But staying true to the Back-Roads ethos, the tour operator has said it will continue to emphasise and promote travel to, and exploration of, lesser-known areas.
Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam all feature across a diverse range of tours - its “most exciting progression yet” - running from five days to 13 days.
All eight tours will showcase region cuisine, ancient attractions and “one-of-a-kind” experience Back-Roads says are usually only practical for locals.
Daryl Raven, Back-Roads touring general manager, said he was thrilled to bring the operator’s Asia offering to the market, and was looking forward to forging even closer ties with the trade.
“Exploring south-east Asia in a small group is something we know travellers are seeking and with our new Asia tours, they can do that with a company they know and trust,” he said.
“We are committed to keeping up with market demands and customer feedback, and have always taken this on board when we develop any of our new product ranges. We know that our customers are looking for a balance of guided experiences and to be able to explore destinations at their own leisure.”
Back-Roads new tours, all maximum 14 travellers, comprise Bangkok & The River Kwai (five days, £1,559pp), Temples of Thailand and Cambodia (eight days, £1,949pp), Wonders of Thailand (13 days, £2,929pp), Spirit of Cambodia (11 days, £1,689), Hanoi and Halong Highlights (five days, £1,169), Vietnam Adventure (eight days, £1,549), Vietnam and Cambodia Discovery (12 days, £2,799) and Flavours of Vietnam (12 days, £1,949).
Raven continued: “In south-east Asia, some of our amazing highlights include experiences such as exploring Angkor Wat with a stone conservation expert, visiting rescued elephants in a rehabilitation facility in Chiang Mai, or even showing you where to experience the best sun set over a deserted beach.”
He added the operator had experienced “triple digit growth” among UK agents in recent years, with the majority of its business coming from the trade: “They’re incredibly important to us,” he said.
“We believe the launch of Asia will complement our Europe and UK small group touring programme perfectly so we’re looking forward to working even closer with our existing trade partners and developing new partnerships off the back of this.”
