Learn to surf in Waikiki, rough it on a real working ranch in North Grand Canyon, marvel at whales in Boston, bike round San Francisco, train to be an astronaut in Cape Canaveral or cruise fjords and glaciers in Alaska
These are just some of the holiday-of-discovery options from the unforgettable 50 states of America, all found in Kuoni’s dedicated America & Canada brochure, out now.
Valid from April 2010 to March 2011, the new brochure spans the Western, Southern and Eastern states, Hawaii, Alaska and the winter wonderland of Eastern and Western Canada and the Rockies.
There are holidays to suit all tastes, from tailor-made journeys, self-drive tours and motorhome experiences to exploit the miles of straight open roads and vast landscapes, flexible adventures, home stays on the Gulf Coast and pure, unadulterated luxury in renowned hotels and spas across the whole of North America.
To counteract the impact of the exchange rate, the new brochure includes many more three-star hotels. Lead-in prices are £565pp for three nights in a deluxe room in Washington and £559pp for four nights in Toronto.
“The USA is offering more unprecedented rates and free night offers than ever before, and most of the rates have gone down by up to 20 per cent so the message is that, despite the exchange rate, America is still affordable,” says Kuoni product manager Mandy McGlade. “Canada is offering some amazing offers too, particularly if you can book early.”
The highlights include:
* Getting close to nature in a teepee on a ranch in the West Rim of the Grand Canyon
* Sampling sublime southern fare in cookery classes in New Orleans
* Defying gravity with astronaut training at Cape Canaveral, Florida
* Languishing in a suite in a top New York hotel for the price of a standard room
* Becoming a cowboy on a ranch in the wild Canadian Rockies
* Fishing on Campbell River, the salmon fishing capital of the world
* Savings of up to £76 per room per night at the iconic Fairmont Royal York in Toronto on bookings made by March 31 2010 for stays between May 1-October 31 2010
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Editor’s Notes:
History and track record
Kuoni was established in 1906 in Switzerland by Alfred Kuoni, a visionary adventurer and explorer of his time who opened some of Europe’s first travel agencies. Today it has branch operations in over 40 countries. For 103 years Kuoni has been creating holidays with a spirit of adventure and has been recognised consistently , winning coveted awards such as: ‘The World’s Leading Tour Operator’ for the past 11 years at the World Travel Awards; The Daily Telegraph’s Ultratravel, Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Daily Mail readers all voted Kuoni ‘Britain’s favourite’. Kuoni has been ‘Britain’s Best Longhaul Tour Operator’ for the past 26 years as voted by Travel Agents.
Ethical Performance
Kuoni is committed to being a good corporate citizen, empowering people to protect the natural environment and local populations. The broader aim of Kuoni’s Corporate Responsibility (CR) policy is to minimise the adverse impact of tourist travel. Kuoni has over 32 active global CR projects and four priority areas: protecting children from sexual abuse in tourism; promoting fair working conditions; finding solutions for water scarcity and mitigating the consequences of climate change.
Kuoni’s Unique Selling Points
1. Concierge service
The Kuoni Concierge service offers all the usual facilities of booking theatres, concerts, restaurants, festival or cultural occasions and overseas sporting events. It also manages private airport transfers, late check-outs, private tours and personal guides.
2. Kuoni Personal Travel Experts
Kuoni Personal Travel Experts are knowledgeable staff passionate about travel and ready to tailor-make the perfect holiday and offer a personal touch by building a relationship with customers so they can call on the same travel expert each time they book.
3. At Home with Kuoni
Launched this year, At Home with Kuoni offers complimentary champagne, canapés and a Kuoni personal travel expert for individuals able to host a small gathering of friends and family in their home to learn about exciting holiday options. Guests are offered exclusive discounts.
Customer Assurance
Kuoni is ABTA and ATOL protected, giving customers financial protection and ensuring they won’t be stranded abroad. And customers are safe in the knowledge while they are abroad that Kuoni have professional ground agents and English speaking guides to ensure they have any enjoyable stay.
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Editor’s Notes: highlights from the USA & Canada brochure 2010/2011
AMERICA
Lead-in Price: 3 nights at the Hotel Palomar Washington in a deluxe room on a room only basis, including flights. Prices from £565 per person based on two sharing.
Eastern States (pages 46-59)
· Catch the breeze on a high-speed catamaran cruise from Boston Harbour to the Stellwagen Bank, New England’s famous whale-watching site and glimpse humpbacks, finback and minke whales in their natural habitat
· Take in the architectural sights of New York on foot with an expert guide, learning all about the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library, Rockefeller Center and Wall Street
· Stay in the crème de la crème of hotels in the vibrant cities of New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington. They include cool designer hotels such as the Shoreham in New York to the luxury oceanfront retreat of Chatham Bars Inn in Cape Cod. Enjoy exclusive room upgrades in the Intercontinental hotels in New York and Boston on stays of four nights or more
· Explore the six states of New England tucked away in North Eastern America by car, with three tours highlighting their culture, history and natural beauty
· Pack it in with a multi-centre holiday, combining New York with either Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toronto with thundering Niagara Falls, or twin the Big Apple with chill-out time in Barbados or on a Mexican beach
Florida (pages 66-90)
· Try out the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in the watersports and golf resort of Bonita Springs, north of Naples in Florida, with its 26 acres of lush gardens overlooking Estero Bay and an aquatic reserve and golf course
· Book into the family-friendly 4-star Sheraton Sand Key Resort boasting an impressive 10-acres of pristine white sand
· Catch the latest addition to the magical Universal Orlando Resort next year – in the shape of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
· Scream on rides in Orland’s Walt Disney World Resort® and extend the fun experience by staying at one of Disney’s 16 hotels on resort
· Become an astronaut for the day at Cape Canaveral
· Rent a large private home in Orlando or the Gulf Coast with private pool
· Sample Longboat Key, one of the many resorts dotted along Florida’s Gulf Coast with its golf courses and superb beaches
· Art Deco aficionados on a budget can book into the three-star Crest Hotel & Suites just minutes away from buzzy Lincoln Road in Miami
Southern States (page 94-97)
· Capture the southern charm and musical heritage of the southern states with a music and mountain self-drive tour through Nashville, home of country music, and the Appalachian mountains
· Hardcore Elvis fans can soak up Memphis on a four-night city break, staying in the Doubletree Memphis and enjoy a trip out to Graceland Mansion to see Elvis’ former home
Western States (pages 100- 132)
· Take two wheels across San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Bridge on a bike, coasting down to quaint Sausalito and return by ferry
· Home to Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Diego and San Francisco, drive along the Pacific coastline and take them all in by car along the ubiquitous Highway 1
· Explore California’s national parks and lakes – Zion, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Yosemite, Death Valley, Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon - on three, five and seven-night self-drive journeys
· Discover glitzy, over-the-top Las Vegas and plug into its non-stop entertainment
· Discover the Old West driving through the states of Arizona and Texas with stays at hotels or ranches such as the 640-acre Tanque Verde in Tucson or the 340-acre Mayan Dude Ranch near San Antonio
· Fly around the Western States on a multi-centre itinerary of between seven and 14-nights’ duration, soaking up all the major cities and sights
· Imbibe at the best Napa Valley wineries on a private tour of the large scale and boutique wineries, with picnic lunch and personal guide
· Drive a funky-looking GPS-guided two-seater car to take in all the sights of San Francisco
· Grab a front seat at the new Cirque du Soleil extravaganza, Elvis, being staged inside the brand new Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas
Hawaii (pages 136-144)
· Climb Kilauea Caldera volcano on Big Island as the sun sets
· Hike through the undisturbed Thurston Lava Tube
· Join fearless surfers riding barrel waves on Oahu’s north shore or grab a board and start from scratch with a one-hour private lesson on Waikiki beach
· Spend an evening learning how to hula dance
· Dive in Molokini’s underwater volcanic crater in Maui alongside sea turtles
· Adrenalin junkies can ride down the rugged slopes of Haleakala Crater
· Trekkers can explore the mountains and waterfalls on Kauai’s Napali Coast
· There are several hotels with third night free offers including; Ohana Waikiki West, Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, the Royal Hawaiian, Hyatt Maui, Sheraton Maui and Sheraton Kauai
Alaska (page 152)
· Cruise the fjords and glaciers in Fjords National Park and spot whales, seals and puffins
· Visit an Eskimo village, 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle and take a helicopter or dog-sled ride over the Juneau Ice Field
· Swim in the Chena Hot Springs, raft through Keystone Canyon and cycle back-country trails in Denali National Park
Eastern Canada (pages 156-192)
Lead-in Price: 4 nights at the Days Inn Toronto in a standard room on a room only basis, including flights. Prices from £559 per person based on two sharing.
· Enjoy the dramatic and vast landscape of Canada on a wide selection of spectacular rail journeys, unforgettable self-drive trips or coach tours
· Ski down the Laurentian Mountains or kayak through the thousands of lakes that make up the St Lawrence Lowlands
· Ride the Ice Explorer out onto Athabasca Glacier, the colossal, 300-metre thick glacier inside Jasper National Park
· Sail up the tumbling cascades of Niagara Falls in Ontario on board the Maid of the Mist
· Discover the English and French heritage of Quebec City and Ottawa
· See the sprawling metropolis of Toronto from the best vantage point, the CN Tower, the second highest freestanding structure in the world
Western Canada & The Rockies (pages 198-208)
· Enjoy a luxury wilderness adventure in British Columbia, staying in hand-picked lodges and including a cruise to Princess Louisa inlet and a floatplane journey to the waterfront Sonora Resort
· Brave it at Rafter Six ranch in Seebe in the Canadian Rockies for a true cowboy adventure with four hours of riding over two days
· Forget the stresses of modern day life in one of the 24 cabins of Emerald Lake Lodge, an oasis in the Rockies overlooking Emerald Lake
· Spot orcas cresting the water’s surface on a whale-watching tour from Vancouver through the Strait of Georgia
· Take in the mesmerising Rockies on the famous Rocky Mountaineer train journey
· Snowboard deep powder drifts in the Rockies and keep up the pace with white water rafting along the Kananaskis River
· Soak up the hot springs in Banff National Park and horse-ride along the Bow River
· Visit Jasper National Park in January for the annual snow festival and warm up with the Chilli Cook-Off
· Watch the outdoor extravaganza, which is the Calgary Stampede, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo (July 9-18), with chuckwagon races and an agricultural show.
· Get up close and personal to a brown bear at Knight Inlet Lodge in British Columbia
- Ends -
For further press information, please contact Kuoni PR: -
Fiona Blaszkowski on 01306 744 194/ fiona.blaszkowski@kuoni.co.uk
or Anne-Marie Hansen on 01306 744 173/ anne-marie.hansen@kuoni.co.uk
or Jemma Purvis on 01306 744 006/ jemma.purvis@kuoni.co.uk
For images please download from http://www.kuoni.co.uk/pr/images.html