Draft:Explore Worldwide
| Submission declined on 13 April 2025 by Greenman (talk). This submission appears to read more like an advertisement than an entry in an encyclopedia. Encyclopedia articles need to be written from a neutral point of view, and should refer to a range of independent, reliable, published sources, not just to materials produced by the creator of the subject being discussed. This is important so that the article can meet Wikipedia's verifiability policy and the notability of the subject can be established. If you still feel that this subject is worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia, please rewrite your submission to comply with these policies.
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
|  |
| Company type | Tour operator |
|---|---|
| Industry | Tourism |
| Founded | 1981; 44 years ago |
| Founders | Travers Cox, Derek Moore |
| Headquarters | Farnborough, Hampshire |
| Office locations | Farnborough, Brisbane, Toronto |
| Key people | Michael Edwards, Managing Director; Joe Ponte, Group CEO |
| Number of employees | 120 |
| Website | www.explore.co.uk |
Explore Worldwide is a travel company specialising in small group adventure tours.[1]. Founded in 1981, the company has its headquarters in Farnborough, Hampshire, United Kingdom, with additional offices in Toronto, Canada and Brisbane, Australia. Explore offers a range of guided small group tours to around 100 countries, across themes including Discovery, Walking and Cycling, Solo and Food.
History
[edit]Explore Worldwide was established in 1981 by Travers Cox and Derek Moore[2]. Cox and Moore aimed to create a travel company that focused on authentic and sustainable travel experiences.
Destinations
[edit]Explore Worldwide offers tours to destinations across all seven continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and the Polar regions. The itineraries include a mix of visiting well-known sites and attractions, as well as a number of authentic experiences that aim to engage with local communities.
Acquisition
[edit]- 2000: Holidaybreak acquires Explore in a deal worth £30 million in March 2000[3].
- 2011: Explore's parent company, Holidaybreak Group, is sold to Cox & Kings for £312 million[4].
- 2015: Hotelplan Limited acquire Explore in December 2015. Sister companies in the UK include Inghams, Espirit, Santa's Lapland and Inntravel[5]
- 2025: DERTOUR Group acquire Hotelplan Group, including Inghams, Inntravel, Santa's Lapland and Explore, in February 2025[6].
Trip types
[edit]Explore's small group trips cater to different themes. These are: Classic Discovery, Walking & Trekking, Cycling, Family Adventures, Wildlife, Food & Drink, Polar and Explore Upgraded.
There is an average group size of 11 (up to 16 travellers) per trip[7] and the average age is 57. In 2025, Explore launched 20 new tours including walking, cycling and classic discovery trips[8].
B-Corp status
[edit]In 2024, Explore Worldwide was awarded B-Corp status with an overall impact score of 84.1[9]. The certification recognises that Explore meets a high standard of social and environmental performance.
The Explore Foundation
[edit]The Explore Foundation was founded in 2023[10] as a registered charity with the primary aim of expanding upon the community and environmental initiatives that had previously been funded by Explore Worldwide for several decades.
The charity provides support for a range of projects that create a lasting, positive impact on people, places and the planet. The Explore Foundation has supported projects for the likes of Lone Buffalo in Laos, One Bike in Tanzania, Lehara in Nepal and Stand With Ukraine[11].
In 2025, the Explore Foundation released their first Impact Report[12], detailing how they have impacted communities and providing financial information from their first year of operation.
Corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy
[edit]Explore Worldwide places a strong emphasis on responsible and sustainable travel. This is reflected in the company's sustainability initiatives, which include efforts to reduce waste, promote eco-friendly practices and contribute to local conservation efforts.
- 2008: Explore began offsetting all customer flights with Cool Earth
- 2015: Explore protects over 10,000 trees with Cool Earth
- 2016: Explore stopped elephant riding on all its small group trips
- 2018:
- Explore partnered with Water to Go to limit single-use plastic consumption on its trips[13]
- Solar panels were installed and all non-recyclable single-use coffee cups were banned from Explore HQ
- 2020:
- All trips were fully carbon offset, including accommodation and transport, with Climate Care
- Explore is one of the founding signatories of tourism, declaring a Climate Emergency
- Animal Protection Policy launched
- 2021:
- Comprehensive climate action plan launched
- Measurement agency, Ecollective, are appointed to measure the carbon footprint of every single trip[14]
- New partnership with Rewilding Britain, with £3 per customer donated to the charity
- Agreement with Cool Earth to mitigate Explore's carbon emission, charged at £2 per person travelling
- Became a signatory of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism at COP26 [15], aiming to raise the climate protection ambitions of tourism businesses and halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. [16]
- 2022: Launches new low-carbon travel policy for staff[17]
- 2023: Launches the Explore Foundation.
- 2024:
- 2025: Partnered with International Rail to offer flight-free travel to customers[20]
Awards and recognition
[edit]- 2021:
- 2023: Awarded Sustainable Travel Company of the Year at the TTG Travel Industry Awards
- 2024: Awarded In-House Team of the Year and the Integrated Campaign awards at the 2024 Travel Marketing Awards[22]
- 2025:
References
[edit]- ^ "Why book with us? | About Explore".
- ^ "Derek Moore - The Derek Moore Foundation".
- ^ "Holidaybreak acquires Explore Worldwide | TravelWeekly".
- ^ "Travel Daily Media | Travel Industry News Events and Awards".
- ^ "Hotelplan UK acquires Explore Worldwide | Travel Weekly".
- ^ "Comment: Dertour seals a cooperative deal | Travel Weekly".
- ^ "What to Know About Adventure Travel Operator Explore Worldwide | TravelAge West".
- ^ "Kensington, Collette & Explore Worldwide: Tour Operator News".
- ^ "Explore Worldwide - Certified B Corporation - B Lab Global".
- ^ "Explore Worldwide establishes charitable foundation".
- ^ "Search - The Explore Foundation".
- ^ "Explore Foundation - Impact Report by Explore! - Issuu".
- ^ "Water-to-Go in partnership with Explore | Water-to-Go". 18 May 2018.
- ^ "Carbon Footprint Consulting | ecollective".
- ^ "One Plant Network - Explore Worldwide".
- ^ "Hotelplan UK signs Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action".
- ^ "Hotelplan UK launches new low-carbon travel policy for staff - Explore".
- ^ "Explore Worldwide - Certified B Corporation - B Lab Global".
- ^ "Explore Worldwide Pioneers Sustainable Fuel Option for Travellers".
- ^ "Explore Worldwide teams up with International Rail to offer flight-free breaks".
- ^ "Booking a holiday? You can trust these 24 travel companies with your money". 21 October 2020.
- ^ "TTMA2025".
- ^ "Events | AWTE - Association of Women Travel Executives".
- ^ "Trusted Service Awards Winners 2025".