To celebrate 40 years as a premier association of tour and packaged vacation companies, the United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA) has partnered with four of its members – Pacific Delight Tours, Go Ahead Tours, Collette Vacations and Globus – to launch the Around the World with USTOA Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes offer $40,000 in travel prizes (including air) to China, Australia/New Zealand, South America and the U.S. National Parks.
From Tuesday, May 29 through Monday, June 25, one of the four prizes will be awarded each week, and U.S. residents age 21 and over can enter to win at www.facebook.com/USTourOperatorsAssoc.
The sweepstakes is designed to showcase what “group travel” has come to mean today: ease of travel, expert knowledge, enriching experiences and making the bucket list trip a reality.
Says Terry Dale, USTOA president, “The tour and packaged vacation industry has completely reinvented itself in the past 40 years, offering elements like behinds-the-scenes access to coveted places, seamless entrance into exotic locales, and a wide range of experiences suitable for any budget and adventure palette.”
In fact, USTOA notes the combined members of USTOA offer itineraries that touch nearly every country around the globe. Adds Dale, “Gone are the days where such vacations simply meant motorcoach transportation and a guide with a sign…these are not your grandmother’s trips.”
The Around the World with USTOA Sweepstakes underscores that point strongly, USTOA says, awarding prizes that transport winners to explore places like the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef, Machu Picchu, and the Grand Canyon. Each week during the sweepstakes period, a new prize will be offered and awarded.
Four USTOA members – each of whom meet the travel industry’s highest standards and participate in the USTOA’s $1 million Traveler’s Assistance Program – have supplied the bucket-list-worthy prizes that will be awarded through this sweepstakes, including:
Week of May 29 Prize: 13 Day China & Yangtze River Air Inclusive Gold Experience for Two
From Pacific Delight Tours, this comprehensive tour takes winners from Beijing to Shanghai, exploring such sites as Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and historic Xi’an, the ancient capital of China. A combination of five-star hotels and a three-night cruise on the famed Yangtze River offer a variety of luxury accommodation experiences throughout the journey. Prize award is for two people, including transpacific air from major U.S. airport (servicing Air China), three intra-China flights, all accommodations, most meals, English-speaking guides on all sightseeing tours, special cultural performances and culinary experiences, and more. www.pacificdelighttours.com
Week of June 5 Prize: U.S. National Parks, 12 Days Air Inclusive for Four
From Go Ahead Tours, this extensive tour begins in Santa Fe, NM and journeys through the spectacular scenery of some of the country’s most dramatic national parks as it winds its way up to Jackson, WY. Winners will explore Mesa Verde National Park, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park, offering stops in historic towns along the way. Prize award is for four people, including round-trip air, 11-nights accommodations, daily buffet breakfast, four three-course dinners including wine or beer, private deluxe motorcoach transportation, and more. www.goaheadtours.com
Week of June 12 Prize: South Pacific Wonders (Australia/New Zealand), 15 Days Air Inclusive for Two
From Collette Vacations, this exotic tour explores the unique cultures of Australia and New Zealand. Prize winners will visit the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House, Mount Cook National Park, Milford Sound, and a variety of colorful cities and sites along the journey, from a working crocodile farm to private dinners in local homes. Prize award is for two people, including round-trip air from the U.S., all accommodations, several meals, a variety of guided tours and hosted cultural experiences, and more. www.collettevacations.com
Week of June 19 Prize: Spirit of South America, 14 Days Air Inclusive for Two
From Globus, this extensive tour traverses Brazil, Argentina, and Peru, showcasing South America’s cosmopolitan cities and ancient historic sites. From Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires to Iguassu Falls, Machu Picchu, and a host of ancient Incan locales, winners will make lasting memories. Prize award is for two people, including round-trip air from the U.S., all accommodations, daily breakfast and many other meals, several guided sightseeing tours, and more. www.globusjourneys.com
USTOA says entrants are permitted to submit one entry per week during the four-week sweepstakes period. Each week, all non-winning entries are carried forward to the next week’s prize period. Complete rules and regulations of the Around the World with USTOA Sweepstakes, as well as complete prize details are available at www.facebook.com/USTourOperatorsAssoc.
Visit www.ustoa.com