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Tour Operators Promise Guaranteed Departures

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

February 2, 2006
A new program promises that consumers can book tours with the confidence they won't cancel. The program, sponsored by Travel Alliance Partners (TAP), a confederation of 34 top tour operators, protects consumers who book any of the 60 tours included in the first offering of TAP's "Guaranteed Departures."

Before today's announcement, made at the American Bus Association marketplace in Nashville, tours that didn't sell a minimum amount of seats were often subject to cancellation - leaving consumers with shattered travel plans and harming the reputations of the tour operators who booked them.

The 60 tours (75 departures) in the initial offering cover 29 states, six provinces, three European countries, and both Australia and New Zealand.

The new program allows tour companies and bus companies to partner with TAP members in offering tours that are guaranteed to go.

For example, three of the included tours, offered by TAP member Shebby Lee Tours of Rapid City, SD, have scheduled summer departures for the Black Hills, Yellowstone National Park, and the Lewis & Clark Trail, completing the final year of its four-year Bicentennial in 2006.

TAP members, based throughout North America, support each other by buying and selling each other's products, sharing their expertise, and running joint marketing programs. They also offer a travel insurance plan.

Among its members are former National Tour Association chairs plus active board members of the Gray Line, the Travel Industry Association of America, and the American Bus Association.

For further information, contact Travel Alliance Partners (Tel. 610-923-7747, www.travelalliancepartners.com).

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