This year, Ritz Tours (http://www.RitzTours.com) is celebrating its 30th Anniversary as a leading U.S.-based operator of escorted tours to China, bringing thousands of visitors to the region and introducing travelers to the exoticism and intrigue of Asia’s 5,000 years of culture and history with more than 20 Premiere, Deluxe and Asia Series tours.

Bringing its formula for success to Europe in 2009, the company introduced deluxe programs departing from the U.S., bringing travelers to the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Ritz 30th Anniversary

Pictured left to right: Fred Ruggiero, Cathay Pacific; Judy McDaniel, USTOA;

Martin Chan, Owner of Ritz Tours and Andy Bhatia, Kingfisher Airlines

Despite the state of the economy, Ritz Tours continues to see growth and expansion as a company.  “I am very proud that despite the difficult economic times that the travel industry has been facing during this global economic crisis over the past 24 months, Ritz Tours has continued to invest in our operation and expansion of both our product line and our offices worldwide to serve the needs of our clients,” said Martin Chan, owner of Ritz Tours.

Ritz Tours is the creation of Chan, who works out of the company’s California-based headquarters.  Chan has over 37 years of travel industry knowledge and experience.  Founded in 1980, Ritz Tours began as a retail travel agency selling vacation packages to the local Los Angeles community.

As the company began to develop its business, Chan embarked on the new challenge of expanding Ritz Tours into a wholesale tour operation with a specialized line of escorted journeys highlighting the exoticism, culture and charm of Asia and, most recently, Europe.

“In the past decade, we have effectively grown our tour offerings beyond China to include Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and India so the next natural step in our development was to venture into Europe,” notes Chan.

Ritz Tours employs 200 people and maintains eight offices worldwide (four in the U.S. - headquarters in Alhambra, CA and branches in Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY; three in China - Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai; and one branch in London).

All Ritz Tours offices are now linked by a new multi-protocol reservations and communications system developed in Germany which gives the tour operator better functionality to respond to travel agent requests.

Offering a strong focus on customer service, the Ritz Tours headquarters has working hours Monday - Friday from 8 am - 6 pm (Pacific Standard Time) with the full-service New York City office handling all incoming calls from 9 am - 5:30 pm (Eastern Standard Time).

Our high level of repeat business and referrals speaks volumes and gives us pride in our industry-wide reputation for quality service and every aspect of vacations,” said Chan.

To meet the demand and growth of the company, Ritz Tours has just opened new larger offices in New York located at Diplomat Centre, 820 Second Avenue (44 St. & 2nd Ave.), Suite 6B, New York.

With every vacation package, Ritz Tours strives to fulfill its mission statement:  “To provide the best quality tours at the most affordable prices.”  Beyond showcasing the intrigue of global travel, Ritz Tours aims to make its clients feel like VIPs while paying the lowest possible price - experiencing five-star service and a five-star product.

Other highlights of the Ritz Tours product portfolio include:

Risk Free Booking - Ritz Tours is featuring guaranteed departures on several of its tour packages to Asia and Europe with as few as two travelers.  Travelers can pack their bags with confidence and enthusiasm knowing their dream vacation will not be cancelled or postponed due to minimum passenger restrictions.

Vacation Investment Protection - Recognizing that unforeseen circumstances sometimes occur, Ritz Tours provides Travel Protection Insurance on all of its tour programs at no additional cost to travelers who confirm their reservations and make final payment at least 60 days prior to departure.

Variety and Value - Renowned for offering the “best quality tours at the most affordable prices” with specially-designed, distinctive travel itineraries, Ritz Tours currently offers more than 20 Premiere, Deluxe and Asia Series tours and three deluxe programs for Europe.  Additionally, the company offers Hot Deals with discounted packages such as week-long programs to a single destination and a variety of seasonal offers.

Ritz Tours redefines the comfort level one can expect when traveling on an escorted journey to China, Asia and Europe with complete travel packages and professional guides who possess exceptional knowledge of the region and points of interest.

Setting the standard for the escorted group travel experience to China and Asia for upscale travelers, Ritz Tours’ gold standard Premiere Series programs feature super-exceptional inclusions such as the finest hotels in each city, leading cuisine and use of a private dining room in all local restaurants, top-class entertainment performances with preferred seating at all shows on the itinerary, enhanced comfort with a maximum group size of 24, overnight document delivery (tickets, itinerary and general information), and tips for local tour guides, drivers and baggage handlers.

For those looking to extend their travels in Asia, Ritz Tours sells Super Value Extensions to various countries throughout the region that can easily and conveniently be tagged on to the end of a Ritz itinerary (there are exceptions where certain extensions can’t be incorporated into the trip).