Norwalk-based Tauck has been a leader in experiential travel since founder Arthur Tauck Sr. first brought six guests on a tour of New England in 1925.
The company ”” still family-owned and operated ”” now offers more than 100 land tours and cruises to more than 70 countries and all seven continents. The company has 225 employees in Connecticut and, additionally, some 275 across the globe.
Tauck President Jennifer Tombaugh shared the secrets of Tauck”™s success and what”™s new in travel for 2014.
“Business is great and we”™re coming off an incredibly successful year,” Tombaugh said. “Our bookings for 2014 are up double digits percentagewise over where they were last year at this time. The weather may be helping, but we were tracking towards these increases beginning last fall ”” long before all this winter weather hit.”
She weighed in on a number of issues for the FCBJ:
Few can boast 89 years and 3 million clients ”” what”™s the Tauck ethos?
“We have a very strong shared sense of purpose that drives everything we do across our entire company. We are dedicated to offering authentic, enriching travel experiences that enhance our guests”™ lives and exceed their expectations. Each Tauck journey is basically fully inclusive, each features the insights and service provided by a trained Tauck director who accompanies the trip and each provides real value. It”™s been a winning formula since 1925 and it”™s the cornerstone of our success.”
You were named the ”˜World”™s Best River Cruise Line”™ by Travel + Leisure magazine and now you”™re expanding your European river cruises. What”™s new?
“European river cruises are the fastest-growing segment of our business and, in response to the incredible demand we”™re seeing, we”™re dramatically boosting our capacity for 2014. We”™re launching two new riverboats, the Inspire in April and the Savor in June. And we”™re adding four new river cruises this year, including our first-ever cruises on the Seine in France.
Why the Seine?
“We already have a very strong presence on most of Europe”™s other major rivers, including the Danube, Rhine, Moselle, Saone and the Rhone. The Seine was a logical choice in terms of where to expand next.”
What other types of travel have Tauck”™s attention and why?
“Our collection of Tauck Bridges trips designed specifically for families continues to be very popular. Unlike cruise ships or resorts that trumpet their kids-only facilities, Bridges trips are full of activities that are fun and enriching for all generations. For 2014 we”™re continuing to grow our Bridges portfolio with a new family-only river cruise on the Rhine and a new family exploration of Spain.”
What else is new for 2014?
“We”™re really excited to be launching our ”˜Earth Journeys”™ partnership this year with BBC Earth, the filmmakers behind nature documentaries including “Planet Earth,” “Frozen Planet,” “Life” and “The Blue Planet.” Through the partnership, we”™ll be enhancing our safaris and other trips highlighting the natural world and we”™ll be introducing brand new itineraries, as well. Our first all-new trip takes place later this summer, a one-time event for families that explores the era of the dinosaurs in and around Calgary, Canada, which is home to some of the world”™s richest fossil beds and one of the world”™s top paleontology museums.”
Who travels these days? Is a single demographic the most active?
The typical Tauck guest is an intellectually curious, knowledge-seeking world traveler interested in authentic cultural immersion. They want to see the “must-see” sights, but they want a deeper, richer experience there. That”™s why, for example, we arrange for our guests to tour the Vatican”™s museums and Sistine Chapel after hours, when the thousands of daily visitors have already left.”
Are exotic destinations like Iceland and Antarctica popular or do people still seek out the comforts and cuisine of Paris?
“We”™re actually seeing strong growth across the board. So yes, exotic destinations are popular, but classic destinations in Europe and North America also continue to have very strong appeal. Our mantra at Tauck is “How you see the world matters,” which speaks to our core belief that how you experience a destination is as important as where you travel.
“We continue to push the boundaries. People may think of us as a ”˜tour”™ company, but that”™s really an outdated label. Yes we offer tours, but we also have safaris, river cruises and family itineraries. We have once-in-a-lifetime events of four to six days that explore a particular city like Rome, London or Chicago. And we have other events that celebrate themes ranging from baseball to the Kentucky Derby. Even though our core values have remained constant since 1925, the breadth and diversity of our portfolio have expanded in ways that Arthur Tauck Sr. would never have imagined.”
