Four Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Classic Vacations

Classic Vacations is to luxury as Picasso is to Cubism – they’re one in the same. But there’s more to them than you may have realized. Here are four fun facts about the luxe wholesaler you probably didn’t know!

Their Original Name Was Classic Custom Hawaii

When the San Jose-based wholesaler first opened in 1978, it was called Classic Custom Hawaii. As you may have guessed, they only sold Hawaii packages. A lot has changed since then. Aside from the name change, Classic Vacations now offers a variety of different destinations. They include Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Australia, Maldives, Dubai, and, most recently, Asia. Speaking of which…

They Started Selling Asia In 2017

With a strong consumer (and in turn, travel agent) demand for Asia, Classic Vacations is finally offering high-end options for this trendy destination. The luxury wholesaler has primarily focused on Southeast Asia and Hong Kong since expanding their portfolio to the region last year.

In an interview with Luxury Travel Advisor, David Hu, President of Classic Vacations, said, “We found significant enough demand so we’re going full-board, especially for Southeast Asia. There are a lot of different destinations there, where if you don’t go soon, they won’t be the same in the future.”

They Only Sell To Travel Agents

Yup, you read that correctly. Classic Vacations only sells to travel agents or agencies. Despite being purchased by Expedia Group, Inc. in 2002, they remained true to their roots. In the same interview with Luxury Travel Advisor, Hu spoke of Expedia purchasing Classic and said, “We went the complete 180 degrees and realized, why be in competition with travel advisors? Why not take the benefits of what Expedia brings, and give it to the travel advisors, and enable everybody to profit and do well with it?”

Plus, with one look at their mission statement, and you’ll understand that they’re all about the travel agent community.

They Celebrated 40 Years In The Biz 

We weren’t the only ones celebrating a huge milestone this year. On June 13th, Classic Vacations celebrated their 40th anniversary in the travel industry! That’s a serious accomplishment.

“We strongly believe that travel brings people together…,” said Hu, in a press release announcing the 40th anniversary. “We can celebrate our differences and discover our similarities; by enriching our lives with travel, exploration, and education, we all grow and benefit together. Celebrate with us as we continue down this journey of making the world a smaller place.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. To learn more about Classic Vacations, click here.