By Laura Del Rosso
HONOLULU -- Globus and its sister company Cosmos rolled out new
vacation programs that take the firms farther away from their
traditional core escorted tour product.
In fact, asked to describe the product as a tour or a package,
Paolo Mantegazza, president and CEO of the companies, hesitated and
said "we are calling them vacations."
"We are not in the escorted tour business. We're in the vacation
business."
The products were unveiled at the ASTA World Congress here and
feature three types of new programs:
• Open Doors, a new style of program that features exclusive
sightseeing opportunities, plenty of free time and stays in luxury
hotels. Typically, there are introductory sightseeing tours at each
city and then passengers are on their own, although there are
optional guided tours available. There are eight Open Doors
itineraries in North America for 2003. An example is Pacific Coast
Adventure, a 12-day program, with stays at the Westin St. Francis
in San Francisco and a behind-the-scenes tours of the Stella Adler
acting school in Los Angeles. At an average price range of $180 to
$200 per day, the Open Doors programs are a bit more expensive than
the $120 to $150 a day a typical Globus program would command.
• Castle & Villa Stays feature six itineraries in Europe of
one week with stays in castles, villas or paradors (in Spain) and
plenty of free time in each destination. The program is part of
Globus' LeisureStyle Vacations, which feature free time and minimum
of two-night stays in each city.
• Essentials, a new Cosmos product that includes more free time
was expanded to include programs to the U.S. and Canada. There are
seven programs available including a seven day Escape to Alaska
that includes free time in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali National
Park. The programs feature the aid of a tour director and optional
sightseeing, but participants are on their own much of the
time.
As reported, Cosmos rolled out the Essentials program for tours
to Australia, Indochina and South America in August.
Mantegazza said the companies are responding to market research,
which shows traveling consumers are interested in more leisurely
pace, shorter trips and more free time even while on group programs
that are led by a tour director.
"What we're trying to do is provide a special travel experience
and allow people to be more independent," he said.
He said the Cosmos passenger has evolved beyond the strictly
budget traveler to those he called practical travelers who may stay
in the Four Seasons Hotels at some point in their travels but at
other times opt for less expensive lodging and look at first-class
type hotels when they want a value.
Globus is offering agents Booking for Dollars, a promotion in
which agents who book and put a deposit on a 2003 North American
program through Dec. 13 receive $50, in addition to commission
earned.