by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:30 AM ET, Tue February 4, 2025
B Corp certified tour operator Intrepid Travel has made its biggest acquisition in company history, acquiring Dutch tour operator Sawadee Reizen from British company Travelopia.
The tour operator, which is based in Amsterdam, is one of the largest experiential tour operators in the Netherlands, employing 180 and offers over 250 tours to 100 different countries. Intrepid and Sawadee have been partnering together since 2011, with Intrepid DMC operating a number of the operator’s trips around the world.
“We’re delighted to welcome the Sawadee team to Intrepid after more than a decade working successfully together,” said Intrepid CEO, James Thornton. “Intrepid aims to be the world’s largest vertically integrated experiential travel company and bringing our two brands together is a major step towards that. We also both believe that travel can be a force for good in the world.”
The acquisition was made on January 31 and is expected to add to Intrepid’s economic outlook with an extra $3.1 million in earnings, $62 million in revenue and 20,000 more annual travelers. The Netherlands is now Intrepid’s fourth-largest source market.
Intrepid’s 2030 Strategy is designed to grow the responsible tour operator to reach $1 billion in the next five years.
“Intrepid is a leading global travel business, with exceptionally strong values. We’re excited about the next part of the Sawadee journey and growing together. Our leading position in the Dutch market, coupled with Intrepid’s global expertise, means we will continue to deliver amazing trips for our customers and create impact for the communities we visit,” said Sawadee Managing Director, Berend Simons.
The operator will continue to be headquartered in the Netherlands and will continue to be led by Simons, who will report to Intrepid’s Managing Director EMEA, Zina Bencheikh.
Sawadee will work towards its own B Corp certification. Intrepid Travel has been certified since 2018 and recently achieved a high score of over 100, which puts it at the top-ranking socially and environmentally responsible companies in the world.
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