Hi from Rick: My Top 10 Tours are...
 |
| It's no surprise that Rome has a starring role in four of our top 10 tours for 2012. |
Dear Traveler,
No matter what the subject is, I've always enjoyed greatest-hits, top-seller lists. This applies to tours, too. And with 38 itineraries in our tour program, it's fun to see what's hot and what's not.
Normally, only my staff gets to see our sales rankings, but in this month's Tour News we thought it would be fun to share this "insider" information with you, too. We've even put together a "10 tours in 10 days" slideshow of some of our favorite pictures and places from these tours. If you're having trouble deciding where to travel next, this is a good place to start.
So roll the drum. Here are our top 10 tours...so far...for 2012: (1) Adriatic; (2) Turkey; (3) Ireland; (4) Best of Italy; (5) Eastern Europe; (6) Paris; (7) Europe in 21 days; (8) Scandinavia; (9) Venice, Florence, Rome; and (10) Heart of Italy.
At a glance, I'm impressed that the coastline of former Yugoslavia (Slovenia and Croatia) is so popular, yet it doesn't surprise me, as there's something so romantic and exotic about destinations like Dubrovnik and side-tripping into Bosnia. Turkey is also a top choice, which might be related to the fact that it's a Muslim country with a healthy (and comfortable-for-Westerners) secularism — and that Turkey has always been a big favorite of mine. Ireland is simply a joy — we call it " Italy with rain." And then, coming in at #4 is our Best of Italy tour. To be fair to my favorite country this side of India, Italy has always been #1. When I add up sales for our Best of Italy tour, Venice-Florence-Rome (the superstar cities in 10 days), and the Heart of Italy (the Best of Italy tailored for people who can afford 9 days, but not 17) — Italy is clearly our leading overall destination for 2012. And probably the rest of our lives.
Our 2012 tours are selling at an even brisker clip than our best-ever year of 2011. Here's one reason: 52% of our 2012 sign-ups are travelers who have taken a tour with us before. With people in tight economic times looking for the very best value in travel, it's a great vote of confidence that our tour alums see our tours exactly that way, and that we are an ongoing part of their travel dreams.
Enjoy browsing through our top 10, and beyond. Pick any of our 2012 tours and get your deposit in by the end of November, and we'll knock $100 off the price.
Plus, you could help shake up next month's Top 10 Tours list.
Happy travels,
Rick