Destinations Unlimited launches new tours off the beaten path

When presidents, owners and CEOs of travel agencies get excited over new destinations, it can only mean that Filipino travelers are going to have new, thrilling itineraries to choose from starting now and in their traveling years ahead.

Destinations Unlimited (and they do mean unlimited) recently broke new ground in the industry by making accessible new tours to its partner travel agencies, and launching two new cruise offerings from Oceania and Regent, and land tours through South America by Condor.

Criselda “Criselle” Medalla, president of Destinations Unlimited, explains that her company doesn’t service individual passengers but rather partners with tour operators abroad who are experts in these countries, and then offers these itineraries to local agencies who service their own passengers. 

“As the general sale partner of some of the most prestigious tour operators abroad, we assist our local travel agencies to make it easy for them to design itineraries for their group or individual passengers, and to grow their business,” she says.

Criselle says that the past five to 10 years have seen record numbers of Filipinos going abroad for leisure.

“Central Europe is always a hot destination but there is that segment of Filipinos that have become more mature as travelers. They have been to Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, Venice and London not just once or twice but several times. So, we thought, where next?”

Indeed, where next? And how?

That’s where the luxury cruises of Oceania and Regent Seven Seas come in, offering a new way to see Europe.

Director of international sales Constance Seck says they offer two different experiences in cruising: Oceania has a fleet of mid-sized ships (about 1,200 passengers) and the all-suite Regent Seven Seas’ ships that are a notch higher with fine dining and shore excursions included. 

Criselle describes a Regent Seven Seas Cruise as having a “country club ambience — it’s relaxed, casual and sophisticated, no need for formal attire. It’s a little bit more special and about twice the price of Oceania. It’s for passengers who are celebrating special occasions like their honeymoon or anniversary, or people who simply want to experience cruising at an elevated level.”

Both Oceania and Regent — sister companies owned by Prestige Cruise Holdings — offer fine-dining cuisine and elegant accommodations, and calls on more than 330 ports across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Criselle thinks Filipinos will get the most value for their money from itineraries that include neighboring countries — depending on the length of the cruise, of course — like Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland) or the Balkans (Croatia, Montenehro, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, etc.).

“Wherever you want to go, there is a cruise that calls on that port,” she says.

Another destination that Filipino travelers are now raring to explore is South America. For that, Destinations Unlimited partnered with CondorTravel, headquartered in Lima, Peru.

For the past 37 years, Condor Travel has been spreading its wings over South America with itineraries through Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru.

“In South America you get history, adventures, extreme natural setting, a range of excellent food, and friendly people,” says Carmen Rosa Canepa, manager for Asia Pacific and Africa.

Criselle says Condor has various itineraries that let travelers experience sites they have only read about: World Heritage cities, the ancient Machu Picchu, the Andes, the Amazon Rainforest, the Galapagos Island, the mysterious Sun Island, and of course world cities such Rio de Janeiro, Quito, Cuscos, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, and so many more.

Packages include itineraries that fly from one country to another and explore each one by land.

For instance, one is the Andean Countries itinerary starting in Santiago, Chile that goes to Peru, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands; or the Best of South America, which goes from Brazil to Argentina, Chile and Peru; or the Pilgrimage in South America, which starts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and goes to Argentina and Peru.

Condor also designs itineraries for tour groups that may want a shorter or longer tour in South America.

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For inquiries on Oceania and Regent Seven Seas cruises, contact Luxuria Philippines sales group at 949-3611, amy@luxuriasales.com, or your favorite travel agent.

For inquiries on Condor tours to South America, contact your travel agent and ask for Condor itineraries.

For travel agencies wanting to inquire about partnership with Destinations Unlimited, call 896-4811, log on to www.destinatonsunli.com.