Avanti Destinations is celebrating ten years of providing custom Asia travel products for independent travelers by releasing an extensive new print reference guide for travel advisors. The 92-page resource details the company’s expanded FIT offerings across twelve Asian destinations and can be ordered through the company’s website.
Avanti had discontinued print brochures during the pandemic but decided to bring them back, starting with the one for South Pacific in 2024, in response to advisor demand.
“We are adding products all the time,” said Paul Barry, Avanti’s CEO, in a press statement. “More than 200 tours, experiences, and hotels have been added in the past 12 months alone.”
Avanti: Synonymous With Custom FIT Travel
Since its founding in 1981, Avanti has maintained its business model of selling custom FIT travel exclusively through advisors rather than directly to consumers. The company added Asia to its portfolio in 2015 and now offers complete vacations, accommodations, sightseeing tours, experiences and transfers across Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.
The newly published guide details 375 hotels, 196 tours and experiences, five customizable vacations, three customizable city stays and ten fixed-price packages across 68 locations within Avanti’s Asian destinations. While prices aren’t included in the printed guide, QR codes placed next to fixed and customizable vacations direct advisors to the recently launched Asia regional website, where pricing for non-customizable packages is available by travel month.
Pricing for fixed-price packages corresponds to different “rate seasons” established by hotels and service providers. Some destinations maintain consistent pricing year-round while others feature a dozen or more seasonal variations. These packages exclude holidays and other blackout periods.
The reference guide highlights notable additions, including a 6-hour luxury rail journey in Vietnam aboard the Vietage by Anatara train between Da Nang and Quy Nhon, four options for short Halong Bay cruises, and 12 traditional Japanese ryokan featuring tatami-matted rooms, futon beds, communal baths and local cuisine.
Avanti’s complete Asia product lineup extends beyond what’s featured in the guide, encompassing over 750 hotels, more than 300 tours and experiences and over 50 packages across 100 locations. The reference guide includes practical planning information such as inter-city travel times, city hotel maps, insider recommendations on cuisine, transportation and less-frequented attractions.
Paul Barry Talks Trends in Asia Travel
“Japan has been our top-selling Asian country since we launched the region in 2015, and its popularity has grown to where it now ranks among our ten best-selling countries overall,” said Barry in a press statement. “We recommend advisors book Japanese vacations at least six months in advance. The best English-speaking guides are in short supply, particularly in the less touristed locations. All of our Asian vacations—both customizable and non-customizable—feature private tours with local guides.
“Southeast Asia—especially Thailand and Vietnam—is in the number two spot in terms of Asian bookings. While Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are the places that have been most commonly booked within Thailand, season three of The White Lotus show has made the southern destinations of Koi Samui and Phuket—which we have been recommending for a long time—very popular.
“Another trend in the region is cruising, which took a long time to recover in Asia after the pandemic, but it is now most definitely back. Many of our FIT bookings start in cruise port cities.”
For more information, visit book.avantidestinations.com.
