KUONI TRAVEL LTD, which has grown
into not only the largest travel company in Switzerland,
but also one of the leading travel organisations in
the world, was founded by Alfred Kuoni in 1906. Alfred
Kuoni was born in Switzerland in 1874 and whilst he
spent a few years working abroad, three of his brothers
opened a freight forwarding agency in Zurich. On returning
to Switzerland in 1905 he entered his brothers' trade
and soon suggested the addition of a travel agency to
the already prospering freight business. Today Kuoni
employs over 7,500 staff in 300 offices around the world.
Kuoni in the UK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuoni
Travel Ltd in Switzerland.
Since 1966, Kuoni has led the UK longhaul
tour operation market and has consistently been this
country's most successful specialist tour operator.
In recent years the company diversified into niche market
operating eg Voyages Jules Verne, Travel Collection,
Sport Abroad, Far East Travel Centre, Incentives, Trade
Fairs and Student Travel. All of these are successful
specialist business units with full autonomy for product
and marketing benefiting from the financial strength
and the central infrastructure of the Kuoni Group.