You might think that after more than 100 years in business, a company would slow down a little. Not guided travel specialist Collette, which has launched its 107th travel season by adding 13 new tours to its global lineup.
Jaclyn Leibl-Cote and Dan Sullivan Jr. (Photo Credit: Collette)
Family-owned and privately managed Collette is led by CEO Jaclyn-Leibl-Cote, third generation of the Sullivan family to lead the company and just the fourth CEO in its 107 year history.
The new season brings new tours and new destinations into our lineup,” Leibl-Cote said. “We’ve added Albania to ‘The Balkans: Coastal Croatia and Legendary Greece’ tour; and launched brand new programs like a Namibia and South Africa tour as well as regional deep dives like ‘Sequoia and Kings Canyon’ and ‘Utah’s Mighty Five.’”
Collette’s 2025-26 season features over 170 tours worldwide to destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, North America and South America.
A distinctive characteristic of Collette’s new season comes is an emphasis on travel during low-season months to ensure local economies that rely on tourism thrive year-round, while giving travellers the opportunity to experience destinations away from the bustle of peak tourist season.
As well, to support local communities and partners, address over-tourism, and offer a regionalized approach, Collette has also put a focus on creating programs that stay in popular secondary cities like Ise Shima, Japan; Cornwall, England; Sarajevo, Bosnia; and Pienza, Italy.
Collette Canada’s Ron Lonsdale leads a training session for Ensemble attendees. (Photo Credit: Bruce Parkinson)
Collette continues to add tours to its trending small group Explorations travel style and incorporate destinations “off the beaten path.” Tours feature meaningful cultural connections and unique experiences such as a home hosted lunch in a Zimbabwean township, visiting a women’s cooperative in India, visiting an Icelandic horse farm, and engaging with the indigenous Kootenai tribe members in Montana.
Collette is also catering to travel trends with expansion in multi-generational travel groups and private touring for 2025 and beyond.
“I’m honoured to be leading our team as we usher in our 107th year of adventure. Travel continues to evolve as does the modern traveller,” Leibl-Cote ststed. “To stay relevant, we listen closely to our customers, partners and employees worldwide so that we can continually innovate and lead the way in this guided travel evolution.”