What’s New at Perillo Tours for 2024

Perillo Tours is turning the page to a new chapter in the family business’s nearly 80-year history. 

Coming off a successful 2023, which was one of the third-generation company’s best years yet, Perillo Tours has introduced a new chief operating officer, Keith Baron, to help the tour operator grow into a new era. Baron, the former president of Abercrombie & Kent, started with Perillo in November 2023. 

“Perillo Tours has built its legacy around delivering the best that Italy has to offer,” said owner Steve Perillo. “As we head into the next phase of our story, Keith will play a critical role in strengthening our position as an Italy leader and growing our business beyond Italy.” 

In addition to adding to the Italy portfolio that Perillo is best known for, the company is planning to expand in different European countries, offer more FIT tours, and launch a new mobile app by March. 

New Italy tours 
Three new escorted Italy tours are available through Perillo for 2024, bringing the total number of escorted tours offered in the country to 10. Perillo’s Italian itineraries range from nine to 15 days long. The new tours will explore less-traveled areas of Italy, including Umbria, Chianti, and Campania, and Puglia. 

“Alongside Italy’s larger, more well-known cities, we wanted to share with our guests some of Italy’s smaller, more off-the-beaten path towns and villages,” Perillo said. “The new 2024 portfolio showcases the best of Italy, immersing travelers in beloved locations and authentic experiences, while sharing some of the country’s smaller, insider secrets along the way.” 

For the 11-day “Green Heart of Italy” itinerary, guests will see Rome, Umbria, and Assisi. The tour also includes a cruise on Lake Trasimeno and a tour and cooking class on the Tuscan countryside. 

The 9-day “Renaissance Tour” takes guests to Rome, Florence, and Chianti, and includes wine tasting and truffle hunting. The 12-day “Best of Southern Italy” tour visits Rome, Campania, Puglia, Matera, and Bari. 

Europe expansion 
Perillo has begun to poke its head outside Italy into areas such as Spain, Greece, and even Hawaii. The company plans to continue that expansion by adding more tours in Spain and Greece, as well as entering other parts of Europe. 

“Italy is an extraordinary destination. It always comes up as the number one destination for U.S. and international travelers,” Baron told TMR. “But after you’ve been there a number of times, you want to go someplace else no matter how much you love it. So we’re going to fill our guests’ requests by expanding our portfolio to include places that leverage our core competencies.” 

Baron added that the company would only bring tours to destinations where they have the right expertise to run the quality of tour that Perillo has become known for. 

“We’ve been going to Greece for two years now, and that’s been growing massively,” Perillo told TMR. “It seems to be a sign that we can grow in Europe.” 

Beyond escorted experiences 
While Perillo got its reputation from escorted tours, the company realizes the strength behind selling FIT tours and why they appeal to clients. Perillo has started building FIT itineraries and plans to expand those capabilities going forward. 

“We can see a very good opportunity in the FIT world because you can do things in a bespoke way,” Baron said, adding that tours that offer a unique, interactive experiences have skyrocketed in popularity. “Many years ago people were happy to come and sit on a motorcoach and look out the window and watch cultures go by. But instead, our intent and what our guests are now looking for, is more of this cultural immersion into the destinations that they visit.” 

Baron also noted that advisors play an important role in their future success. 

“Travel advisors are central to our growth platform,” Baron said. “We believe very strongly in the travel advisor channel and building very strong relationships with agencies and consortia.”