Expanding Horizons

Your trusted and supportive, behind the scenes partner designing successful tours that your clients rave about

Request a group tour quote

Search for a sample tour

Search for our trade partners

Welcome to Expanding Horizons

Who is Expanding Horizons?

Expanding Horizons is Australia’s only dedicated business to business group travel wholesaler. The company is Australian owned and headed by Bill Bostock.

For over 30 years we have been supporting travel professionals, like you, to plan group travel experiences for your domestic and inbound customers.  As our client, you are able to draw on our expertise and work with a team of 20 specialists to ensure your customers experience amazing holidays.

When we work together you will find us to be a trusted and supportive `behind the scene’ partner who takes pride in contributing to your success.

The suppliers we use for your tours are carefully chosen for being able to provide excellent service to groups. We align ourselves with industry partners who have the same ideals and strive to work with successful companies who have a long-term commitment to the travel industry.

We have a real eye for detail and are passionate about Australia. We are dedicated to delivering quality, expertly planned and cost effective group tours that your customers will love.

Our company has been built on honesty, professionalism and a determination to work behind the scenes to ensure your group tour arrangements around Australia, for which we are responsible, are conducted efficiently and courteously.

Expanding Horizons makes group travel easy, so you have the time to do what you do best -  grow and enjoy your business.

The Benefits of a Partnership with Expanding Horizons

Expanding Horizons offers a range of services to coach and group tour companies to help you present the best possible tours to your group clients and tour programs including:

  • Free itinerary planning

    You are able to get back to your client quickly with a well-researched itinerary and accurate costing, at no cost to you, freeing you up to sell and operate your tour.

  • Well researched itineraries

    As a tour operator you may only visit certain destinations once a year, or maybe every two or three years, as your passengers want to experience different destinations. Researching new product takes time.

    Our tour designers are constantly researching new suppliers and destinations, on your behalf, to ensure they are suitable for your passengers. Expanding Horizons runs “in house road trips” where we inspect the properties, check the distances and find new product to use in your tours. As part of the Expanding Horizons client network you also benefit from feedback from other clients to ensure you have the most up to date itineraries, suitable accommodation and best operating tours.

  • One phone call saves hundreds of calls

    The setting up of a tour is very time consuming and can be expensive, not to mention the phone calls, the emails, the faxes, following up rates, checking availability, sending rooming lists, cancelling passengers off the tour or adding on new ones and the payment and coordinating of invoices. This can be a full time role.

    Expanding Horizons do this every day, we contract accommodation annually and have great supplier relationships – working with us is like having your own tour department but without the overheads. You can use the additional time to spend selling and operating your tours.

  • All bookings in your company name

    Expanding Horizons work behind the scenes for you. All bookings are made in your name so your passengers are welcomed as your clients and all the kudos goes back to you.

     We like it that people do not recognize the name Expanding Horizons, as it means they truly know that this is your tour. Your clients will wonder how you have the time and energy to put such well organised and cost effective tours together when you are on the road with them. They will be in awe of you and keep coming back.

  • Comprehensive drivers instructions

    Our very detailed and accurate drivers instructions will tell you how to get from one destination to another, routes to take for coaches (not just off google maps), where to park the coach, who to speak to at the destination, how long to stay there and what to expect. Your driver will be the hero even if he has never been to the destination before.

  • Extensive supporting tour documents

    Maps are included in your documents so you can clearly see where you are heading. Vouchers are included so your drivers do not need to carry any money or worry about entrance fees or accounts at the motels. Their time can be spent looking after your passengers.

  • Tour administration services

    We have 20 administration specialists available to assist you with your business – tour designers, rate negotiators, accommodation and attraction specialists, tour operations consultants and accounts – all working for you at no cost.

  • 24 hour on road tour support

    Our office hours are 8.30am – 5.30pm however we can be contacted 24 hours a day for any emergencies on the road. A senior member of staff is on call to assist with any emergency while you are on the road.

  • Strong in house quality control

    We make an effort to receive reports from you for as many tours as we can. Accommodation and attractions are chosen for their easy accessibility, quality of service and meals. When we hear the supplier is doing a great job, we use it more often. If we receive feedback that the service is not up to scratch, we will follow up and if there is no improvement, book elsewhere. We take your feedback very seriously.

  • Big network of suitable tourism suppliers

    Being part of the Expanding Horizons network means that you benefit from other clients' experiences and visa versa. You benefit from all the tour reports even if they are not your tours.

  • Ongoing tour product research

    Our suppliers travel to our office to give presentations to ensure our tour designers are up to date with their hotel, attraction, restaurant or region. As your clients’ needs form the vision of what you need on a tour, if we do not have a product already in our vast database that is suitable, we will find it for you.

    All Expanding Horizons staff share the same passion – travel – we even find our own personal holidays form part of our research to ensure we provide you with interesting and up to date tours suitable for your clients.

  • Access to new tour product and ideas

    Our Tour Designers regularly take road trips and attend tourism workshops to ensure they are on top of any up and coming events, tourism destinations, attractions and accommodation ensuring you have new and interesting tours to attract both new and existing clients to travel with you.

    We have a great relationship with the state and local tourism bodies so the information we pass on to you is up to date and what your clients are looking for.

  • Prompt responses to tour quote requests

    When you contact us with a tour request, we will discuss with you exactly what you are looking for and let you know when we will have the tour back to you. Some tours will take longer than others, depending on how much research is required, however this is what we do on a day to day basis. The time it takes for us to put this together with costings will be quicker than you starting from scratch, allowing you to get your quotes back to your clients very quickly and win more business.

  • Local guides on request

    Research shows that people travel to learn and they love nothing better than having a local person show them around. Over the years we have built relationships with locals in most regions and country towns in Australia and we can arrange for one to board your coach and give your passengers a real insight into their home town

    Australian Regional Tourism NetworkAustralian Tourism Export Council