Avanti Destinations, the Portland-based provider of independent, custom-designed vacation packages, is expanding to the South Pacific, a new region for the company.
Avanti’s South Pacific product line will debut with eight recommended vacation package templates, which are offered as recommended default programs that can be used as offered, or can be altered by clients in practically any way that does not defy the laws of physics. Australia can’t be moved closer to Los Angeles, for example. However, most requested changes within the scope of reality can be accommodated.
Avanti’s range of vacation components include 222 three- to five-star hotels in 50-some locations in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and 280 tours or activities.
Today the World
This is the fourth major region for which Avanti offers custom vacations, but it didn’t happen overnight. Developing a whole region for independent packages is an even more complex project than developing tours. It requires making contacts and evaluations and signing contracts with all of the above-named providers. Avanti’s world conquest has not been quick.
It started in 1981 when Avanti began offering independent packages for Europe. In 1990 it expanded its operations to Latin America. In 2015 the company began to operate in Asia. And now, in 2023, Avanti has expanded to the South Pacific.
Avanti also offers North African destinations, which are a natural extension of its Mediterranean and Middle Eastern destinations.
Back in 1981, when Avanti began offering packages that could be independently built to order for individual clients or small groups, it was a fairly radical innovation. There were many tour operators offering group tour itineraries, and there were also wholesalers that offered independent travel packages. But most of them had little capacity to individually customize the packages. You pretty much had to take what was on the shelf. Avanti, under founder Harry Dalgaard, developed some proprietary technology that gave the company the power to offer component-built packages, and could give travel agents the power to assemble the packages themselves.
Since its beginning in 1981, it has continued to grow and refine its business, to build its global network. Now it is bringing its style of vacation packaging to the South Pacific. It’s especially advantageous to travel advisors who already work with Avanti, and now have the convenience of booking the South Pacific under the same system.
The move into the South Pacific comes in response to demand, according to Paul Barry, Avanti’s CEO.
“Our travel advisor partners have been asking us to offer Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific for some time because these places are very high on most people’s travel bucket list,” said Barry. “Advisors specifically requested vacations with the same high quality that we provide for Europe and our other destinations.”
The Product Line
Of the eight suggested itineraries, three are in Australia, three in New Zealand and two in Fiji.
An e-brochure detailing the packages in depth will be available on Avanti’s travel advisor portal on Sept. 12.
A webinar about the South Pacific region will take place Aug. 31 at 1pm Eastern time.
More webinars are planned in October, November and December that will go into greater depth about each of the individual countries. See information at Avanti’s advisor portal).
Australia, New Zealand and Fiji are all primarily English-speaking countries, so they are easy destinations to travel in independently for Americans. They also offer a lot in the way of adventurous activities that are becoming increasingly popular around the world.
“These destinations offer spectacular scenery, abundant opportunities for active travel, wildlife-spotting, fascinating indigenous cultures, and renowned food and wine,” said Barry. “With flight capacity returning to pre-pandemic levels, the opportunities for direct flights from cities around the US are greatly improving. It is also a region that will give advisors repeat bookings. Once clients take one independent vacation there, they will want to return, and Avanti’s wide array of outstanding experiences ensures that each vacation you create is different from the last.”
The South Pacific destinations are highly diverse in every aspect, including geography and climate as well as culture. With a diverse range of climate and weather conditions, the South Pacific is a year-round destination.
Australia’s range of climate diversity includes tropical, subtropical, desert, and temperate climates. Though the seasons in the southern hemisphere are roughly reversed from those in the northern, there is no time of year when Australia is off the tourism map. Some parts are better than others at various times of the year, but there is plenty to do year round.
For travel to New Zealand, Barry recommends November through March, during the American winter and the austral summer. In Fiji, which Barry characterizes as “a tropical paradise,” he recommends April through October as the best time to travel. The heaviest rains are in January through March.
The company has taken pains to include not only the most popular, iconic destinations, but also many places that are off the beaten path.
“We always strive to give advisors the opportunity to help their FIT clients develop an in-depth appreciation for the countries that they visit and their cultures, and not just tick the best-known sights off their list,” said Barry.
In Australia, Avanti provides hotels and tours in 25 locations, including: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Cairns, Port Douglas, K’gari, (formerly known as Fraser Island), the Outback, Darwin, Crocosaurus Cove, Katherine, and Hobart in Tasmania, and other places.
Avanti offers 17 locations in New Zealand, including four on the North Island: Auckland, Wellington, Rotorua, and Hawke’s Bay.
On the South Island, Avanti offers hotels and tours in the two cities of Christchurch and Queenstown, as well as Franz Josef (recently renamed Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere), Fox Glacier, Tekapo and others.
In Fiji, Avanti offers hotels, resorts and tours including: Nadi, Denarau, Coral Coast on the southern shore of Viti Levu, the Mamanuca Islands, Yasawa, Savusavu the Namena Marine Reserve, Taveuni and many other places.
David Cogswell is a freelance writer working remotely, from wherever he is at the moment. Born at the dead center of the United States during the last century, he has been incessantly moving and exploring for decades. His articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Fortune, Fox News, Luxury Travel Magazine, Travel Weekly, Travel Market Report, Travel Agent Magazine, TravelPulse.com, Quirkycruise.com, and other publications. He is the author of four books and a contributor to several others. He was last seen somewhere in the Northeast US.