Encore Tours
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Encore Tours firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Encore Tours
- Legal name
- American Institute for Foreign Study, Inc.
- Website
- https://encoretours.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Encore Tours industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Travel Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Performing Arts, Music & Theatre Group Tours (THAKAGAH)
Keywords
Where Encore Tours is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Encore Tours business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Performance Tour Packages: Encore generates revenue through comprehensive performance tour packages for choirs, bands, and orchestras. Packages include venue bookings, accommodations, transportation, meals, sightseeing, and concert coordination. The company earns fees on the full tour package including airfare, hotels, and ground arrangements.
- Travel Protection Plans: Revenue generated from optional upgraded protection plans (Ultimate and Ultimate-Plus) that provide enhanced cancellation flexibility and on-tour coverage. Basic plan is complimentary, with paid tiers offering cancel-for-any-reason benefits.
- Automatic Payment Plan Enrollment: Participants who enroll in autopay and upgrade their protection plan receive a $100 bundle discount, indicating the company generates revenue from payment processing and protection plan upgrades.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Directors and Assistants Travel FREE on all tours |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Fabulous Fundraiser for groups with 30+ participants |
| Subscription | Annual | Referral Bonuses up to $2,000 for directors |
| Transaction based/ take rate | One time/ perpetual license | Flight Upgrade Service Fee |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Bounced Check Fee |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Encore Tours product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Encore Tours organizes fully customized international performance tours for school and community musical ensembles (choirs, bands, and orchestras). Each tour packages venue bookings at premier historic venues with guaranteed audiences, centrally located hotels, ground transportation, meals, sightseeing, and concert coordination. The company sells tour packages directly to ensemble directors via regional tour consultants, with optional add-ons such as travel protection plans, fundraising tools, and automatic payment scheduling.
Product overview
Encore Tours operates as a service-based company offering a unified portfolio centered on international performance travel. The core product is Performance Tours — fully customizable trips for choirs, bands, and orchestras to perform at premier venues worldwide with guaranteed audiences. This core is supported by festival offerings (Festival des Trois Chateaux, Musica Orbis, Sing Mit, St. Patrick's Day Festival), the Prelude professional development program, and Encore Experiences for elevated cultural access. Add-on services include the Fabulous Fundraiser, Personal Fundraising Pages, Encore Protection Plans (Basic, Ultimate, Ultimate-Plus), Automatic Payments, Graduate-Level Credits, and Flight Services. Support resources include the STAR reference program and Repertoire Library. The company processes payments through PayPal and CyberSource and uses Google for website analytics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Encore Experiences: Elevated experiences for musically minded travelers offering behind-the-scenes access to musicians, venues, famous ensembles, and instrument makers
- Prelude
- Fabulous Fundraiser
Products and services
- Performance Tours
- International Concert Tours
- Choir Trips
- Orchestra Trips
- Band Trips
- Festival des Trois Chateaux
- Musica Orbis Choral Festival
- Sing Mit Festival
- St. Patrick's Day Festival
- Prelude Professional Development Weekend
- Fabulous Fundraiser
- Personal Fundraising Pages
- Encore Protection Plans
- Automatic Payments
- Graduate-Level Credits
- Encore Experiences
- Flight Services
- Speak To A Reference (STAR)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 95% of past Group Leaders rated their overall experience as Good or Excellent
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Encore Tours
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Encore Tours technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
Encore Tours partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ACIS Educational TourscoreACIS is the parent company and performance division of Encore Tours. Encore is described as the performance division of ACIS Educational Tours, with ACIS handling the underlying educational tour operations and Encore focusing specifically on performance travel.
- Courses4TeacherscorePartnership to provide graduate-level professional development credits for music educators. Encore directors can earn up to three graduate-level credits through this partnership with Courses4Teachers and University of the Pacific.
- University of the PacificcoreUniversity partnership for offering graduate-level professional development credits. Credits are accepted by school districts throughout the United States and can be used for salary advancement and recertification requirements.
- Chorus AmericaminorEncore Tours sponsors Chorus America's online learning program, a professional development opportunity covering topics choruses and choral leaders want to learn about.
- Group Travel Videos by PhotoVision, Inc.minorPartnership with PhotoVision to provide group travel videos as a lasting travel souvenir for Encore participants.
- Musica OrbiscoreFestival partnership for choir competitions and performances. Encore groups perform at the Musica Orbis Prague Festival and Bratislava International Youth Music Festival, competing for awards including Gold Medal recognition.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Encore Tours competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- EF Educational Tours: Largest US school educational tour operator offering performance-band and choir itineraries as part of a much broader portfolio. Comparable as a competitor for school travel budgets and an incumbent that can package performance options with non-performance tours.
- ACIS Educational Tours: Encore's parent brand and the underlying educational tour operator offering broader curriculum-based travel. Comparable because it shares the same customer base (educators) and operational infrastructure but operates in a wider, non-performance-focused niche.
- Smithsonian Student Travel: Runs curated student tours including music-themed itineraries via Smithsonian's brand. Comparable as an established school-travel incumbent competing for the same director-led group travel dollars with a broader educational positioning.
Emerging players
- Putney Student Travel: Operator of student-focused experiential travel programs including music-themed itineraries. Comparable in that it sells through educators and competes for the same discretionary school travel budget but is broader in scope.
- Disney Performing Arts: Performing arts program offering ensemble performance opportunities at Disney parks, primarily a US-domestic alternative to international concert tours. Comparable because it solves the same ensemble performance and audience problem but in a different destination and format.
- Performing Arts Abroad: Smaller specialty operator running performance-focused programs for student ensembles and individuals abroad. Comparable as a direct niche competitor but with narrower scale and less established venue relationships.
Direct peers
- Music Celebrations International: Organizes international music festival tours and adjudicated events for ensembles, including European performance festivals. Closely comparable in festival-led positioning and ensemble director GTM.
- Music Contact International: Long-running boutique operator specializing in international performance tours for school choirs, bands, and orchestras across Europe. Direct competitor serving the same buyer (ensemble directors) with a similar venue-and-audience promise.
- World Projects Corporation: Specialist in customized international concert tours for music ensembles, with festival partnerships and a comparable European venue portfolio. Direct peer competing for the same school and community music programs.
Others
- Chorus America: National advocacy and professional development organization for the choral field; Encore already sponsors Chorus America's online learning program. Comparable because it is a key ecosystem partner influencing director purchase decisions and a feeder channel for choir-tour customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Encore Tours social profiles
Digital presenceEncore Tours financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Encore Tours leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Encore Tours funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Encore Tours M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Encore Tours
What does Encore Tours do?
Encore Tours organizes fully customized international performance tours for school and community musical ensembles (choirs, bands, and orchestras). Each tour packages venue bookings at premier historic venues with guaranteed audiences, centrally located hotels, ground transportation, meals, sightseeing, and concert coordination. The company sells tour packages directly to ensemble directors via regional tour consultants, with optional add-ons such as travel protection plans, fundraising tools, and automatic payment scheduling.
Is Encore Tours a public or private company?
Encore Tours is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Encore Tours founded?
Encore Tours was founded in 1978. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Encore Tours based?
Encore Tours is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Encore Tours make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Performance Tour Packages are the primary driver. The others are travel Protection Plans and automatic Payment Plan Enrollment.
Who are Encore Tours's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are EF Educational Tours, ACIS Educational Tours and Smithsonian Student Travel. Emerging players are Putney Student Travel, Disney Performing Arts and Performing Arts Abroad. Direct peers are Music Celebrations International, Music Contact International and World Projects Corporation. Chorus America is listed as an others.
Does Encore Tours have an API?
No public API is recorded for Encore Tours.
What industry is Encore Tours in?
Encore Tours's product category is Educational Travel Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAGAH, Performing Arts, Music & Theatre Group Tours. Its NAICS code is 56152 and its SIC code is 7900.