Travel Agent - September 10, 2007 - (Page 22)

Cover Story Tour Operators Continued from page 21 the luxury operator Travcoa (www.travcoa.com). According to the recent survey by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, women make up the majority of adventure travelers worldwide, and the most popular destination among them is South America. “I personally love South America,” Fuqua says, “and my reason for that is that if you think about all the places on your life list, you’ll find a lot of them are in South America: the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, Brazil’s Iguazu Falls and Easter Island in Chile.” In fact, Fuqua says that Travcoa was one of the first companies to take travelers to Easter Island in the 1960s. Since that time, a variant of that trip has continued every year and continues to be one of Travcoa’s most popular products. “We’d be in trouble if we didn’t go; the trip is that strong,” he says. In 2008, the company will offer a 12-day “Chile’s Patagonia & Easter Island” itinerary priced from $7,295. Guests start their stay in Santiago and cross the Patagonian pampas to Coyhaique. After stops in Laguna San Rafael and San Cristobal Hill, the last four days are spent on Easter Island, where Travcoa privately guides guests through the area using local experts. “We are not a volume tour operator, so we go to exotic places that can’t handle hordes,” Fuqua says. Still Room to Grow Meanwhile, Tauck World Discovery (www.tauck.com) has been escorting travelers to South America for close to 10 years, though it’s certainly a region where the portfolio has the potential to expand, says Brian Stacey, Tauck’s regional planning manager for the exotics region, which includes Africa, Asia, the South Pacific and South America. “The infrastructure there is improving month by month with new hotels and better air lift,” he says. “In recent years, we’ve been focused on Europe and China, but right now that focus is turning,” Stacey continues. “South America is an area where we have room to grow. The demand is there.” Stacey says that in areas like Chile’s Atacama Desert and Brazil’s Pantanal—places that used to be considered backpackers’ destinations—luxury hotels are starting to pop up. Yet before Tauck ventures there, the company wants to make sure that the areas have the infrastructure to support the level of quality Tauck customers have come to know and expect. “That’s the key to our success,” Stacey says. “We may not be the first people there, but we will do it right.” Tauck is offering two new trips to the region in 2008: “Essence of South America” and “The Panama Canal & Costa Rica” cruise. “Essence of South America” is a 13-day trip that explores Chile, Brazil, Santiago, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, with prices starting from $4,940. On “The Panama Canal & Costa Rica” tour, the trip is split between five days on land and a six-night cruise aboard Le Levant through the Panama Canal. Prices start at $5,490. 22 TravelAgent Interested? Request #011. September 10, 2007 http://www.travcoa.com http://www.tauck.com http://www.southadventure.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - September 10, 2007

Contents Editor's Letter News You Can Use Agenda: Fam Trips, Calendar of Events, Deal of the Week South America Rising: COVER STORY EUROPE: Undiscovered Croatia PACIFIC/ASIA: Chiang Mai: Hotspot of Northern Thailand LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas’ Inside Man Las Vegas News & Notes Las Vegas: The New Frontier PACIFIC NORTHWEST: A Gem on Oregon’s Central Coast FLORIDA: Hyatt Regency Miami Spruces Up Ensemble Update Agent Outlook: Cruising Today Nantucket Island Resorts Classified Marketplace Home-Based Travel Expo Update Advertisers’ Information People & Places Thailand Planner

Travel Agent - September 10, 2007

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