WHY IT RATES: Those wanting to see the stunning beauty of Iceland and Italy can now experience a more personal tour with knowledgeable guides and immersive local experiences with CIE Tours' new 2019 European offerings.-Jessica Zickefoose, TravelPulse Associate Editor
The premier tour operator for Ireland and Britain vacations, CIE Tours International has announced its first major expansion into new European destinations, with offerings in Iceland and Italy launching in 2019.
The new tours will continue to provide all the signatures of a CIE Tours experience-from local, highly knowledgeable guides with a knack for storytelling to luxury coaches and immersive local experiences.
"For 86 years, we have built our reputation on delivering authentic Irish hospitality, leading to a 95% customer satisfaction rating with guests who have chosen CIE Tours for their travels in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales," said CIE Tours CEO Elizabeth Crabill.
"With the introduction of tours in Iceland and Italy, we are building experiences based on those same traits-genuine warmth, approachability, natural storytelling and immersion in local culture-in other parts of the world. In doing so, we can bring back guests who would like to repeat their CIE Tours experience in new destinations, and we can appeal to a broader market as well," Crabill added.
The expansion also enables CIE Tours to create more multi-country vacation experiences, using Dublin as a European connection point to combine its classic Ireland tours with additional destinations.
At the heart of any CIE Tours vacation are the drivers and guides who share their personal knowledge of the destination, making the trip ever more memorable and enlightening for guests.
Beginning with Iceland and Italy and in each new market CIE Tours enters, travelers will continue to enjoy a locally guided travel experience that is authentic to each destination while benefiting from the wealth of expertise the company has cultivated through its decades in Ireland.
CIE Tours' inaugural offerings in Italy and Iceland include:
Taste of Italy: 7 days, from $1,899, March-October 2019. This tour focuses on Italy's top sights, culinary highlights and hidden gems, with two nights each in Venice, Florence and Rome. Highlights range from famous attractions like the Uffizi Gallery and Colosseum to tours and tastings, like sampling regionally-produced ingredients with a local chef and visiting a family-owned factory to try Italian chocolate-an opportunity reserved exclusively for CIE Tours.
Taste of Iceland: 6 days, from $2,349, March-December 2019. Taste of Iceland takes CIE Tours guests to must-see sights from the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon to two national parks, waterfalls, glacial lagoons, black sand beaches and more, with plenty of tours timed around the majestic Northern lights season.
Taste of Iceland and Ireland: 9 days, from $2,659, February-December 2019. The ideal match-up to CIE Tours' perennially popular Taste of Ireland tour, this multi-country vacation showcases plenty of Iceland's top attractions over a three-day span before travelers head to the Emerald Isle.
It includes a tour through Reykjavik, a visit to Thingvellir National Park and Gullfoss Waterfall, and a visit to the Blue Lagoon and its geothermal spa-with the special bonus of Northern Lights viewings with CIE Tours' winter departures.
In these new markets, CIE Tours will continue to create experiences that resonate deeply with travelers' motivations to go abroad. Among these: a wish to understand and connect with their own heritage; the excitement of a once-in-a-lifetime "dream" vacation; a thirst for historical and cultural knowledge, with the insights and context that can only come through personal experience; and a desire to immerse themselves in another culture and "live," rather than simply see a destination.
Past guests will find Iceland and Italy's fresh destination experiences share the same high-quality trademarks that drew them to CIE Tours before.
For more information or to book a trip with CIE Tours, visit cietours.com, call 800-559-0388, or connect with a travel professional.
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