Collette Escalates Authenticity Battle with New Tour Series
by David Cogswell
Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Collette's Canadian Rockies with the Rocky Mountaineer tour is one of the operator's past "Trip of a Lifetime." Photo: Shutterstock.com
The competition continues of tour operators vying for best-in-class to meet the ever-heightening demand for authentic in-depth experiences in travel packages.
Collette, which holds claim to the title of America’s longest-running tour operator, recently upped its game in the authenticity battle by introducing its newest series of Trips of a Lifetime.
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“Our Trip of a Lifetime collection incorporates 15 itineraries that Collette deems to be extraordinary in terms of itinerary highlights and indulgences,” said Amelia Sugerman, Collette’s public relations manager. “Although we produce the lineup each year, the tours change to reflect the trends of the year.”
Collette is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year, and Collette’s people believe they have honed the craft of offering trips-of-a-lifetime as well as anyone. After accumulating institutional knowledge and developing a tour operating culture for a century, Collette says it knows how to make a trip achieve lift-off.
“At Collette, we understand travelers and what motivates them to explore.” said Courtney Iannuccilli, vice president of marketing. “We’ve created these itineraries to really hone in on a unique style of expedition.”
The battle among tour operators to offer the most spectacular immersive experiences and adventurous explorations has been raging for years now and shows no signs of waning. It is the primary thrust of product evolution of the tour industry, and it makes for some fascinating new offerings every new season.
Fierce competition to stay on top of trends in a rapidly evolving industry, while at the same time being forced to plan tours years ahead of departure, pushes tour operators to give full rein to the creative impulses of their product development specialists. The result of the fray is a wide array of diverse choices for the traveling public.
Collette’s new Tours of a Lifetime are offered in widely diverse regions. The series includes: Italy’s Treasures; Exploring South Africa: Victoria Falls and Botswana; Machu Picchu & The Galapagos Islands; Mysteries of India; Cultures of Peru & Bolivia; Journey Through Southern France; Treasures of Egypt; Wonders of China & the Yangtze River; Iconic Israel; and Elegant Ireland.
