Travel Weekly editor Tara Harrison has announced her departure to manage the PR and communications strategy for Intrepid Travel in Australia and New Zealand.

During her six-year tenure at Travel Weekly, she worked on three magazine re-design launches, the inaugural and now annual events of Travel Daze, the Women in Travel Awards, as well as bespoke tourism partnerships.

“We’re thrilled to have Tara join the Intrepid team. Not only does she have a great reputation and a great relationship with our industry partners, she also shares our values and our commitment to responsible business,” Intrepid Group chief executive James Thornton said.

Commenting on her new role, Harrison said: “My time at Travel Weekly made me realise my love of lobbying for a cause and that when tourism is done right, it can revolutionise the lives of locals, particularly the lives of women.

“Intrepid is a travel company with a conscience, and I’m looking forward to telling the stories of their purpose-based initiatives.”

Intrepid was the first travel company to ban elephant rides and orphanage tourism and now have an initiative to double their female tour leaders by 2020.

“Intrepid’s been around for almost 30 years, but we’re growing quickly right now and that makes it even more crucial that we attract and retain people like Tara who will help us ‘Grow with Purpose’,” Thornton said.

The portfolio of brands within the Intrepid Group include Intrepid Travel, Gecko’s Adventures, Peregrine Adventures, Urban Adventures and Australian Adventure Tours.

Intrepid has doubled its in-house PR team in the Australian HQ, which will be working closely with agency Seven Communications, who were appointed last year.