Reed Travel Features
NEW YORK -- As thousands of 1998 tour brochures pour into
agencies this month, it becomes hard to determine what's new and
innovative among the endless count of glossy pages. The good news
for clients is that due to the strong dollar, operators reported a
decrease of as much as 10% in prices for most programs, with some
prices remaining the same and a minority going up.
A sampling of new escorted tour products follows:
Trafalgar expanded its roster of tours to Italy, its
best-selling destination, to include a 17-night grand tour. Peter
McCormack, vice president, sales and marketing, said the unusually
long itinerary will attract travelers seeking off-the-beaten-path
villages and a more-relaxed touring pace.A 10-night Greek heritage tour also will appeal to the well-
traveled client by visiting the mainland cities of Itea and Parga,
not found on a typical first-time Greece plan. Also visited are the
islands of Corfu and Zante, which are less congested than some of
their more touristy counterparts. The tour is priced from $2,130,
double, including air.
Trafalgar will also be visiting the Baltics this year with a
13-night itinerary starting from $2,395, double, including air.
Globus, Trafalgar's competitor, will team Wales with Ireland
this year in a tour designed to appeal to U.K.-bound travelers who
want a taste of life beyond London. Sightseeing in the English
capital is included in the 10-night tour, but emphasis also is
placed on key sites in Ireland such as Dublin and the Cliffs of
Moher as well as Snowdonia National Park in Wales. The tour is
priced from $1,109, double, land only.Trafalgar's sister company, Insight International, will operate
several new multicountry tours this year, including Playgrounds of
Europe, an eight-night program that visits Milan, Venice and
Florence, Italy; Monaco, and the French Riviera. The tour is priced
from $1,750, double, including air. An extensive Germany program
also has been added.On the eastern European front, General Tours in Keene, N.H.,
added three single-country tours "in response to customer demand,"
said director of planning Helena Novak.Independent tours to northern and southern Poland, as well as
Hungary start at $1,699, double, for six nights, including
roundtrip air from New York. Another new independent program pairs
Budapest and Prague for $1,199, including air, with three nights in
each city.
General is selling two new ships for its selection of river
cruises. Clients seeking an affordable Russian cruise on the Volga
River can opt for an 11-day journey on the Furmanov for $2,199,
double, including air fare from New York. On the Elbe River,
General claims to be selling the only cruise ship -- the Kongstein
-- that sails directly into the heart of Prague from the Elbe into
the Vltava River.
Most of General's escorted programs feature Russia, but this
year the firm introduced Finland & the Baltic Dawn for clients
who want to focus on Scandinavia and the Baltics. The 10-night
tour, priced from $2,599 including air, visits Helsinki, Tallinn,
Estonia; Riga, Latvia; Vilnius, Lithuania, and Warsaw.
The former Eastern Bloc was a big seller last year for the
luxury escorted tour operator Abercrombie & Kent, a spokeswoman
said. "One reason the region [eastern Europe] is successful is
because many people still don't feel confident traveling
independently there," she said. This year, the firm is offering
seven eastern Europe itineraries, and prices begin at $5,995, land
only.Maupintour in Lawrence, Kan., has seven new Europe programs
this year, featuring English Gardens and Wales in the U.K.; barging
in France; Switzerland and Bavaria; a Spain/Morocco/Portugal
combination; a city trio with Istanbul, Athens and Cairo, and a
land tour of Russia's medieval Golden Ring cities. The Golden Ring
tour heads outside of Moscow with overnights in a Suzdal convent
and in the medieval town of Yaroslavl. The seven-night itinerary is
priced from $3,080, including roundtrip air.Maupintour's competitor for the upscale market, Tauck, has
chartered the 46-passenger Halcyon for a Turkey program. The
13-night cruise-tour is priced from $4,190, land only.Budget travelers have 11 new Cosmos European itineraries to
choose from, including Greece and Cycladic Islands, a 13-night
alternative to traditional Aegean cruises. The price is from $798,
double, land only. Like Trafalgar, Cosmos expanded its Italy
program to offer a more in-depth view of this popular
destination.