Intrepid Travel has announced that it has purchased a stake in U.K.-based niche travel specialist, Chameleon Worldwide Group. Intrepid CEO and co-founder Darrell Wade is looking forward to expanding his company's offerings to the trade in the high-yield FIT market with a broader product range.
Chameleon Worldwide has seven specialist brands - Wildlife Worldwide, Walks Worldwide, Dive Worldwide, Equine Adventures, Schools Worldwide, Families Worldwide and Out of the Blue (whale and dolphin watching). Intrepid Travel's ground operators will now be providing destination management services for Chameleon's tailored itineraries worldwide.
The Chameleon deal comes on the back of last week's announcement that Intrepid has entered into a partnership with Australian Pacific Touring (APT), with both companies taking an equal shareholding in APT's small group experiential touring division, Connections.
Darrel Wade says that both deals will also "help secure our position as a global operating, marketing and distribution travel company".
Chameleon Worldwide currently carries 3,500 passengers a year whilst Connections carries 15,000.
The effective date of both deals is 1 January 2010. Business alignment is commencing immediately and will be progressive over the coming 18 months. Both deals are subject to formal completion procedures and relevant regulatory approval.
