Tauck has quickly grown its line of small group tours (averaging 24 people) since the pandemic, but the tour operator said there is demand for even smaller groups.
The company responded by piloting “small group” tours in 2024. Tauck said the average number of guests on these trips is just 15. By comparison, Tauck's classic land tour averages 35 to 44 guests.
Tauck said there have already been three small group departures in recent weeks (Canyonlands in the US, A Week In… Spain and A Week In… Ireland). In total, Tauck will pilot 26 small group departures this year across seven itineraries in North America and Europe. Small group tours are a special departure from existing Tauck itineraries.
According to Tauck's website, the 2025 classic “A Week In … Spain” tour starts at $5,990 per person, $6,690 for a small group and $8,990 for a small group.
The official launch of the Smaller Group program is scheduled for 2025, marking Tauck's 100th anniversary. At this time, Tauck will expand Smaller Group services to include 124 departures across 12 itineraries in North America, Europe and Africa. Reservations are available.
Tauck CEO Dan Mahar said guests on Smaller Group safaris “will stay in cozy lodges and tented camps with limited capacity, providing a more authentic experience with minimal disruption to wildlife and the environment.”
Tauck said small group tours now account for more than half of the company's non-cruise business.
“While many of our guests are sticking with traditional group sizes, we’ve also seen remarkable growth in smaller group departures over the past few years,” said Dan Mahar, CEO of Tauck. “In recent years, we have seen an increased interest among some guests in smaller groups. Our market research has focused on those interested in smaller groups, with the optimal group size being 12 to 20 people. The average group size of 15 is right in the middle of that sweet spot.”
