World Wide Country Tours (WWCT) was a guided tour company founded by publishing icon

Roy Reiman Roy J. Reiman (born May 16, 1934) is the founder of Reiman Publications based in Greendale, Wisconsin, which is best known for its country-oriented magazines, books, and other home products. Roy Reiman is credited with building the country’s ...

in 1972, and it served as the exclusive tour operator for and part of the

Reader's Digest Association Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (TMBI), formerly known as the Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (RDA), is an American multi-platform media and publishing company that is co-headquartered in New York City and White Plains, New York. The company was ...

family of companies until its closing in 2012. The company was headquartered in

Greendale, Wisconsin Greendale is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,854 at the 2020 census. Greendale is located southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. A planned community, i ...

, along with the publishing offices of thirteen magazines, including ''

Taste of Home ''Taste of Home'' is an American media brand centered on food. It is an example of user-generated content in magazines, publishing recipes submitted by home cooks. ''Taste of Home'' is owned by Trusted Media Brands, which also owns ''Reader's Di ...

'', '' Birds & Blooms'' and ''Country''.

Overview

Agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...

, which brings visitors to a farm or ranch, was an integral component of World Wide Country Tours itineraries. Reiman's first tours brought farmers to Hawaii for educational visits and seminars. The company expanded to Alaska, international destinations and then to North American tours. The tour itineraries often emphasized visiting local farms, orchards, fisheries, and crafts businesses, in addition to more conventional tourist destinations. In 1995,

Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Nebraska Public Media, formerly Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), is a state network of public radio and television stations in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is operated by the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission (NETC) ...

's "Statewide" program featured World Wide Country Tours' visits to northeastern Nebraska farmers in their "Ag Tourism" article, broadcast April 30, 2005, and March 17, 2006. The company operated tours to over 40 destinations and maintained a strong customer satisfaction rate, with 98% of its travelers indicating they would travel with the company again. When the business was closed by its parent company in January 2012,World Wide Country Tours closing
/ref> the slack was quickly picked up by former staffers in a newly created company, Country Travel DISCOVERIES. Led by Steve Uelner, who had served as WWCT's Director for over 25 years, Country Travel DISCOVERIES has continued to offer a similar type and quality of "off-the-beaten-path" tours focused on rural settings and the country lifestyle that travelers had experienced and learned to expect from World Wide Country Tours. Continuity with the World Wide Country Tours legacy can be seen in the tours, past WWCT traveler testimonials, and letter by Roy Reiman on Country Travel DISCOVERIES' website as well as in its partnership with new magazines published by Reiman, including Our Iowa Magazine and Our Wisconsin.

References

{{Reader's Digest Travel and holiday companies of the United States