Group Voyagers, Inc. - also known as the "Globus family of brands", is a group of escorted tour, river cruise and independent travel package companies marketed worldwide. They include the
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
s ''Globus'', ''Cosmos'', ''
Avalon Waterways
Avalon Waterways is a river cruise company owned by the Globus family of brands and offers cruises in Europe, China, Southeast Asia, South America, India and the Galápagos Islands.rowing boat
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...
to transport commercial goods across
Lake Lugano
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Lake Lugano ( it, Lago di Lugano or , from la, Ceresius lacus; lmo, Lagh de Lugan) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated ...
in Switzerland.
Over time, Mantegazza acquired motorcoaches to transport tourists around the Lake Lugano area in southern Switzerland. Boasting a fleet of 12 coaches, operating local excursions for European tourists in Switzerland, Mantegazza called his new venture ''Globus Viaggi''.
By 1950 the company operated 33 coaches with overnight excursions to Rome,
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, the
Dolomites
The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form par ...
and
French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
. Gradually, the overnight excursions became regularly scheduled tours and grew longer to cover more ground. Later that decade, under the leadership of Werner Albek, Antonio’s business partner, Globus pioneered the concept of Grand European Touring by offering first-class European tours to United States citizens.
In 1961 the group launched Cosmos (originally referred to as
Cosmos Holidays
Cosmos (formerly Cosmos Tours) is a UK independent tour operator providing a range of package holidays to the UK market. The tour operator is connected to the international Globus Travel Group, founded in 1928, which remains family owned wit ...
) in the United Kingdom, offering value-priced European touring for the cost-conscious traveler.
From 1975 under Sergio Mantegazza, son of Antonio and current president of Globus, the company's brands began expanding their markets beyond UK with packages to Africa, Australia, North and South America, Southeast Asia, Europe and the South Pacific. Also in the early 70s, Globus launched its North American company – Group Voyagers, Inc. – overseeing U.S. operations and the American market for the Globus and Cosmos brands.
In 2004, Globus launched a cruise company,