Kuoni and the East India Company Join Forces to Bring Alive the Ancient Art of Tea Drinking

DORKING, England, October 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Kuoni has joined forces with the recently re-launched East India Company, to bring alive the ancient art of tea drinking at two exciting customer events to be hosted in The East India Company's chic store at 7-8 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XF on 06 and 15 November 2012, and one customer event to be hosted on the stunning SS Great Britain, a former passenger steamship now permanently docked in Bristol's Great Western Dockyard, on 13 November 2012.

Granted a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, The East India Company was founded by a group of enterprising merchants and businessmen to explore the mysteries of the East. It quickly began exploring new territories, mapping trade routes and discovering exotic goods all over the world. Its pioneers and adventurers established trading posts which would eventually grow into iconic world cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Mumbai.

So now Kuoni Travel is to bring alive the exotic destinations where the East India Company's tea is grown to an audience who are interested in travel, discovery and the story behind how tea travels from plantation to porcelain cup.

Tea master Lalith Lenadora, who started at the age of 18 as a tea planter in his native Sri Lanka, will guide customers through the many exotic varieties of tea. The journey will include some of the world's most interesting teas: rare white varieties such as Golden Tips, subtle green teas such as Dragonwell and Buttery Oolongs from Taiwan, rich black teas such as Rainforest Lumbini and Darjeeling First Flush to some romantic flowering teas such as Sacred Heart and Thousand Year Red. Each tea is hand-selected by Mr Lenadora who will explain how to develop an understanding of the seasonal qualities of the teas and how to fully enjoy their unique flavours.

On the evenings, Kuoni's personal travel experts will be on hand to bring alive the far flung destinations these teas are grown in and to talk to customers about holidays to these locations. Kuoni makes a point of hand-picking the best retreats, authentic travel experiences and hotels and tours that are exclusive to Kuoni guests.

At the events customers will be able to taste not only teas but also some of the exotic canapés, biscuits and chocolates that the company creates using their worldwide palette of influence. Customers will also have their names entered into a prize draw to win a flavour of the East India Trading company.

Notes to Editors:

Those interested in attending one of the events can reach Kuoni's Rebecca Leech on +44(0)1306-744-010 or rebecca.leech@kuoni.co.uk,  giving a full name, address details and phone number so tickets can be posted.  The event details are: The East India Company Shop, 7-8 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XF on 06 and 15 November 2012 from 6.30pm to 9.00pm

SS Great Britain, Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, BS1 6TY on 13 November from 6.00pm to 8.30pm

About Kuoni:

Kuoni was established in 1906 in Switzerland by Alfred Kuoni, a visionary adventurer and explorer of his time who opened some of Europe's first travel agencies. Today Kuoni has branch operations in over 40 countries. For 106 years Kuoni has been creating holidays with a spirit of adventure, including Maldives holidays, Mauritius holidays, Bangkok holidays, Mexico holidays and Grenada holidays. Kuoni has come top of a Which? Recommended Provider survey, due to the company's reliability and 'excellent customer care', been voted World's Leading Tour Operator for 11 years in a row at the World Travel Awards, Britain's Favourite Tour Operator as voted by the readers of Ultra Travel and the Daily Mail, and been voted Britain's Best Longhaul Tour Operator by travel agents for the past 29 years.

PR contact:
Anne-Marie Hansen
Kuoni House
Deepdene Avenue
Dorking
Surrey
RH5 4AZ
+44(0)1306-744-173
http://www.kuoni.co.uk