Audley Travel spells out European aspirations
Tailor-made tour operator Audley Travel is looking to expand further into Europe after introducing Italy as its first short-haul destination as a result of seeing interest from its UK customers in travelling closer to home.
It said its Italy programme will be aimed at lovers of history, art and the outdoors.
Audley said it had chosen Italy as 66% of its customers said they would like to travel to the country with the operator if trips were available.
UK managing director Mark Hanson added: "While Italy may not feel as off the beaten track as other countries we operate to, Audley has successfully applied its principle of seeking out unique experiences and offering an authentic insight into the destination.
"Our role is to distil, from the vast array of options, a journey that captures the places and experiences that will be most interesting and memorable for our clients.
"They will gain an insight and appreciation of what makes these people and places tick that cannot be obtained from any guidebook, no matter how good."
Audley’s offering in Italy is split between three regions – Venice, Florence and Rome, Northern Italy and Southern Italy. Sample itineraries for Italy will be online from November 20.
"Our clients have been asking us for many years to bring our tailor-made offering closer to home so they can enjoy the same quality of experiences and local guides that we offer in our long-haul destinations but with a much shorter flight time," added Hanson.
"I hope Italy will be the first of many European destinations that we are able to offer to our clients in the UK."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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