Around the World Travel and Tours

What Around the World Travel and Tours does

Around the World Travel and Tours is a privately-held, full-service travel agency founded in 1993 and headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a secondary operational office in Athens, Greece. The firm employs approximately 8 people and specializes in group travel to Greece and the Mediterranean, offering an end-to-end service portfolio that includes flight bookings, hotel reservations, car rentals, customized and escorted tour packages, and travel protection (World Wide Trip Protector plans in Platinum, Deluxe, and Essential tiers). Its flagship offering is the Rizes Heritage Roots Program, which provides genealogy research, ancestral village visits, and church-archive access across Greece, Italy, and broader Europe. Adjacent services include professional Greek-English translation and international events planning.

The business is run by founder Penelope Hamourgas and a small bilingual team, with no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on standard booking systems, phone, email, video conferencing, and in-person consultations delivered from the two offices. Revenue is generated primarily through booking commissions and transaction fees across the firm's service lines, with destination content marketing (blog, email newsletter, and Instagram) serving as the lead-generation engine. The firm holds IATA, ASTA, Travel Leaders Network, and TRUE memberships and has cultivated destination-education partnerships with tour operators and tourism boards including SATA Azores Airlines, Visit Azores, and CIE Tours.

The customer base is composed almost exclusively of individual and family leisure travelers (SMB/consumer segment), with a strong concentration of heritage seekers of Greek and broader European descent. No enterprise accounts, no institutional investors, and no parent-company relationships are disclosed. The firm shows no app, API, or AI/ML infrastructure and competes on curated local knowledge, personal relationships with in-destination guides and contacts, and a 30+ year operating history rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

Around the World Travel and Tours

Legal name

Around the World Travel and Tours

Website

https://aroundtheworldtravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Around the World Travel and Tours is a privately-held, full-service travel agency founded in 1993 with offices in Lowell, MA and Athens, Greece, specializing in group travel to Greece and the Mediterranean, with a flagship Rizes heritage roots program serving individual and family travelers seeking ancestral and cultural tourism experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Agency Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAKADAL

Domestic/In-Country Multi-Day Tour Operators

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Tour Operators (Multi-Day Package Tours)

SECONDARYTHAKAGAN

History, Heritage & Museum-Focused Study Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Group Travel & Educational Travel Operators

Keywords

• Group travel services
• Heritage travel
• Flight booking agency
• Hotel reservations
• Greece Mediterranean tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Lowell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Flight Bookings: Commission-based airfare booking services for domestic and international flights
2. Hotel Reservations: Commission-based hotel booking services
3. Tour Packages: Customized and escorted group tours to Greece and Mediterranean destinations, including the Rizes heritage program
4. Travel Protection: Trip protection/travel insurance offerings including Platinum, Deluxe, and Essential tiers
5. Car Rentals: Vehicle rental booking services
6. Professional Translation Services: Greek to English and English to Greek translation services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Around the World Travel and Tours is a retail travel agency that books flights, hotels, car rentals, and escorted/customized group tours for travelers, with a specialization in Greece and the Mediterranean. The firm also resells tiered travel protection insurance, offers Greek-English professional translation, plans international event travel, and operates the Rizes heritage roots program that arranges genealogy research and ancestral village visits across Greece, Italy, and Europe.

Product overview

Around the World Travel and Tours operates as a full-service travel agency offering a unified portfolio of travel services rather than a software platform. The core offerings include flight bookings, hotel reservations, car rentals, and customized or escorted tour options, with specialization in group travel to Greece and the Mediterranean region. The Rizes Heritage Roots Program provides dedicated heritage/genealogy travel services for customers tracing family ancestry in Greece, Italy, and broader Europe. Additional services encompass travel protection (World Wide Trip Protector insurance products in Platinum, Deluxe, and Essential tiers), professional Greek-English translation services, and international event planning. The company maintains dual office locations in Lowell, Massachusetts and Athens, Greece, and facilitates client communication via video conferencing platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rizes Program: Heritage travel program tracing family roots across Greece, Italy and Europe with expert genealogy research
• International Events

Products and services

• Flight Bookings
• Hotel Reservations
• Car Rentals
• Customized and Escorted Tour Options
• Travel Protection
• Professional Translation Services
• Rizes Heritage Roots Program
• International Events Planning
• Gift Cards

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IATA (International Air Transport Association)coreOthersOfficial IATA member, indicating certified travel agency status and access to airline booking systems and industry resources.
• ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors)coreOthersActive member of ASTA, the leading trade association for travel advisors in the United States.
• Travel Leaders NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of Travel Leaders Network, providing access to preferred supplier relationships, booking tools, and network resources for travel agencies.
• TRUE (Travel Resources)minorOthersTRUE member providing access to travel industry resources and supplier relationships.
• SATA Azores AirlinesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of FAM (familiarization) trip to Azores, providing hosted travel experience for travel agent education and destination promotion.
• Visit AzoresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial tourism board sponsor of FAM trip to Azores islands, supporting destination education for travel professionals.
• CIE ToursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTour operator sponsor of Ireland FAM trip for agent education and destination familiarization.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cox & Kings: Historic tour operator with deep heritage in escorted and culturally immersive tours, including European and Mediterranean destinations. Overlapping expertise in cultural/heritage-led group travel at a global scale.
• Tauck: Long-established escorted tour operator offering guided group tours in Europe and the Mediterranean. Comparable in providing fully escorted, expert-guided group experiences for mature and family travelers.
• Gate 1 Travel: Escorted and independent tour operator with strong Mediterranean and Greek island programming. Competes in the same escorted group tour category as ATW, but at greater scale and value-oriented pricing.
• Abercrombie & Kent: Established global luxury tour operator offering premium escorted and private tours including Greece and Mediterranean itineraries. Overlapping customer base in high-end experiential travel, but operates at much larger scale across many global destinations.
• Overseas Adventure Travel: Small-group adventure tour operator with strong Mediterranean and European offerings. Comparable in escorted group format and culturally immersive itineraries, though operating at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Audley Travel: UK-based tailor-made travel company specializing in custom itineraries with country specialists. Highly comparable bespoke model with personalized service, similar to ATW's escorted and customized tour offerings for discerning travelers.
• Heritage Tours: Tour operator specializing in heritage, ancestral, and genealogy-focused travel, including Greek and Mediterranean roots trips. Closest functional peer to ATW's Rizes heritage roots program, with overlapping value proposition around ancestry research and ancestral village visits.
• Classic Vacations: Tailor-made luxury vacation provider working through travel advisors, offering custom itineraries to Mediterranean and European destinations. Comparable in its concierge-style model and use of curated accommodations.
• Kensington Tours: Bespoke luxury tour operator offering customized private and small-group itineraries worldwide, including Mediterranean and Greek destinations. Closely aligned business model with personalized travel designers and high-touch service.

Regional players

• Greek Travel Partners: Greek-based inbound tour operator and DMC specializing in Greece and Mediterranean packages for North American travel agents. Directly comparable destination focus and Greek specialist expertise, though primarily serves agents rather than end-consumers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/aroundtheworldtravel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aroundtheworldtravelandtours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Around the World Travel and Tours