It’s evident that while travel is back – big time – how people want to travel has shifted. Immersive experiences trump where-am-I multi-country dashes. Passionate guides with excellent stories to share. And small groups rule over tourism hordes. This is why Collette offers 40 small-group Explorations Tours, and their 2024/25 brochure is out now.
Collette has been smashing travellers’ expectations since 1918, delivering quality tours that reveal the heart and soul of a destination.
With over 106 years of experience and thousands of happy guests, Collette clearly knows how to tap into – and deliver – what travellers want. And that includes your clients who prefer more immersive experiences at a slower pace.
Cue Explorations Tours.
Meaningful Explorations
Carefully curated, Collette’s Explorations Tours allow up to 24 travellers per tour – to tap into the pulse of a destination. They do this by connecting your clients with the people on the ground. The passionate local guides, unique local experiences, and welcoming residents who open their homes to visitors from around the world.
These deep-dive trips could also be called Connections Tours; they so readily aid connections to locals, local guides, the group’s Tour Manager, and even the other passengers!
Explorations are for your clients who love an archaeological-like, delve into history and thrive when they understand the cultures they’re visiting. It’s for the savvy adventurer who likes to make the most out of every day and understands dealing with logistics steals their time from the fun stuff. It’s for the client who yearns to learn from the destination experts, knowing they’ve gotten the most from their visit.
When size matters
While it doesn’t matter in many walks of life when your clients seek more intimate adventures, size matters. Have you recently seen an irate driver trying to finagle their jumbo vehicle into the compact parking space at a busy car park?
On small group journeys, compact luxury buses can reach the centre of the destination. Stays at quaint boutique properties reveal more of the essence of the village/town/city. And smaller passenger numbers make local experiences doable.
Like meeting a date farmer in the desert on Collette’s Colors of Morocco tour. Or enjoying a traditional lamb lunch with a gaucho in Patagonia. Or fishing with locals on Lake Kariba on the Wilderness of Southern Africa.
Who is the ideal Explorations traveller?
So, how do you know if your client is an Explorations traveller?
Answer these:
- Are they confident travellers but also appreciate an expert handling logistics so there’s more time for the sights, adventures, and culture?
- Do they love going beyond the facts with local history and are keen to experience it for themselves?
- Are they true explorers at heart travelling the world to chase their curiosity?
- Do they prefer small groups, revelling in more effortless connections with like-minded people on tour?
- Do they find their place in the world when they travel? Touring new destinations is as much a part of their personality as their curiosity and compassion.
If the yes’ are stacking up, you’ve got a Collette Explorations tour match!
Itineraries are designed with the smaller group size in mind, curated from the ‘ground up’ – this means your clients get to experience all the hotels, culinary delights, local community interactions and modes of transport in a more intimate setting.
Small groups; big experiences
So, let’s see how a small group journey paves the way for big experiences.
On Collette’s Japan: Past and Present Explorations tour, your clients will enjoy an exciting 13-day journey around the Land of the Rising Sun. Of course, they’ll explore vibrant Tokyo, historical Kyoto, and trendy Osaka. And, of course, they’ll ride the Shinkansen bullet train, visit ancient shrines, wander bamboo forests, and partake in a green tea ceremony.
Beyond the traditional stops, however, guests go deeper. Meeting the impressive ama pearl divers, on Mikimoto Pearl Island, is one of this Explorations tour’s highlights. Not just a quick meet and greet, either, but a meal and a chance to hear their enchanting tales of daily life.
It’s fascinating to hear the ama pearl diver’s long-standing free diving traditions, and how the women steadfastly defied conventional gender roles in such an empowering way.
Other Japan: Past and Present tour standouts include time spent with monks during a stay at Mount Koya’s monastery, including a tour of Okunoin Cemetery. Plus, there’s time for a deep-dive chat at the Women’s Association of Kyoto.
As you can now appreciate, Collette’s Explorations travellers leave Japan with so much more than photographs and souvenirs.
Explore more
Collette’s new 2024-2025 Explorations Tour brochure is out now. Find it here and via TIFS (log in here).
To chat with Collette, give them a buzz on 1300 792 195 or email ausales@collette.com.
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