Demand Rises for Outward Bound Courses

MEDIA RELEASE

10 November 2005

Demand Rises for Outward Bound Courses

New Zealand’s iconic adventure-based learning and development provider Outward Bound is experiencing a surge in demand for its courses.

Outward Bound manager opportunities, Darren Quirk, said all courses were fully booked until March 2006 and course bookings overall were tracking 32% ahead of the same time last year.

“We’ve never been so busy,” Darren said.

“Demand for our courses have risen dramatically over the past year reflecting changes in attitude both within the organization and externally.”

Outward Bound has provided courses at its school at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds for 43 years. However, Darren said the organization had undergone significant change over the past 10 years.

“We’ve restructured from a voluntary committee structure to a paid professional business structure, expanded our product range, invested in facilities and revisited our core values.

“Ten years ago we offered only two courses but today we have 10 core courses that meet a wide range of community needs. Adult, corporate and disability courses have been added to complement our core youth courses,” Darren said.

With the help of long-time sponsors Hubbard’s Foods, and new sponsor Kathmandu, Outward Bound has also been able to increase its marketing activity, creating further demand for its courses.

Darren said a change in attitude amongst the New Zealand public has also driven demand for Outward Bound courses.

“Parents are now, more than ever, aware of the importance and value of getting kids active and developing their personal skills. As a result, parents are increasingly investing in their children’s growth by sending them to Outward Bound to experience the outdoors and to develop personal values - something often cited as lacking amongst today’s youth,” Darren said.

And the success doesn’t stop at increased bookings, as Outward Bound ‘walks the talk’ internally having won second place in the Best Places to Work Survey last year.

“At the moment, we’re simply thrilled to be riding a wave of success,”Darren said.

“Being in such a strong financial position means that we can continue to raise the quality and variety of our courses, so that the Outward Bound experience becomes even more accessible to increasing numbers of New Zealanders.”

ENDS

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