Globus Unveils First Platinum Collection

Leading tour operator Globus has released its first Platinum Collection of holidays, taking guided travel to a new level with superior hotels, smaller groups and a leisurely pace.

Promising unforgettable experiences across Europe and North America, the Globus Platinum Collection marks the company’s 80th anniversary and has been designed to provide a complete immersion in local cultures and history while travelling in first class style with maximum free time.

Tours cater to no more than 40 people, ensuring more space and a greater intimacy.  Each hotel has been hand-picked to offer the best possible standard, the majority being superior first class standard or higher and located at the heart of each destination.

In all, the Globus Platinum Collection offers 20 premium holidays in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Northern Europe, Italy, Spain, the USA and Canada, ranging between six and 13 days.

They include a 10-day Leisurely Italy tour, taking in Rome, Tuscany and Venice with plenty of time to savour the Italian lifestyle, priced from $3269 per person twin share.  Highlights include private boating in Venice and guided visits to the Vatican and Roman monuments, as well as the best Tuscan centres including Florence, Pisa, medieval Lucca and the castle of Verrazzano.

There is also a 10-day Spain at Leisure tour, taking in Madrid, Seville, Gibraltar and Granada, with an optional excursion across the straits to explore Tangier in Morocco, priced from $2289 per person twin share.  The tour explores the palatial landmarks of Madrid including the Prado museum, as well as the spectacular hilltop town of Toledo and the elaborate Moorish architecture of Seville.  

Other European tours include London and Shakespeare country, Dublin and the south-west of Ireland and the alpine wonderlands of Switzerland.  All Platinum Tours in Europe are eligible for savings of up to $550 when purchased in conjunction with an airfare before December 31, 2007. 

In North America, the collection offers a 12-day Spirit of the Rockies tour from Vancouver to the best of the Canadian Rockies including Whistler, Jasper and Banff, with two days by scenic rail aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, priced from $4549 per person twin share. Also available is an optional seven-day add-on cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and the Glacier Bay National Park, from $1660 per person. 

Other North American tours cover the canyons of Utah, Nevada and Arizona, the Autumn colour of New England and Eastern Canada, the Californian Coast, and Canada’s maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Globus marketing spokesperson Christian Schweitzer said the Platinum Collection offered more choice, more features and more free time.

“Platinum travellers can expect not only first-class travel and a higher standard of hotel, but more time to truly immerse themselves in a destination,” Mr Schweitzer said. “The extra inclusions are all exceptional, whether it’s a private boat in Venice or meeting the huskies at an Alaskan dogsled training facility, but there’s also a huge amount of free time to explore on your own.”

For a copy of the new Platinum Collection 2008 brochure, visit licensed www.globus.com.au

A Report by The Mole