Tauck has considerably boosted its offering for guests to participate in the once-a-decade Floriade International Horticultural Expo in the Netherlands next year, incorporating the event as part of four different river cruises.
The US travel company said that 10 years ago Floriade drew “exceptional bookings” for its European river cruises and is anticipating an even higher interest in 2022 given the pandemic cruising pause.
Tauck’s river cruises that include a visit to Floriade include the;
- 15-day Amsterdam to Budapest by Riverboat (16 departure dates), priced from AU$9,690 per person twin-share
- 15-day The Rhine and Moselle (5 departure dates), priced from AU$10,390 per person twin-share
- eight-day Belgium & Holland in Spring (13 departure dates), priced from AU$5,290 per person twin-share
- and the new-for-2021 itinerary, eight-day Cruising the Dutch Waterways (6 departure dates), priced from AU$5,740 per person twin-share
The voyages are highlighted in Tauck’s 2022 River Cruising Preview featuring Floriade brochure.
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The visit to Floriade, including expo admission, shuttle transportation, and the Floriade credit card, is included in Tauck’s cruise pricing, as are all other shore excursions, all gratuities, all onboard wine and spirits, airport transfers, luggage handling and more.
Tauck has also secured docking privileges in nearby Huizen, a ten-minute drive from the Floriade grounds. For guests’ convenience and flexibility, private round-trip shuttles will be provided between the riverboat and the expo campus.
According to Tauck CEO Dan Mahar, the basis for the company’s bullish enthusiasm is two-fold. “Our excitement is rooted in both our past experience with Floriade and in the really incredible plans we’ve seen for the 2022 expo,” said Mahar.
“Our guests’ interest in attending Floriade is such that we essentially – and rather quickly – sold out our entire inventory in 2012,” he explained. Mahar also noted that the 2012 edition of Floriade drew more than 2,000,000 total visitors, or some four times the attendance at the 2010 performances of the Oberammergau Passion Play, another popular, once-every-decade cultural event featured on Tauck river cruises.
Next year’s Floriade is far more than a simple flower show, Mahar said. The expo’s theme is “Growing Green Cities,” and it will showcase elements ranging from green architecture and environmentally-friendly food production to renewable energy and healthy living.
The expo will be situated on 60 hectares of land in the city of Almere that was raised and reclaimed from the sea, and following the festival’s conclusion late next year, its various buildings and facilities will collectively function as an enduring, environmentally-friendly urban centre.
The Floriade expo will have more than enough to satisfy those with strong horticultural interests, including landscapes, gardens and greenhouses highlighting a vast collection of flowers, trees, shrubs, plants and crops from more than 40 countries. The festival will also feature live entertainment, themed cultural programs and exhibits, a host of international pavilions, a range of restaurants, food trucks and specialty tastings, and a diverse campus connected by gondolas, trains, bridges and walkways.
Early Admission and a Private Small-Group tour
Tauck guests will experience a full day at Floriade, highlighted by early-access admission one hour before the expo opens to the general public, and a 90-minute, small-group guided tour of key attractions hosted by a Floriade expert. Each guest will also receive a Tauck-issued, €25 Floriade credit card allowing them to enjoy lunch in their choice of dining venues, or purchase mementos of their visit if they prefer.
To view the itineraries, go to tauck.com.au
All images courtesy of Tauck