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Cobb Chamber of Commerce is taking a group of travelers to Italy’s Tuscany region this fall, in keeping with a growing trend in which local chambers arrange global travel experiences for members.
Distinct from the economic development missions that chambers have traditionally led to recruit investment or help their companies break into new markets, these leisure trips are focused on building camaraderie among stakeholders and reinforcing the value of membership.
Led by Collette Travel, the nine-day Cobb tour Nov. 15-23 promises stops in smaller towns like Montecatini Terme, a retreat known for its 1,000-year-old baths, and Lucca, where travelers will “discover Renaissance walls, Romanesque churches and medieval streets flanked by towers.”
The group will also visit the better-known cities of Florence and Pisa, including the latter’s Piazza dei Miracoli, or Field of Miracles, known for its famous leaning tower.
Later stops include Siena, renowned for its gothic architecture, and San Gimignano, where participants will visit a cheese farm.
The tour carries an optional “pre-tour” in Rome for those arriving in the capital city.
The Cobb Chamber isn’t the only metro-area chamber headed to Italy this year. The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce is leading a group of more than 30 of its supporters to Tuscany this week. Top-tier Chairman’s Club members will also travel to the country in October on the annual Embark trip. They’ll experience the fashion and industrial hub of Milan for two days and taking in the beauty of Lake Como for one before heading to Zermatt, Switzerland, an alpine resort town at the foot of the Matterhorn, and then finally to Geneva for two days. Meetings are planned with the U.S. consulates in both Geneva and Milan, and the chamber will visit one Italian company.
Before either of these trips, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce is headed to “imperial cities of Europe” in May. On the list are three key European capitals: Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria, and Budapest, Hungary.