Sunny Land Tours Celebrates 50 Years

sunny land tours timeline

Middle East tour operator Sunny Land Tours is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In honor of the occasion, the company has released a letter from its CEO detailing the company's history, as well as a series of special travel deals. 

Here is the letter from Elie Sidawi, president and CEO of Sunny Land Tours:

"I would like to share with you the biography of the company I started 50 years ago in Beirut, Lebanon.

Sunny Land Tours, Inc. was formed in 1964 as an inbound Tour Operator for the Middle East with a Branch office in Jerusalem. In the aftermath of the '6 Day War' in June of 1967 between Israel and the combined armies of Syria, Jordan and Egypt that resulted in sweeping victory by Israel on all fronts, the geographical map of the Middle East was changed, and it was no longer possible for the office in Beirut to conduct business with the office in Jerusalem, since Lebanon and Israel had a state of War with no communications.

As a result, my company could no longer handle touring arrangements in the Old City of Jerusalem from Beirut, and made it necessary to establish an office in the U.S. as an outbound wholesale Tour Operator by incorporating the company in 1969 in Hackensack, NJ.

Sunny Land Tours continued to diversify and expand with an office in Athens, Greece in 1974 and Cairo, Egypt in 1975.

With a steep shortage of cruise boats on the Nile, in 1976 Sunny Land Tours commissioned a 25 cabin cruise boat 'The Nile Explorer' built to American standards, in Chattanooga TN, and shipped to Egypt to begin 3 & 4 night weekly cruises on the Nile. The cruise has visits to Historical Sites, and Pharonic Temples in Upper Egypt. The demand was extraordinary in that all cabins were sold 6 months in advance.

In the 80's and 90's Sunny Land Tours continued diversification and expanded its operation to cover South America and in early 2003 the Head Office was moved to Palm Coast, FL, with a new Central Operations and Service Center in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Sunny Land Tours continues to diversify and refine its product and services to over 25 destinations worldwide.

At the age of 74, I am still running the business as actively as when I was 24!

Celebrate with us- check out these travel specials!

Sincerely,

Elie Sidawi

President & CEO

Sunny Land Tours, Inc."