Tiara Tours

What Tiara Tours does

Tiara Tours B.V. is a privately held Dutch boutique tour operator founded in 1996 and headquartered in Breda, Netherlands, that designs and sells international train journeys, overland rail routes and tailor-made itineraries to more than 30 destinations across Europe, Central Asia, Russia, China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Americas. The company operates with a team of six named travel specialists, all of whom have personally traveled the routes they sell, and runs no proprietary technology platform — its core product is curated itinerary design, ticket bundling, accommodation booking, ground transfers and 24/7 in-trip support assembled into 60+ branded packages such as the Transsiberian Express, Transmongolian Express, the five-country Silk Road itinerary, the Venice Simplon Orient Express, the Glacier/Bernina Swiss panoramic tours and various Moroccan, Egyptian, Scandinavian and Central European rail circuits. Pricing ranges from approximately €699 per person for short organized rail trips to €26,000 per person for ultra-premium Orient Express journeys, with most packages clustered in the €1,500-€3,000 per-person band.

The firm goes to market through a sales-led direct-to-consumer model: customers request a personalized quote via website, phone, email or WhatsApp and are then guided by a dedicated specialist through custom itinerary design. Marketing is built around a content library (Tiara Magazine knowledge bank, the "Tiara Tours Ontspoort" Spotify podcast), travel fair appearances, earned media (TV/radio), email newsletters, and a Trustpilot review presence. Distribution is exclusively direct — no resellers — and the company is a member of the Dutch travel industry's three principal consumer-protection schemes (ANVR, SGR, Calamiteitenfonds), which materially de-risk high-value prepaid bookings for Dutch and Belgian customers and are an integral part of the value proposition. Ownership is founder-led (owner Silvie Sweegers), with no disclosed external investors, no M&A history and no fundraising activity.

The revenue model is straightforward package-tour markups on one-off bookings: Tiara assembles rail tickets, accommodation, transfers and excursions and earns the spread between wholesale cost and retail price. The customer base is entirely long-tail individual consumers and families — no enterprise accounts — served primarily from the Netherlands and Belgium. The business is capacity-constrained by its six-person specialist team, which sets a natural ceiling on annual booking volume and underpins a stable but not hyper-growth operating posture.

Name

Tiara Tours

Legal name

Tiara Tours B.V.

Website

https://tiaratours.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tiara Tours is a Breda-based, founder-owned Dutch boutique tour operator founded in 1996 that designs and sells customized international train journeys and overland rail itineraries to individual travelers and families, primarily in the Netherlands and Belgium, across 30+ destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Train Tour Operator Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (48711), Travel Agencies (561510)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail Journey Package Tour Operators (THAKADAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adventure & Expedition Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAC)

Keywords

• Train tour packages
• Custom rail itineraries
• Overland train journeys
• Scenic rail tours
• Luxury train travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Breda

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Package Tours: Organizing and selling complete train travel packages including train tickets, accommodations, transfers, and optional excursions to destinations worldwide. Revenue generated from the markup on these package deals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tiara Tours designs, organizes, and sells international train journey packages and tailor-made overland rail itineraries. Each package bundles train tickets, accommodations, transfers, and optional excursions, with customers receiving personalized proposals from dedicated travel specialists. The company offers more than 60 named tour packages spanning European scenic trains, the Transsiberian and Transmongolian Expresses, Silk Road routes, the Orient Express, and Himalayan itineraries, with per-person pricing from roughly €699 to €26,000.

Product overview

Tiara Tours is a specialized train travel tour operator offering a diverse portfolio of branded train tour packages across Europe, Asia, and beyond. The company operates as a single unified service model offering both individual/customizable tours and group tours. Core products include iconic long-distance train journeys such as the Transsiberië Express (Moscow-Vladivostok), Transmongolië Express (Moscow-Beijing via Mongolia), and various Silk Road routes. The European portfolio spans routes like the Orient Express, Swiss panoramic trains (Glacier Express, Bernina Express), Scandinavian tours, and Central European city circuits. The product line includes over 60 named tour packages ranging from short 7-day regional trips to 21-day transcontinental adventures. The company also offers specialized services including family travel with children, Belgian traveler services, and a podcast series. Pricing ranges from budget options around €699 to ultra-luxury Venice Simplon Orient Express at €26,000 per person.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zijderoute Centraal Azië 17-day Silk Road tour through Central Asia featuring colorful madrassas, hospitable populations, and impressive mountain landscapes; priced at €2,999 per person.
• Train Tour of Switzerland 8-day Swiss train tour featuring 3 of the most popular panoramic trains; priced from €2,099 per person.
• Ontdek Mongolië (Discover Mongolia) 10-day Mongolia discovery tour through vast landscapes with nomadic culture experiences; priced at €2,449 per person.
• Scotsman Express 8-day Scottish train tour covering Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fort William and Inverness; priced from €1,999 per person.
• Farao Express 12-day Egypt train tour traveling comfortably by local train through the land; priced at €1,499 per person.
• Noordkaap Express 12-day train tour to the northernmost point of Europe (North Cape) by train and Hurtigruten coastal voyage; priced at €3,059 per person.
• Oriënt Express 12- or 17-day iconic Orient Express train journey from Amsterdam to Istanbul with modern international and vintage Eastern European trains; priced at €2,199 per person.
• Treinreis Grand Tour China 17-day train journey through China discovering centuries-old history, impressive nature, and vibrant cities; priced at €1,499 per person.
• Poolcirkel Express 20-day Scandinavian rail tour exploring Norway's southern nature, Arctic adventures above the Polar Circle, and Sweden by overnight train; priced at €4,099 per person.
• Marokkaanse Koningssteden Express 9-day Moroccan royal cities train tour following the traces of royal dynasties and centuries-old traditions; priced at €919 per person.
• Dogu Express 8-day Turkey train tour through the interior featuring mountain ranges, rugged rocks, lakes and rivers near the Armenian border; priced at €1,539 per person.
• Keizersteden Express Centraal Europa 7-day special train journey through beautiful and interesting Central Europe.
• Golden Triangle Express 12-day North India train tour experiencing the scents, colors, and people of the country; priced at €1,649 per person.
• Olympia Express 16- or 21-day European train tour from Amsterdam through Central Europe to Athens.
• Treinreis Lotus Express 18-day train journey from Laos and Thailand to Malaysia through the heart of Southeast Asia; priced at €2,249 per person.
• Himalaya Express, Tibet & Nepal 16-day tour from Beijing via the Qinghai-Tibet railway through Tibet to Mount Everest and Kathmandu, Nepal; priced from €2,999 per person.
• Transsiberië Express World's most famous train journey: 9,200 km through pristine Siberian landscape and special cities from Moscow to Vladivostok; organized trips from €699 per person excluding flights.
• Transmongolië Express Train journey from Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia across 7,661 km through three countries and three cultures.
• BAM Express 4,300 km train adventure through rugged and remote East Siberia along the northern side of Lake Baikal to Tynda and Komsomolsk.
• Grand Train Tour of Switzerland Comprehensive Swiss rail tour linking the 8 most beautiful routes including Glacier Express, Bernina Express, and Gotthard Panorama Express.
• Grand Alpine Train Tour of Switzerland Swiss Alpine rail tour through mountain regions.
• Welsh Heritage Express

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ANVR (Algemene Nederlandse Vereniging van Reisondernemingen)coreOthers · 1 January 1996Member since founding in 1996. ANVR is the Dutch travel industry association that sets standards and codes of conduct for travel agencies in the Netherlands and Belgium.
• SGR (Stichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden)coreOthers · 1 January 1996Member providing financial protection for travelers. SGR guarantees reimbursement of paid travel fees if the organization becomes bankrupt, and ensures completion of trips or return of travelers.
• CalamiteitenfondscoreOthers · 1 January 1996Dutch Calamity Fund that provides additional protection for travelers, covering situations beyond normal bankruptcy protection.
• YourvisacoreOthers · 1 January 1996Visa service partner that handles visa applications for customers. They visit embassies and consulates in Brussels weekly to process visa requests for Belgian customers traveling to various destinations.
• Local Partners in Destination CountriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996Network of local partners in countries including Russia, Mongolia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Tibet, and others who provide ground support, guides, transfers, and local logistics for organized train journeys.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Railbookers: US- and UK-headquartered rail holiday specialist that packages independent rail itineraries and accommodations across Europe, North America, and beyond. Direct competitor in custom rail vacation planning with multi-country coverage similar to Tiara.
• Vacations By Rail: North American rail-focused tour operator offering escorted and independent train vacations including Alaska Railroad, Rocky Mountaineer, and European routes. Comparable business model selling curated rail packages with bundled accommodations and excursions.
• Great Rail Journeys: UK-based specialist in escorted rail holidays and luxury train journeys worldwide. Closest direct competitor to Tiara, offering similar iconic train routes (Transsiberian, Silk Road, Orient Express) with a comparable specialist-led service model, though primarily serving the British market.
• Travel Talk Tours: Tour operator offering small-group escorted tours across multiple continents including rail-based itineraries. Comparable in offering guided rail experiences and multi-country packages, though more focused on Middle East/Europe.

Others

• Eagle-Eye Tours: Specialist rail holiday operator focused on UK and European scenic railway itineraries. Niche adjacency rather than direct competitor due to geography, but provides a reference point on specialist rail packaging economics.

Regional players

• Koning Aap: Dutch adventure travel specialist offering group and individual tours worldwide, including overland components. Competes in the Dutch specialty travel market with similar sustainability ethos but a wider trip-format mix.
• Djoser Reizen: Dutch tour operator offering worldwide small-group adventure tours including rail-based itineraries. Similar Dutch-market GTM and sustainability positioning, but broader portfolio beyond just trains makes it a partial, regional overlap.
• Sawadee Reizen: Dutch tour operator with extensive Asia portfolio including rail-based trips to India, China, and Vietnam. Overlaps with Tiara on Asian destinations from the Dutch market but covers broader travel formats beyond trains.

Broad incumbents

• TUI Nederland: Largest mainstream Dutch tour operator and OTA offering a wide portfolio including rail-based European trips. Competes for the same Dutch traveler wallet but does not specialize in rail-only itineraries.

Emerging players

• TourRadar: Online marketplace aggregating multi-day tour operators including rail-specialist inventory. Adjacent competitor that could either disintermediate Tiara via online discovery or serve as a potential distribution channel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tiara-tours

Compliance5 records

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 Tiara Tours