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By Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse
Walking trips are on the rise and Butterfield & Robinson (B&R) is rising to the occasion, celebrating the growth with a variety of new tours.
“We’re extremely proud to offer our travelers a roster of popular European and Expeditions-based trips in Asia, Latin America and Africa,” says Norman Howe, CEO and president, B&R. “Anticipating and reacting to the demand in active luxury trips with a focus on hiking and walking has been essential to the growth of this segment. We’re thrilled to continue growing our offering for new and returning B&R travelers.”
Since 2010, B&R has seen a 153 percent increase in bookings on walking trips, with an average yearly increase of 13 percent in bookings in the same time period. In 2018, B&R has seen an increase of more than 9 percent in travelers booking walking trips, and its walking portfolio has grown from 28 trips to 112 published and private trips in the last eight years.
In 2019, that number will increase even more. The tour operator has quadrupled the number of walking trips offered in 2010. Six new trips will depart the U.K., Italy, Romania and New Zealand.
Two of the six new journeys will take place in Italy, Puglia to Matera Walking and Sardinia Walking. The country is B&R’s fastest-growing destination for walking trips.
“In Italy alone, we’ve created a boat-based walking trip for smaller groups in Sardinia, while Puglia to Matera serves to expand our footprint in B&R’s most popular destination in the EU,” says Laura Benn, Sales Manager, B&R. “From unbeatable UNESCO heritage sites to impressive, beautiful walks along lakes and at the foot of mountains, we’re keeping an eye on our newest walking trips to see if they can challenge our annually most-booked trips.”
The other new journeys include Devon & Cornwall Walking, Cotswolds Walking, Romania Walking and New Zealand Walking. Journeys range between six and eight days and prices start at $4,995.
