disability support,
gender empowerment and preservation of Indigenous and minority cultural
traditions.
"We've always run trips and created trips in our home markets, but
interestingly they were usually created for international travellers …
so we kind of went hard on local travel," said Natalie Placko,
Intrepid's general manager of global marketing and brand.
The focus is also on low-carbon experiences and active and outdoor
options. Of the domestic tours, many are focused on including
experiences that support First Nations and Indigenous communities.
Intrepid also rolled out Premium, a line of higher-end tours that
includes private or first-class local transportation, more included
meals, tipping, premium service and four-star accommodations. At least
one stay will be in a unique, historical property.
More tour products are in the works as the company continues to
restart after the pandemic shutdown. Right now it is operating at about
20% of its product range in 30 countries, or about 150 trip departures
per month.
A logo change
Intrepid's logo changed in small but important ways, Placko said,
making the logo a little more "fit" for the moment, pulling the brand
name out of the circular image and softening the distinctive red colour.
A new company vision takes the phrase "changing the way people see the world" and replacing "people" with "we all".
New marketing guidelines were created in collaboration with six
consultants in the areas of BIPOC travel, LGBTQ+, size inclusivity,
modern colonialism and impact/greenwashing.
A
32-page document gives employees guidance on the "voice" of the
Intrepid brand, which Placko said was developed to be less formal and
sound more like the voice of the Intrepid tour leader.
A "curious checklist," she said, would ask the reader questions like
"Are you thinking about other people's perspectives? Are you amplifying
other voices? Are you finding the fun in your words? Are you looking at
ways to make positive change in your writing?"
Source: Travel Weekly