PHOTO: The new Alexander+Roberts name will make its debut on covers for brochures to Africa and Antarctica. (Courtesy of Alexander+Roberts)
It's been one of the oldest, most innovative and well-known tour brands for 67 years, as well as a founding member of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, but now it's changing its name, logo and brand identity. General Tours World Traveler said it is adopting Alexander+Roberts as its new name and brand identity.
The company also announced a new logo and tagline that encompasses what it calls its legacy of innovation, "Original Journeys since 1947." Indeed, in the 67 years since the late Alexander Harris founded General Tours, which Robert Drumm purchased in 1992, the company has remained at the forefront of international travel.
According to Drumm, the name Alexander+Roberts was inspired by the first names of its pioneering founder, Alex Harris, and its current president. Together with the new tagline "Original Journeys since 1947," the name pays homage to the company's heritage as a founding member of USTOA, its personalized approach to guests' needs, and the upscale style of its tour programs.
"We've contemplated a name change for years," said Drumm. "Alex and I talked about it…but it's not an easy thing to do because there are so many emotional connections with a name. But our new name does make sense and it works better. It's an allusion to two people…and we're also anything but 'general' in what we do. We've heard from travel agents and customers over the last several years that our name just didn't track with what we do. It became, in the environment of travel, a rather forgettable name. It's from another era and it doesn't communicate the personalization we deliver."
According to Drumm, brand research clearly communicated that his company had a warm, hospitable and welcoming personality in the market and probably should modernize its name to keep pace with the changing world. "We looked at a ton of names, but this one seemed to be the most genuine, and that was important to us," he says.
General Tours was actually started by Alex Harris' uncle as a company that helped Europeans travel to the U.S. When Harris, who died in 2013, emigrated to the U.S. from his native Poland after World War II, he eventually ended up working for his uncle and ultimately took over the company. He transformed it into an operator that was one of the first to take American tour groups to Eastern Europe and Russia in the 1950s and 1960s.
Over the years, General Tours branched out well beyond its Eastern European and Russia roots to encompass a wide array of global destinations. It led the way with small group, small ship and Private Journey programs to some of the world's most exotic places, including destinations in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. The company continues to be headquartered in Keene, N.H. with offices in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Prague, Budapest, New York, and Chicago.
Other brand attributes cited by past travelers and upscale travel agents are original itineraries encompassing a wide range of exotic destinations around the world; a well-informed and flexible approach to clients' needs as well as expertise in crafting personal experiences on its small group tours; and genuine cultural engagement and real opportunities for learning on programs led by native-born guides.
"We've always tried to understand and anticipate our guests' needs, so these results didn't surprise us," said Drumm. "But our research also revealed a disconnect between the qualities which travelers like about us and a corporate brand that didn't speak to these key attributes."
Indeed, Drumm says the company's brand dates to an era when business acumen and success were epitomized by such companies as General Motors, General Electric and General Dynamics. "General Tours was the perfect name for the time," Drumm says. "It has served us well for nearly 70 years. But now we need a brand that speaks to our unique offerings, our distinctive personality and the demands of today's traveler."
The new brand name and logo are scheduled to be unveiled this week on the company's new website, which will be up by the end of business on Friday, May 16. The new name also will be incorporated into the company's first standalone catalogs to Africa and Antarctica, which will be published next month.
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