Contiki Tours
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contiki Tours is the name of bus tour holidays organised in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America. The travel company was formed in the 1960s specifically to create bus trips for 18-35 year-olds to include a mix of sightseeing, free time, culture, socializing and adventure.
In 1961, New Zealander John Anderson arrived in London to tour Europe. By himself and without much money, he devised a plan so that he would not have to travel alone. He put a deposit on a yellow minibus and gathered a group of people to travel with, and they spent 12 weeks exploring Europe together. At the end of the trip, he tried to sell the minibus without success. The following year he decided to advertise his Europe trip again. This time he was able to fit two trips into the summer season. The first tours were booked by 19-29 year olds, starting the tradition of Contiki Holidays being for youth travellers. Today, yellow is the base colour in the logo, the same as the original bus.
Nowadays, most participants in Contiki tours are Australian, but many New Zealanders and North Americans travel with Contiki. Contiki is growing in popularity in the Far East, South America, Central America and Europe.
Recently, Contiki expanded to offer resort holidays in both Bali and Mykonos in Greece. They also sell tours in the Middle East, but these are outsourced to other companies.
Each year, many New Zealanders take part in Contiki Tours and the name is a cultural term for many Kiwis who have returned home, as there are invariably workmates, relatives or acquaintances who have 'just done', 'got back', or are thinking of taking part in, a "Contiki"[citation needed].
[edit] External links
 This article about a corporation or company involved in entertainment, leisure, sports and/or tourism is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
