Peregrine Adventures, Intrepid Group's adventure brand, has
introduced 10 carbon-offset adventure cruises.
Each of the cruises will be on ships that carry no more than
50 passengers. The destinations include Cuba, Croatia, Iceland, Portugal,
Panama and the Greek islands.
"Traditional cruises do a great job of catering to
those travelers who enjoy an all-inclusive beach resort, but tourism is
changing and there is no real option on water for our travelers who prefer
small hotels and Airbnb-style local authenticity," stated Intrepid Group
managing director James Thornton.
Thornton added that the cruise market "is ripe for
disruption because the big companies have not responded quickly enough to
demand for genuine local experiences that benefit both travelers and the places
and people they visit."
Intrepid Group said that it is a signatory of the UN Global
Compact, which commits the company to transparent reporting on environmental,
social and economic sustainability. The tour company claims that it has been
carbon-neutral since 2010 and that it calculates carbon emissions from
passengers and then neutralizes emissions on their behalf through the purchase
of carbon offsets.
Peregrine's new Adventure Cruising brochure features 10 cruises, nine of which are operated by Variety Cruises. The Croatia trip will be fully operated by Peregrine. Prices start at $1,500 per person, based on double
occupancy. The first Peregrine small-ship sailings depart in January.
Thornton added Peregrine plans on doing more charters going forward and
that the brand and has a longer term intention to build ships.