Tauck, the world-leader in guided, premium quality land journeys and cruises, has entered into an exclusive, multi-year partnership with BBC Earth to bring the expertise and perspectives of BBC wildlife filmmakers to Tauck's itineraries offering travellers the opportunity to explore the natural world. 

The BBC is the world's leading producer of highly acclaimed, award-winning natural history documentaries, such as Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, Life and The Blue Planet.  Those series and other BBC productions have reached over 500 million people in over 180 countries worldwide to date.  

"The BBC is quite simply the world's leading authority in capturing and sharing the amazing stories of our natural world," said Tauck CEO Dan Mahar. 

"We're thrilled by the opportunity to leverage their vast knowledge, incredible passion and technical expertise, and pair it with our 88 years of experience creating authentic, enriching journeys.  Our Earth Journeys will help BBC Earth to connect with their millions of fans in exciting new ways, enabling people to now experience the natural world with all five senses," said Mahar.  "At the same time, Tauck will be providing our guests with a richer, deeper immersion into the natural world's most compelling destinations.  It's truly a case of the whole being far greater than the sum of its parts."   Mahar's excitement was echoed by Amanda Hill, Chief Brands Officer for BBC Worldwide, who said: "This partnership offers a fantastic opportunity for BBC Earth to reach new audiences and share directly the knowledge and expertise of the BBC's filmmakers to bring people a deeper connection with nature."  Soumya Sriraman, Executive Vice President for Home Entertainment and Licensing for BBC Worldwide North America added, "Tauck has proven to be a pioneer in experiential travel and we're excited to build this strategic partnership to create rich and unforgettable interactive travel adventures."  

Phased Approach to begin in 2014

The Earth Journeys collaboration will launch in 2014, with initial components of the partnership being phased into several existing Tauck itineraries over the course of the year. Those itineraries will include two African safaris (the 12-day "Botswana, South Africa & Zambia" itinerary and the 13-day "Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Safari"), Tauck's 13-day "Antarctica" cruise expedition, and its six-day "Manitoba: Polar Bear Adventure" in Canada.   

Enhancements to Tauck's itineraries will include the creation of a series of original, exclusive films by BBC Earth that Tauck guests will view on location.

These brief (approximately 10 - 20 minutes) vignettes will utilize BBC Earth's incredible resources, including the world's largest collection of nature film footage plus insights and voiceovers from BBC Earth experts.  The resulting films will provide context and add fresh perspective to the animal life and natural wonders that Tauck guests are experiencing during their travels. Tauck will also work with BBC Earth to use the same cutting-edge technologies employed by its filmmakers to bring Tauck guests into more intimate contact with the destinations they're visiting.  Specific technologies will vary by itinerary, and may include motion-activated camera traps, infrared night-vision cameras, long-range directional microphones, underwater cameras, and small fiber-optic endoscopic cameras.  Finally, Tauck will also work directly with BBC Earth filmmakers and naturalists, leveraging their passion and experience to add additional original content to the portfolio of Earth Journeys itineraries.   Going forward, BBC Earth will also work with Tauck to co-create entirely new Earth Journeys itineraries for launch in 2015 and beyond.  Mahar added that the partnership provisions announced today are just a small hint of things to come. "To use an appropriate analogy, this is just the tip of the iceberg," said Mahar.  "Tauck and BBC Earth have a shared vision and passion for what this partnership can represent, and the possibilities are virtually endless.  We're looking forward to additional announcements in the weeks, months and years to come."  

About BBC Earth

BBC Earth is the leading factual brand for BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC. The brand exists to inspire audiences globally with new insights, amazing stories and incredible facts that will spark a journey of discovery. BBC Earth works with the world's best filmmakers, creators and innovators to develop a range of new and unforgettable experiences to reach our broad base of fans. We use cutting edge technology to create exciting live events and theatric releases, creating top quality products and taking our content to new digital platforms to connect with audiences around the globe.  

About Tauck

Founded in 1925, Tauck is a world leader in guided premium quality travel.  Family-owned and operated, the company offers over 100 all-inclusive land and cruise journeys, family travel adventures, and once-in-a-lifetime events on all seven continents.  Tauck has won over 50 awards for quality and innovation, including being named the "World's Best Tour Operator" by a number of consumer and trade publications over the last two decades.  

About Travel the World

Travel the World has been providing discerning travellers with unique luxury experiences for over 30 years. From premium cruise holidays with the world's best cruise lines to enriching cultural tours and indulgently luxurious resorts, Travel the World offers an exciting range of travel options beyond the predictable. The company has established new benchmarks of excellence in travel-related services to the Australian travel industry and consumers since 1977.

For further information on TAUCK and Travel the World, please visit www.traveltheworld.com.au  or contact:

Nicole Craig
BLACK Communications

Tel: 02 8399 3005 
Email: Nicole@blackcommunications.com.au