ROME -- When it comes to booking space and reserving special events
for the Jubilee Year in Italy, tour operators have been on the case
for the past few years.
"We
are chartering an aircraft called Jubilee One, which will be
positioned throughout the U.S. in areas where there is a high
density of Catholics," said Fred Berardo, president of Central
Holidays Tours. The charter, a 757, will offer nonstop flights to
Italy from gateways throughout the U.S., Berardo said.
Regarding hotels, "I don't think room space will be a great
problem except in three-star hotels," he said. "Four-star space is
not a problem, and we have our block of space to cover our
programs. Our big expectation is that the Jubilee market will be
not only Catholics but every sector of the religious field."
Mauro Galli, president of TourCrafters in Chicago, said his
company's focus is to stay close to the spirit of the event by
keeping prices reasonable. "We have a variety of programs set up to
accommodate the pilgrims, and to keep the price low, we are using
Fiuggi [near Rome] for accommodations," Galli said.
In addition to arranging accommodations, Galli said, the company
expects to have access to the Italian Government Tourist Office's
pilgrim cards when they become available, to help interested
visitors attend special religious events. TourCrafters also will be
able to help clients prebook cultural events, Galli said.
Fantasy Holidays, a Jericho, N.Y.-based company that sells
charters to Italy, is gearing up for the big event with increased
service, according to company president John DeLeo. "We are going
to offer packages, fly-drives and more frequent service in the year
2000, probably with Air Europe, but we will not get involved with
tickets for events, because a lot can go wrong with that," DeLeo
said. The company already has booked several church groups with air
and packages for the Jubilee Year, he said.
Not every tour operator is making a lot of hoopla about the
Jubilee, however. "I have not given the millennium much thought,"
said Gino di Nallo, president of Chicago-based TourItalia. "I feel
people will be going to Italy this year, next year and the year
after," he said.
Rather than focus on Rome, di Nallo said, he is continuing to
highlight other destinations in Italy to his clients, who tend to
be repeat visitors. "I like the Trentino area, and this year, I
also added a tour of Apuglia, Sardinia and the Cinque Terre," di
Nallo said. The Cinque Terre, or Five Lands, is a stretch of
northwest coast south of Genoa.
Perillo Tours is celebrating the millennium with a gala New
Year's Eve package, but otherwise, the company is not focusing on
the Jubilee for its Italy programs, according to Steve Perillo,
company president.
A sampling of what is available follows:
Regina Tours in Chardon, Ohio, a member of the CHT Group, has
designed Jubilee packages to Rome, to other destinations in Italy
and Europe and to the Holy Land. Tours include visits to all four
basilicas on the pilgrimage route in Rome.A sample six-night package includes roundtrip air from New York
(Newark); accommodations at two-, three- and four-star hotels;
daily continental breakfasts; two dinners, and two days of
sightseeing.
Prices begin at $1,099 per person, double. A $100 early booking
discount is available with deposit received by May 31; one
passenger flies and stays free for every 15 bookings.
Seven-day packages that include attendance at World Youth Day
start at $1,694, not including fees for activities.
A Eucharistic Congress trip from June 16 to 26 also is available
from $1,999.
Beyond Rome packages include Eucharistic Miracles of Italy,
priced from $1,879, and Classic Shrines, from $3,349.
Packages to see the Shroud of Turin will be available; details
have not yet been set.
Regina Tours, Phone: (440) 286-9141 or (800) 228-9141; (800)
465-9248 on the West Coast. Fax: (440) 286-4231, E-mail:
[email protected], Web: www.reginatours.com
206 Tours in Smithtown, N.Y., specializes in Catholic
pilgrimages around the world.The company will create specialized Jubilee programs for church
or other groups and offers scheduled itineraries.
A seven-night Holy Year of the Great Jubilee 2000 program, with
departures all year, is priced from $2,199, including air from New
York. The trip includes accommodations at the Hotel Michelangelo
near the Vatican, daily breakfast and dinner, motorcoach
transportation, sightseeing, admission fees and theater tickets.
Also included are full-day trips to Assisi and Florence.
The trip features a papal audience, visits to the four major
basilicas on the pilgrim route and daily Mass. The package is
priced from $2,399.
A seven-night Shrines of Italy tour also is available, starting
at $1,699 per person. A three-day trip to see the Shroud of Turin
is available as a pre- or post-tour option from $439.
206 Tours, Phone: (800) 206-TOUR, (800) 345-2854 or (516)
361-4644, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.206tours.com
EC Tours Inc., based in Valley Village, Calif., can design
customized religious pilgrimages to Italy during the Jubilee
Year.EC Tours, Phone: (800) 388-0877 or (818) 755-9333 in Los
Angeles, E-mail: [email protected]
CIT has designed a 10-night Shrines of Italy tour starting at
$1,846 per person, double, land only. The itinerary begins in Rome
but includes stays in Loreto, Ravenna, Padua, Florence and Assisi.
The package offers accommodations, daily buffet breakfasts, five
dinners and one lunch.CIT, Phone: (800) CIT-TOUR or (800) CIT-RAIL; (212) 730-2400 in
New York; (310) 338-8616 in Los Angeles; Groups: (781) 639-4550;
E-mail: [email protected]
Perillo Tours, based in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., has designed a
New Year's Eve Rome package starting at $3,799, including air from
New York. The highlight of the package, which has limited space
left, is a black-tie gala party at the Parco dei Principi Hotel
ballroom in Rome. Daily breakfasts, dinner and sightseeing are
included. The package features an excursion to Florence, along with
a papal audience, depending on the pope's schedule.Perillo Tours, Phone: (800) 431-1515 or (201) 307-1234
TourItalia in Chicago is offering a five-night Millennium
package to Rome that includes stays in three- and four-star hotels.
The plan covers roundtrip private airport transfers, hotel
accommodations, daily breakfasts, hotel taxes and service
charges.Available from Nov. 16 through Feb. 29, the package is priced
from $480 per person, double. Departures over New Year's Eve carry
a supplemental charge.
TourItalia, Phone: (800) 848-6276 or (312) 644-5757
Donna Franca Tours in Boston is offering a Millennium Magic
tour that includes air from Boston, New York or Newark; five
nights' accommodations in Rome; a papal audience and a black-tie
New Year's Eve gala.The program, priced from $3,499, is from Dec. 27 to Jan. 2,
2000. Included are a New Year's Day jazz brunch, sightseeing of
Rome and the Vatican, and excursions Florence and Assisi.
Five-night millennium packages to Florence, Venice and Taormina are
available.
Donna Franca Tours, Phone: (800) 225-6290 or (617) 375-9400,
E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.donnafranca.com
IST Cultural Tours in New York is highlighting the historical
connection between the papacy in Rome and that in Avignon, France,
with a cruise on the water link between the two cities.From Rome to Avignon: A Cruise on the Aurelius Waterway begins
with three nights in Rome. The seven-night cruise aboard the
Cezanne II that follows, stops in Viareggio, Florence and Portofino
before journeying into France. The package is priced from $2,939
per person, double; $3,650 with air from New York.
IST, Phone: (800) 833-2111, Web: www.ist-tours.com
TourCrafters, based in Chicago, has designed a number of
Jubilee packages, including a three-night Rome program with
accommodations in Fiuggi, near Rome. The itinerary includes a papal
blessing, sightseeing and a tour of the religious sites of Rome.
The plan, which includes airport transfers, is priced from $360 per
person, double, land only.A four-night extension adds a full day in Assisi, Pompei or
Florence and is priced from $484. A seven-night version adds a full
day in Anagni, Fossanova and Cassino and begins at $804.
TourCrafters, Phone: (800) 621-2259, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.tourcrafters.com