Why did Tauck freeze prices?

The Norwalk, Conn.-based Tauck World Discovery says it is the only tour operator guaranteeing prices for all its international tours through 2004. Why did they do it? “We feel it’s part of our integrity and part of the philosophy of the company. I don’t think in our entire history, we’ve ever raised our prices after we printed our brochure,” expalined Scott Supernaw, vice president, Tauck World Discovery. Agents have always been an integral part of Tauck bookings since the company’s founding in 1925, he added. “They make up the vast majority of our bookings. They’ve always been our partners, and that will continue,” said Mr Supernaw. Tauck offers about 120 tours worldwide and is one of the largest tour operators anywhere. One of their most popular tours is the Canadian Rockies. “Our fall foliage tours which go through Canada and the northeast US have been popular for a long time,” said Mr Supernaw. Tauck is very active in Europe and recently added a new Russian-Helsinki tour. “We’re always looking for new areas. We’re looking at other parts of Asia right now,” said Mr Supernaw. In demographics, Tauck travelers have traditionally been couples over 60 years old, but single travelers now represents about 30% of bookings. Tauck also has a new product line called “Bridges,” which is aimed at travelers of different generations. “It’s for grandparents and grandchildren or three generations traveling all together, which is not uncommon anymore,” said Mr Supernaw. Report by David Wilkening