Switzerland Tourism and Avanti Destinations have launched a joint campaign to help advisors inspire clients to plan a customized vacation in Switzerland.
The joint promotion consists of: webinars; a new 76-page downloadable e-brochure, “I Need Fresh Views – I Need Switzerland,” available on Avanti’s travel advisor portal; and a $100 gift card for travel advisors for each booking made between today, March 22, and May 31, 2021.
To qualify, each booking must be for at least a 4-night stay in Switzerland with a minimum land value of $2,500 with travel taking place anytime through Dec. 31, 2021. In addition, there are no fees for changes made 15 or more days prior to departure.
New Grand Tour Self-Drive and Culinary Retreat Vacations
Focusing on three of the four different language regions of Switzerland (German, French- and Italian-speaking), the e-brochure features several new activities and adventures as well as two new customizable Avanti vacations, Self-Drive Grand Tour of Switzerland, to complement the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland and Winter Grand Train Tour, and Culinary Mountain Retreats. For each destination, the e-brochure describes two to five four- and five-star hotels.
Mountains, Glaciers, Lakes, Towns, Food and Wine
“Switzerland has always been a favorite all-season destination for our agent partners’ FIT clients,” said Paul Barry, Avanti’s CEO, in a press release statement. “Travelers go to see the breathtaking mountain, lake and river scenery—and of course, to ski and enjoy other winter sports. But the country also offers picturesque towns, UNESCO World Heritage sites, wonderful food and wine, as well as soft adventure activities like kayaking, hiking and cycling during the spring, summer and fall. We are very pleased to partner with Switzerland Tourism to help educate and inspire agents and their FIT clients to create a customized vacation in this diverse Alpine country, which also has the best integrated public transit system in the world and several world-famous scenic train routes.”
“Switzerland has a long-held reputation for being super safe, clean, and well-organized,” said Claudio Zemp, director for the Americas for Switzerland Tourism, in a press release statement. “It is a natural choice when looking at organizing a post-COVID-19 trip. Travel advisers are facing many challenges. I firmly believe that choosing to book a Switzerland package through Avanti will give them peace of mind, as well as give their clients the most memorable vacation. We’ve had a fantastic partnership with Avanti Destinations for many years, and its large Switzerland product portfolio is full of exciting offers, which guarantee vacations of a lifetime.”
Featured Destinations & New Itineraries
Featured destinations in the new e-brochure include: Zurich; Basel; Interlaken; Lucerne; St. Moritz; the mountain resort towns of Gstaad and Saas Fee; the Valais Matterhorn region, including Zermatt; the French-speaking Lake Geneva region, including Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux; and the Italian-speaking Ticino region, including Lugano, Ascona and Locarno.
The new 9-day, 8-night Self-Drive Grand Tour of Switzerland vacation includes overnights in Zurich, St. Gallen, Davos, Lugano, Zermatt, Montreux, Gstaad and Lucerne; nine days of manual transmission car rental, free parking at all hotels (except Zermatt), a Grand Tour of Switzerland road map and travel guide, detailed itinerary pointing out all the sights along the way, and daily breakfast. Highlights include: the town of St. Gallen with its 16th and 17th century houses and nearby Rhine Falls (Europe’s most powerful waterfall); the Appenzell towns on the way between St. Gallen and Davos; the Italian flavors and atmosphere of Lugano; Matterhorn, one of Europe’s highest mountains; the Lavaux vineyards near Montreux; the chalets of Gstaad; and Lucerne’s medieval architecture.
Avanti offers two Grand Tour of Switzerland by rail vacations—one for 11 days, 10 nights for travel April through October, and one for eight days, seven nights for travel December through March.
For foodie clients, the new 7-day, 6-night Culinary Mountain Retreat vacation takes in Zurich, Lucerne, the Rigi Kaltbad Resort on the side of Mt. Rigi overlooking Lucerne, and Lugano. Included: a small group walking tour of Lucerne; Lake Lucerne lunch or sunset gourmet cruise; private horse-drawn carriage ride in the Mt. Rigi area; a cheese workshop at an authentic Alpine dairy; a 5-course gourmet meal; a late afternoon cruise on Lake Lugano followed by a workshop on Ticino-style risotto; a Swiss Travel Pass for eight days; seat reservation on the Gotthard Panorama Express train; and daily breakfast.
Six other customizable itineraries are described in the e-brochure, many featuring mountaintop excursions or scenic train routes, such as the world-famous Glacier Express.
Among the 22 activities and experiences featured in the e-brochure: private and shared walking tours of most towns; private Bachalpsee hike near Grindelwald; private Zurich and Rhine Falls tour; shared Zurich sunset tour with a fondue dinner and tour of the Lindt chocolate factory; shared kayaking tour near Interlaken; private guided wine tour in the Lavaux; private Golden Gruyere tour; and several small group tours, including some touring cheese and chocolate makers.
Avanti offers more than 20 Swiss destinations and nearly 80 Swiss experiences and activities that travel advisors can add to any customized vacation.
For more information, log onto the agent portal at book.avantidestinations.com.
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