MONTEGO BAY, St James — Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tours (IRCAT) which saw phenomenal growth last year, will for the first time venture into land- based tour operation at an attraction called River Banking, to be launched in Trelawny next week.

“That’s our first land-based operation that will be offering tubing, bicycle tour and a walking tour in the area just north of the Martha Brae,” General Manager for IRCAT David Shields disclosed.

He also revealed that the company, which is the brainchild of CEO Adam Stewart, will set up shop in three destinations- adding to the 11 already established- during the first part of this year.

“We are going into Belize and we are also going into the Commonwealth of Dominica in this particular period. St Kitts and Nevis is our third destination area which we will be going into the first half of this year,” said Shields.

He was speaking during the launch of Island Routes Caribbean Adventures New World Centre at their new offices at located at 9 Queens Drive, in the resort city of Montego Bay on Monday night.

Among those in attendance at the launch were delegates attending Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2014, other regional tourism leaders and tour operators.

An upbeat IRCAT CEO noted that he was inspired to form the company in 2009 during a trip Africa. Since then the company which employs 250 persons, has recorded 600,000 sales.

Meanwhile, his father, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman of IRCAT, stressed that the company is making a significant contribution to the business of attractions.

“Island Routes is a fabulous story.

What is great about this is the contribution it is making to different businesses.

What it has been able to do is to radically increase income for the attractions,” the elder Stewart said.