G Adventures head honcho Pete Rawley has mourned the loss of Kumuka, warning continued heavy discounting could see others also fail.
The loss of “one of the adventure travel family” was a sad day for the sector, Rawley told Travel Today.
“We want the sector to grow and to do that we need strong players and strong competitors,” he said. “We don’t need monopolies, we need competition to keep pushing our service, our product and our innovation.”
He branded the practice of offering massive discounts as “ludicrous” and “unsustainable”.
“We have to get better at promoting who we are and what we offer instead of undervaluing the product we’re selling,” he said.
He conceded occasional discounts would always have a place but urged other firms to reconsider their overuse.
Meanwhile, while Rawley was “really saddened” by the loss, he was optimistic about the future of G Adventures, reporting a “very good” 12 months.
“You can’t just sit back on your laurels and be complacent,” he said. “You’ve got to work hard and innovate or else these things happen.”
