Tomorrow night’s Comic Relief special that sees six celebs heading to Africa’s Zambezi River for the ride of their lives is set to kick start demand for adventure holidays, according to one holiday company.
Broadcast ahead of Friday’s Red Nose Day, viewers will see how former Spice Girl Melanie Chisolm, Waterloo Road Actress Chelsee Healey, Radio 1 DJ Greg James, Olympic triple jumper Phillips Idowu and comedians Dara O’Brian and Jack Dee get on in their mega fundraising event.
This latest event comes four years after Gary Barlow, Cheryl Cole, Ronan Keating, Chris Moyles and other high profile names set off to climb Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. Their climb raised £3.35 million for Comic Relief and at the same time put charity challenges in the spotlight.
Operators which specialise in operating charity challenges around the world saw demand for Kilimanjaro treks soar with Global Adventure Challenges reporting a 400 per cent increase in enquiries immediately after the climb was broadcast in 2009. Demand has continued to grow for Kilimanjaro climbs and other adrenalin adventures around the world ever since.
A record 50,000 people took part in charity challenges around the world last year but the Comic Relief Zambezi Challenge is set to make 2013 a record year for sign-ups.
According to specialist operator Global Adventure Challenges, which has been safely operating Zambezi charity challenge trips since 2006, the growth is coming from individual travellers who want a once-in-a-lifetime experience and are funding the charity challenges themselves.
“The Zambezi Challenge is the ultimate rafting challenge, the rapids are fast but it’s a massive thrill,” says Peter Robinson, managing director, Global Adventure Challenges. “There’s no doubt that the Comic Relief event will inspire people to sign up and we’re expecting interest to soar when it’s broadcast.”
The Zambezi Challenge is available to book from September 21-28 with more dates in 2014. The cost to register is £399 per person and £1,499 per person for the self-funding option. For more details about how to pay and raise funds for a chosen charity see www.globaladventurechallenges.com
