(Photo courtesy of Israeli Ministry of Tourism www.goisrael.com.)
Quality and value can sometimes be at odds when it comes to travel and tours, but IsramWorld aims to combine both with its new product, Vistas.
Vistas’ tours will appeal to travelers looking for a value-priced itinerary that still offers the quality and level of service of IsramWorld’s tours, but minus some of the luxury.
“While our premium, upscale products, which are packed with frills and special features, continue to be the frontrunner, we are pleased to be able to offer our agents a one-stop-shop with our Vistas brand that is more price-conscious, filling that much-requested niche,” says Ilana Apelboim, senior v.p. operations & chief operations officer worldwide, IsramWorld.
“Recognizing the challenging economic situation and the many requests that we’ve had over the years for lower priced programs from our agents, we picked our more popular destinations using only those tours that offered great savings while still maintaining a quality experience. Having carefully studied each product, we made sure that the special cost-cutting measures taken would not impede on the overall experience.”
Vistas’ first brochure features 12 tours focusing on IsramWorld’s best-selling destinations: Brazil, Central Europe, Israel, Morocco, Peru, Spain, Turkey and Vietnam. The tours include accommodations, sightseeing tours, English-speaking guides, entrance fees to sites and departure transfers.
Vistas has also teamed up with other responsible tour operators in these areas, so tours are “guaranteed to operate so that there are no unpleasant last-minute surprises,” Apelboim says.
One of Vistas’ tours, the 9-day, 7-night Holyland Pilgrimage, has rates starting at $1,730 pp land-only. The tour features a 1-night stay in Tel Aviv at the Dan Panorama; a 2-night stay in Galilee at the Kibbutz Lavi; and a 4-night stay in Jerusalem at the Leonardo Plaza. Rates include deluxe and first-class hotel accommodations, as well as Kibbutz guesthouse accommodations; arrival and departure transfers; buffet breakfast daily; two dinners; and sightseeing and entrance fees.
Another tour Vistas offers is the 10-day Imperial Cities: Prague, Vienna & Budapest, with land-only rates starting at $1,998 pp. Travelers spend three nights in Prague at the Majestic Plaza, three nights in Vienna at the Savoyen and three nights in Budapest at the Intercontinental. Rates include accommodations; sightseeing by motor coach; a professional tour director with local guides in each city; breakfast daily; three dinners; arrival and departure transfers; and entrance fees to sites. Highlights include a guided visit to the Kunsthistorische Museum in Vienna, dinner in a Hungarian Csarda restaurant, or pub, and a visit to the Royal Castle of Hradcany in Prague.
The tours started running in March. For more information, call (800) 223-7460 or visit vistastravel.com. For more on IsramWorld, visit isramworld.com.
