Friendship Tours

What Friendship Tours does

Friendship Tours is a privately held, family-operated tour operator founded in 1977 and headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, operating as a division of Friendship Corp under President & Owner Brett Isaacson. The company designs and sells escorted group travel packages—primarily motorcoach day trips, overnight motorcoach tours, Broadway theater trips to New York City, luncheon shows, cruises (via its Ship Shop subsidiary), and international fly tours—to adult and senior travelers (typically 50+) and group organizations concentrated in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer sales via phone reservations and a website booking system, with five regional motorcoach departure points across CT and MA. Pricing is per-person and tour-dependent, ranging from roughly $99 for a day trip to $10,995 for a 16-day international fly tour, with deposits and final payment schedules applied to multi-day itineraries. Additional revenue comes from ancillary offerings such as gift certificates, commissions on travel protection insurance sold through NTA and Travel Insured International, and group bookings facilitated through partnerships with organizations such as the Connecticut Horticultural Society, cruise lines (Holland America, Norwegian, AMA Waterways), and regional tour content partners (Image Tours, Sports Travel and Tours). The business is service-intensive and relationship-driven, with no disclosed proprietary technology, no app, no public APIs, and no AI/ML capabilities.

Name

Friendship Tours

Legal name

Friendship Tours / The Ship Shop

Website

https://www.friendshiptours.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Friendship Tours is a privately held, Connecticut-based tour operator (founded 1977) that designs and sells escorted motorcoach day trips, overnight tours, Broadway trips, cruises, and international fly tours to adult and senior travelers and group organizations in the Connecticut and Massachusetts market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Escorted Group Tours

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Charter Bus Industry (48551), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Escorted Coach & Bus Package Tour Operators (THAKADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private/Customized Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAC), River Cruise Charters (Private/Group) (THAEACAE)

Keywords

• Escorted group tours
• Motorcoach travel
• Cruise vacation planning
• Day trip excursions
• Fly tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Day Trip Tours: Day trip tours require full payment at time of booking. These are shorter, local tours within Connecticut and Massachusetts region.
2. Overnight, Cruise, and Fly Tours: Multi-day tours require an initial deposit at booking with final payment due at a later date specified per tour. Tour protection insurance is offered as an add-on through NTA and Travel Insured International.
3. Gift Certificates: Gift certificates sold in denominations from $25 to $1000, providing one-time revenue from travel gift purchases.
4. Travel Protection Insurance: Commission-based revenue from selling travel protection insurance through NTA Travel Protection Plan and Travel Insured International. Insurance premiums are non-refundable once paid.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Friendship Tours is a Connecticut-based escorted tour operator that plans and sells motorcoach day trips, overnight multi-day tours, Broadway theater trips, luncheon entertainment events, cruise vacations (under The Ship Shop brand), and domestic/international fly tours to consumers in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Packages include deluxe motorcoach or air transportation, hotel accommodations, attractions, and most meals, with multiple convenient regional departure points. The company also sells gift certificates and partners with insurance providers to offer optional travel protection.

Product overview

Friendship Tours operates a diversified tour and travel business offering motorcoach day trips, overnight tours, fly tours, and cruise vacation planning. The company operates under the brand 'The Ship Shop' for its cruise division. Core offerings include Day Trips (local New England excursions), Overnight Tours (multi-day motorcoach journeys), ShowBus Broadway (NYC theater trips), Luncheon Shows (dining entertainment events), Ship Shop Cruises (ocean and river cruise planning), and Fly Tours (international and domestic air tours). Additional services include Gift Certificates and Travel Protection Insurance through partnerships with NTA and Travel Insured International. The company serves travelers from Connecticut and Massachusetts with multiple departure locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Trips

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Connecticut Horticultural SocietycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to offer garden-focused travel tours to CHS members. CHS members receive preferred pricing and advance notice of all CHS trips. Tours visit beautiful private and public gardens, flower shows, arboretums, specialty nurseries throughout New England and beyond.
• Sports Travel and ToursminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to offer sports vacation packages to North American games and events. Provides pre-packaged programs or custom-designed trips for sports enthusiasts.
• Image Tours Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer escorted motorcoach tours of Europe. Image Tours founded in 1939 has run the popular 'Heart of Europe Circle Tour' for 51 years. Friendship Tours offers this itinerary and other European tours through this partnership.
• NTA (National Tour Association) Travel Protection PlancoreOthersAdministered by Aon Affinity, provides travel protection insurance including trip cancellation/interruption coverage, medical evacuation, and Cancel for Any Reason upgrade options. Tour Operator Location #076068.
• Travel Insured InternationalcoreOthersProvides Worldwide Trip Protection plans with upgrade benefits including Cancel for Any Reason coverage when purchased within 21 days of initial deposit. Agency #18649.
• AMA WaterwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Douro River cruise in Portugal aboard the AMA Sintra. Includes 7-night cruise roundtrip from Porto, all gourmet meals, wine and beverages, and daily shore excursions. This is Friendship Tours' 50th Anniversary special cruise offering.
• Holland America LinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for Canada and New England cruises aboard Holland America Volendam. Friendship Tours provides motorcoach transportation to departure ports and escorts on select sailings.
• Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for Bermuda and Nova Scotia cruise aboard the NCL Breakaway from Boston. Includes roundtrip motorcoach transportation to Boston pier.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Collette: One of the largest escorted motorcoach and fly tour operators in North America, offering multi-day package tours with similar transportation, hotel, and meal inclusions to Friendship Tours' overnight and fly tour products.
• Tauck: Premium escorted tour operator offering land, river cruise, and small-ship itineraries with all-inclusive pricing and expert tour directors—a direct comparable to Friendship Tours' premium escorted and cruise offerings.
• Globus Family of Brands (Globus, Cosmos, Monograms): Escorted tour operator offering multi-day motorcoach and fly packages across North America and Europe, directly comparable in product structure to Friendship Tours' overnight and fly tours.
• Gate 1 Travel: Escorted tour operator with multi-city departure options and value-priced multi-day tour packages, overlapping with Friendship Tours' motorcoach and fly tour offerings at the mid-market price point.
• Trafalgar Tours: Globally branded escorted tour operator with multi-day land packages, comparable to Friendship Tours' escorted fly tours and motorcoach overnight itineraries.
• Mayflower Cruises & Tours: Mid-market escorted tour and cruise operator with strong motorcoach heritage, closely comparable to Friendship Tours' product mix and target demographic of escorted group travelers.
• Viking River Cruises: Major river cruise line and a direct competitor to Friendship Tours' Ship Shop division's AMA Waterways Douro and other river cruise offerings, both targeting premium escorted river cruise customers.
• CIE Tours: Escorted tour operator specializing in Ireland/Europe and North American itineraries with motorcoach and fly components, comparable to Friendship Tours' European fly tours and motorcoach packages.

Broad incumbents

• AAA Travel: Major travel agency network with cruise, tour, and packaged vacation offerings. While much broader in scope, AAA Travel serves a similar regional consumer base and competes for the same escorted-travel demographic.
• Holland America Line: Cruise line that Friendship Tours partners with for Canada/New England cruises. Operates as a broad incumbent offering direct cruise booking to consumers, competing with the Ship Shop for cruise bookings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FriendshipToursShipShop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friendship Tours