Not One Refund: Tour Operator's Radical Transparency During COVID Just Won Magellan Gold for Service

While competitors lawyered up for cancellations, Culture Discovery Vacations livestreamed business meetings. Five years later: zero refunds, 300%+ growth, industry's top honor.

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- When COVID-19 shut down travel in March 2020, the playbook was clear: go silent, minimize communication, prepare for refund battles.

Culture Discovery Vacations did the opposite.

The international tour operator livestreamed everything on Facebook - including business meetings about their survival strategy. They showed Italian winemaker friends with empty wineries worried about their families. Gave away cooking classes worth hundreds of dollars. Let guests see exactly how they were supporting their European vendors through the crisis.

"Everyone said we were insane," says CEO Michael Kovnick. "That transparency during crisis is dangerous."

Five years later, the verdict: Travel Weekly awarded Culture Discovery Vacations Gold in its first-ever Magellan Service category - recognizing a radical approach that defied every crisis management rule.

The result of that "insane" transparency? Not one guest requested a refund during the entire 18-month shutdown.

Zero.

Instead, guests bought olive oil and wine from Italian vendors' websites to keep families afloat. Joined Zoom cooking classes for 18 months straight. Rescheduled every single trip. When borders reopened in 2021, the reunions were unforgettable. The company grew 300%+.

"You can't manufacture that with loyalty points," says CSO Marta Marques. "Our guests aren't customers. They're family worried about family."

The foundation:

• 19-year vendor relationships (same partners since founding)
• 31% return rate (guests book multiple trips)
• Zero upsells, shop steering, or kickbacks
• Cooking classes in vendors' actual homes
• 100% transparent, all-inclusive pricing

The entire journey lives in an 8-minute film worth watching:

Lockdown livestreams with the team across Tampa, Italy, and Portugal. Tears and embraces when vendors and guests finally reunited in 2021. First post-COVID trips where nobody took a single moment for granted. It ends with the international team saying "thank you" in their native languages. See it here: https://youtu.be/AaH_Ta3Rh_c

"Business schools teach: maximize every transaction," says COO Daniele Pintaudi. "We built relationships instead. Our numbers prove it works."

Founded in 2006, Culture Discovery Vacations operates from the USA, Italy, Portugal, and Croatia, running approximately 80 small-group cultural immersion vacations annually.

Media Contact: Michael Kovnick, [email protected], +1 813-467-7203

Available: Italian/Portuguese vendors, guests who never canceled, international team members

SOURCE Culture Discovery Vacations