However, despite CEO James Thornton just returning from a two-week holiday in Greece without taking business calls or checking emails, there is no chance of the company revisiting ‘unplugged’ journeys.
‘Five or six years ago we tried to launch digital turn-off trips where people were totally disconnected. We sold none. The question our people get asked most often (by guests) is what’s the wifi password?’
Thornton says on a personal note disconnecting is important. ‘Intrepid has an amazing team, so I don’t need to be working while I am on holiday. I need to dedicate time to my family and to relax,’ he told moderator (and WiT founder) Siew Hoon Yeoh during a session entitled At the World’s Edge – Rethinking the Purpose of Travel.
‘So maybe some travellers would pay a premium for disconnected travel – would it work now for CEOs?” asked Yeoh. ‘No,’ replied Thornton.
He does however, think that young travellers may be inclined to keep their devices in their pockets more while experiencing the world.
‘Would my 13 year old son want to use his phone less in a few years while on holiday – maybe.’
Something Thornton is sure about is the need to rebalance the focus of travel and tourism.
‘Travel needs to benefit the communities that are visited, not just the customer. The industry takes the approach that if the customers have a great experience they will come back and that’s true, but communities are not effectively benefiting from tourism and even when they do it’s not at a sufficient level.’
Thornton says Intrepid remains committed to go in its own direction. ‘We’re happy to go left when everyone else goes right and we’re comfortable about getting things wrong sometimes.’
He says getting away from areas that are making current ‘what’s hot’ lists is important.
‘We’re talking about promoting places that have the infrastructure and that want tourism but are not overcrowded. We want to get people to destinations that they may not normally think about.’
