Gate 1 Travel launched a new brand of small-group tours called Discovery Tours by Gate 1 Travel. Discovery Tours, which will specialize in tour programs with 18 or fewer passengers, is offering nine itineraries for 2013 featuring China, Southeast Asia, Nepal, southern Africa, Morocco, Turkey, Italy, Peru and Ireland. The packages are designed to offer cultural and active outdoor experiences outside of the typical tourist circuit.

“Our group size has allowed us to create truly unique itineraries that visit special places unavailable to large groups,” said Marty Seslow, vice president of marketing for Discovery Tours. “For instance, on our Peru trip we’re one of the few companies to bring travelers to Arequipa, Peru -- a city enclave in the south whose isolation has allowed it to retain its pure Spanish heritage.”

Discovery Tours’ small groups will have the advantage of making less of a footprint on the destinations visited. “We don’t overwhelm a town or a village by arriving in a huge crowd,” said Seslow. “We arrive quietly so our travelers can make real connections. This adds immeasurable insight into the reality of our destinations.”

Itineraries will feature meals in local homes, visits to schools, stops at artisans’ shops and other up-close cultural encounters. Each package features full days of touring, a slate of cultural activities, most meals (including wine and beer with dinner), and accommodations that impart true local character, all within a competitive price. Inaugural departures of Discovery Tours by Gate 1 Travel begin in 2013.