An office in Japan has been opened by the Intrepid Group to meet a growing demand from increasingly adventurous travellers visiting the country.
The new Kyoto office, which is operated under the PEAK DMC brand, will be the base for 20 local staff and guides to take thousands of travellers throughout Japan’s most iconic sites as well as lesser known destinations for Intrepid Travel, Peregrine Adventures, Geckos Adventures and other brands.
This is Intrepid Group’s 18th destination management company in its global network.
New PEAK DMC companies due to open in Iceland in November and in three Central America locations in January.
The expansion of the global network enables the Intrepid Group to further expand its offering across the multi-brand business.
PEAK DMC carries more than 350,000 travellers a year with revenue of $123 million.
Intrepid reported a 69% increase in sales on its Intrepid Travel branded trips to Japan last year, including double the number of travellers on family adventure tours.
The group’s more up-market adventure travel brand, Peregrine Adventures, has seen Japan bookings increase by 38% this year and youth travel brand Geckos Adventures has experienced 13% growth.
Intrepid Travel’s itineraries in Japan include a trip to Ashaikawa’s ice festival, cycling in the Noto Peninsula, a food tour to Koya-san, and a new trip to southern Japan in 2018.
Group CEO James Thornton said: “We’ve seen a huge appetite for a more sustainable and experiential style of travel globally, across all ages and budgets.
“One of the benefits of this style of travel is to bring tourism into smaller communities, which is increasingly important for preserving culture and natural beauty in a country like Japan where people are moving to into large cities.”