by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:15 AM ET, Wed January 15, 2025
Tour operator Collette saw its best year in 2024, and the company is sharing the destinations it expects to be trending during its 107th year.
Small-group explorations tours are Collette’s most popular travel style, with a maximum size of only 24 travelers. Of all its destinations, it’s identified the “Namibia and South Africa: Epic Landscapes and Wildlife” tour as one of its fastest growing new tours. The itinerary spans 16 days and features safari drives through Etosha and Kruger National Park, a visit to the Namib Desert, a drive along the Skeleton Coast and a dinner with a local Capetonian family.
Collette also expects Crete and Argentina to be more popular than ever this year.
The new “Gems of Greece” tour offers three nights in Athens, three nights in Naxos, two nights in Heraklion and three in Chania, offering a slower pace for travelers to connect with a local cafe and artisan workshop in Athens, learn to cook at a Cretan co-op cafe with a local cooking lesson and engage in other special experiences.
Meanwhile, those heading to South America can enjoy the “Essential South America” trip, which takes travelers from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Travelers will enjoy a Chilean cooking class, tango dance lessons, wine tastings and vineyard tours in Mendoza and more.
Lastly, Collette expects Albania to gain more recognition this year. It’s first-ever tour to the Balkan nation is debuting this year. “The Balkans: From Coastal Croatia to Legendary Greece” includes a home-hosted dinner in Sarajevo, a boat tour in Boka Bay, an overnight at a farm in Karanac, a visit to the Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope and more.
"Albania is one of Europe's fastest-growing travel destinations," explained Jaclyn Leibl-Cote, President & CEO of Collette. "Over the past few decades, more travelers have shown increased interest in exploring the region's breathtaking mountain ranges and scenic coastlines. This tour not only enables them to do that, but also offers the opportunity to learn about Albanian folklore, centered around heroism, mountain spirits, and the legendary "Shqiponja," a powerful eagle symbolizing freedom."
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