NEW YORK -- Italy specialist tour operator CIT Tours here changed
its name to CIT North America and beefed up its product line, now
regrouped into five niche marketing categories.
The company rebranded "basically to expand beyond Italy, even as
we celebrate 75 years as a premier Italian tour operator,"
according to Ron Mastrangelo, CIT's director of sales and
marketing, USA.
However, CIT North America "is not refocusing away from Italy,"
he said, noting that the new CIT Italian Holidays division will
peddle the company's traditional Italy offerings as well as cruises
and new luxury product.
The other divisions include CIT Pacis Retreats and Sacred
Journeys, launched last November to focus on Catholic-oriented
religious travel to Italy, Poland, Spain and other pilgrimage sites
on the Continent, and CIT Rail Adventures, offering the company's
traditional European railpasses in addition to new land/rail
tours.
Meanwhile, new CIT World Travel will break South American ground
for the company this spring, marketing Argentina and Brazil
itineraries for the first time, and CIT America's Pride --
inaugurated late last year -- peddles 10 domestic U.S. and Canadian
tours.
Founded in 1927 by Italian State Railways, CIT was privatized by
the government in 1997. In 1999, the company was acquired by
Italian entrepreneur Gianvittorio Gandolfi.