Back-Roads Touring is expanding into Asia with its first foray into the longhaul market.
It is offering eight tours for 2018-2019 across Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, with a maximum group size of no more than 14.
The new tours are: five day Bangkok & The River Kwai; eight day Temples of Thailand and Cambodia; 11 day Spirit of Cambodia; 13 day Wonders of Thailand; five day Hanoi & Halong Highlights; eight day Vietnam Adventure; 12 day Vietnam and Cambodia Discovery; and 12 day Flavours of Vietnam.
The Cambodia Discovery trip leads in at £1,689 and includes Siem Reap, the Royal Palace, Angkor Wat and local markets, as well as the chance to become a Khmer masterchef with a traditional cooking class and demonstration.
The tours aim to focus on lesser-known areas in the destinations and offer experiences “usually reserved for locals”, according to the operator.
General manager Daryl Raven 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 believe that the launch of Asia will complement our Europe & 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 release.”
The operator said it had enjoyed ‘triple digit growth’ from UK agents in the last few years, with the majority of sales coming from the trade.
Some highlights of the new tours include visiting rescued elephants in a rehabilitation facility in Chiang Mai and visiting Angkor Wat with a stone conservation expert.