Tauck celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. The operator's first itinerary was a tour of New England; today, it leads itineraries across all seven continents and also operates small-ship and river cruises. Tours editor Brinley Hineman spoke with CEO Jennifer Tombaugh at the USTOA's annual Marketplace conference at National Harbor, Md., about the company's future and its renewed focus on innovation and attracting new markets.
Jennifer Tombaugh
Q: You're wrapping up your 100th year. What's on your mind as you head into 2026?
A: It's been an extraordinary year, and we have so much to celebrate and for which to be thankful. And while I don't want to let that moment go, I am so excited about our next plan. As part of our ongoing planning efforts, we have this '26 to '30 plan that has kicked off already. It's our next strategic plan; so much of that is about innovation and everything that powered us for the last 100 years, in terms of pioneering spirit, to really drive us forward for this next 100.
Q: What does that innovation look like?
A: A lot of it is just looking at what we do today, and how can we do it differently. We don't say, "Oh, let's just make another riverboat." What are we hearing from our guests? How do we start thinking about them in different ways? What are new things that we can offer? It is wonderful that the space is so competitive, because it naturally makes you want to be better and better. Even in our land programs, what new areas might we explore? What new territories might we discover?
Q: What is driving growth?
A: In our core, which is our existing flagship land, river, small-ship cruising space, we've seen not only tremendous growth but will continue to see it, particularly in the river cruise segment. River is an area where we continue to see great traction. ... Our small-ship cruising portfolio is the biggest it's ever been. It will continue to grow. We have also this tremendous growth in our small group [land tours].
Q: Is your new Roam brand part of your strategic plan?
A: Roam just launched for the 40- to 50-year-old market. We've learned a lot in really understanding what that 40- to 50-year-old [traveler] is looking for: They love group travel, and that was a big surprise to us. They love Tauck, they just want more flexibility, that freedom to explore. They want the amazing meals and those access points and great Roam directors, but they just want a little bit more control. They want that time to sort of rest and recharge. I think we can all identify with this group, right? Your time is precious. You don't have the time to work through all the details, but you want an extraordinary experience that isn't regimented. Roam will be our first foray into reaching new opportunities.
Q:What about young adults?
A: It's still in incubation, but I launched Tauck Bridges, so I can speak about this. My kids loved going on trips when they were 8 up to 14. Now they're in their late teens and early 20s, and they love to travel, but they don't necessarily want to travel with the little kids anymore, right? But we love our family time, and we're always planning trips together. That's what we've heard from a lot of our guests, is, "Do you have something that's maybe a little bit more active, maybe that's a little bit more late night to satisfy some of the older kids in the group?" So it's an area that we're exploring, as well, that we've heard a lot of feedback from. We have a lot more research that we have to do, but it's an exciting area.