Witte Travel & Tours Expands Vacation Travel and Group Tour Services

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Witte Travel & Tours recently sold its Business Travel division to a local travel agency as part of the company’s plan to expand its Vacation and Group Travel services.

This change in Witte’s business mix is in response to the growing number of consumers seeking professional vacation advice on where to go and the savings in time and money only professional travel consultants can provide. Recent studies show that consumer satisfaction with online travel booking is declining along with the number of people who actually reserve their travel online. “While many people initially start with the Internet to research where they want to go and ‘good deals’, they come to us for the actual reservation because they don’t want to be disappointed,” says Karen Laux, manager of the Vacation Travel Department of Witte Travel. “Consumers are often overwhelmed by all the information available. It takes experts like us who know the ins and outs of traveling to weed through all the different options. It’s our job to help people make the right choice,” continues Laux. Witte Travel handles all types of vacation planning including family school breaks, honeymoons, destination weddings, family reunions, and more.

Witte Travel also recognizes the growing popularity of unique, special-interest tours such as those they have been arranging for years. Since 1975, Witte Travel has been designing and operating high-quality special interest tours for adult and student groups that want to experience the religious, historical, cultural, touristic and/or scenic treasures of different regions and countries. Many of its groups are community, church, high school and college choirs from all over the United States who wish to share their gifts of music with audiences near and far. Witte also works with groups doing service projects, families getting together for a reunion or to trace their heritage, student and adult study groups, and just-for-fun groups. “Whether it’s plane tickets to Africa for a church mission group, a high school French language program in Montreal, a study tour of the sites of Paul’s Second and Third Missionary Journeys in Greece, or a college choral performance tour in the Scandinavian countries, we have the credentials, experience and contacts to make it happen,” says Henry I. (Henk) Witte, President of Witte Travel.

Witte Travel & Tours is a retail vacation travel agency and an international tour operator. The company, locally owned and operated by Henry I. (Henk) Witte, was established in Ada, Michigan in 1975. Witte’s staff includes over 35 travel professionals with a combined experience of over 300 years. Witte Travel is a member in good standing of many business and professional organizations and associations; among them the Michigan and Grand Rapids Chambers of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau of West Michigan, the National Tour Association, the American Society of Travel Agents, the International Airlines Travel Agent Network, the International Federation for Choral Music and the Cruise Lines International Association. In addition, many of Witte Travel's staff members have earned Certified Travel Consultant and Destination Specialist designations from the Institute of Certified Travel Agents.