Tauck World Discovery has signed a multiyear partnership with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and his collaborator Dayton Duncan to create "Ken Burns American Journeys," itineraries based on some of the duo’s well-known American heritage documentaries.
Together with Burns and Duncan, Tauck is developing itineraries that revolve around the stories and themes of documentary series such as "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea," "The Civil War," "Baseball" and "Jazz." Tauck plans to release details of those itineraries in the coming weeks and months, the company said.
Additionally, Tauck will produce a series of short films with Burns and Duncan that will showcase the history, cultural significance and personal stories of the U.S. destinations that will make up the itineraries. The shorts will be exclusive to Tauck and will be aired on tour.
And starting in 2011, Tauck will host several events at which Burns and/or Duncan will appear to discuss the product.
As examples of how Tauck plans to build the "Ken Burns American Journeys" itineraries, Tauck CEO Dan Mahar cited the "Civil War" series and areas connected with the conflict as one possibility.
He also pointed to last year’s six-part series "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea," noting that Tauck has incl
uded the national parks in its itineraries since 1926, and currently goes to more than 12 parks, battlefields and historical sites that are part of the national park system.
"Our films and Tauck’s U.S. journeys are about sharing America’s story in a memorable and compelling way," Burns said in a statement. "We both try to engage our audiences, increase their knowledge and make strong emotional connections with the people and stories from America’s past that help define who we are today."
Initial discussions for the project began about 18 months ago, according to Jennifer Tombaugh, executive vice president at Tauck. It began to seriously take shape within the last six months. Tombaugh said that a vice chair on Tauck’s board had lived in the same town as Burns and helped facilitate the introduction.
"The excitement and degree of collaboration we’re already seeing in this partnership has been nothing short of inspiring," Mahar said in a statement. "We’ve really been rolling up our sleeves with Ken and Dayton, and they have a great vision of how they can weave stories into our journeys that our guests can then experience firsthand."
The first departures will be for 2011. While the destinations will be throughout the U.S., there will likely be some locations included in the itineraries that Tauck doesn’t currently visit, Tombaugh said.
Burns and Duncan’s most recent project, "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea," a six-part, 12-hour documentary series, which aired on PBS last September through October, garnered much interest from the travel industry, which was already seeing an uptick in domestic bookings as Americans watching their pocketbooks stayed closer to home.
"When the films came out last year, it increased interest in the parks enormously," Tombaugh said. "This is a great marriage opportunity."
Tombaugh pointed to Yellowstone National Park, which drew a record 2.5 million visitors this summer, according to the U.S. National Park Service.