Group Voyagers, Inc. - also known as the "Globus family of brands", is a group of escorted tour, river cruise and independent travel package companies marketed worldwide. They include the

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

s ''Globus'', ''Cosmos'', '' Avalon Waterways.''

Timeline

The Globus family of brands traces its history to 1928, when Antonio Mantegazza started using a

rowing boat Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically att ...

to transport commercial goods across

Lake Lugano Lake Lugano ( or , from ; ) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated between Lake Como and Lago Maggiore. It was cited for the first t ...

in Switzerland. Over time, Mantegazza acquired motorcoaches to transport tourists around the Lake Lugano area in southern Switzerland. Boasting a fleet of 12 coaches, operating local excursions for European tourists in Switzerland, Mantegazza called his new venture ''Globus Viaggi''. By 1950 the company operated 33 coaches with overnight excursions to Rome,

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( ), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Va ...

and

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

. Gradually, the overnight excursions became regularly scheduled tours and grew longer to cover more ground. Later that decade, under the leadership of Werner Albek, Antonio’s business partner, Globus pioneered the concept of Grand European Touring by offering first-class European tours to United States citizens. In 1961 the group launched Cosmos (originally referred to as Cosmos Holidays) in the United Kingdom, offering value-priced European touring for the cost-conscious traveler. From 1975 under Sergio Mantegazza, son of Antonio and current president of Globus, the company's brands began expanding their markets beyond UK with packages to Africa, Australia, North and South America, Southeast Asia, Europe and the South Pacific. Also in the early 70s, Globus launched its North American company – Group Voyagers, Inc. – overseeing U.S. operations and the American market for the Globus and Cosmos brands. In 2004, Globus launched a cruise company, Avalon Waterways. In the same year it launched Monograms, which provided consumers independent travel packages. This is now simply known as Globus Independent Tours.

Present

The Globus family of brands now consists of more than 30 tourism and aviation businesses, serviced by more than 5,000 staff. The companies’ escorted and independent vacations offer nearly 10,000 departures and over 400 different itineraries, covering more than 65 countries on six continents. Combined, the travel brands carry nearly 500,000 passengers per year, making Globus the largest tour operator worldwide.

References

External links

Globus family of brands Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Globus Travel and holiday companies of the United States American companies established in 1928 Transport companies established in 1928 Bus operating companies River cruise companies Companies based in Colorado 1928 in Switzerland Hospitality companies established in 1928