BC/AC
A lot has changed since last month’s newsletter..
I realized recently that we are constantly adapting to this “new age” – I would like to call it BC/AC as in “before Covid” and “after Covid”.
I am sure you have noticed the analogy, but it does feel like life will never be the way it was before. As human beings we have an incredible way of adapting, our biology alone has been evolving since the beginning of mankind. As Darwin used to say ” it is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change”
So yes, we will adapt, we will reinvent ourselves, we will thrive and the same for our businesses, the ones that will have the capacity of seeing new opportunities will be successful in this new era.
When it comes to tourism, not too long ago we were dealing with serious problems of overtourism all around the world.
The Thai Government had to close 5 islands as tourism was destroying entire ecosystems.
The Tibetan side of Mount Everest base camp, was closed due to a serious trash problem caused by tourists (over 8 tons of trash), Rome closed the emblematic “Fontana di Trevi” and Iceland the Fjaorarglgufur Canyon.
I believe we needed the change, we need to be less selfish and go back to the way we used to travel, seeing things through our own eyes and not the lens filter of our Instagram accounts, feeling it, touching it, smelling it, as it is all part of the traveling experience, to indulge all our senses and emerge in new cultures. Be curious again, explore and make new friends.
So yes please, l am all up for quality rather then quantity and if one can only travel once a year, maybe you will take more time planning and maybe it’s time to try new things, new places and do it with an open heart and with respect to all!!
Let’s do it, let’s embrace the change!
Maria Ines Amaral
AURORA AGENCY has been working on a new concept that will involve some Portuguese Tourism associations that are keen in exploring the Middle eastern Markets.
It will be called the Portuguese association of Tourism for the Middle East Market. The members of this association will be hotels, travel agencies, tours operators and all other tourism service providers that see the potential in the Middle East markets and are willing to explore one of the most profitable markets in the world when it comes to outbound tourism.
There has been a increasing interest in Portugal as a destination in the past years and both Emirates Airlines and the local travel sector have been asking for more support in order to be able to sell the destination better.
During the next couple of weeks Aurora Agency will inform the name of the members that have joined.
We will also have a dedicated page on our website with the information of each of them, their contacts and their websites.
More detailed information including a press release about the new website and logo will be announced soon!
LIFE STREAMING
We are planning the introduction of a number of new technologies that we will be offering our clients, such as life streaming interviews for product launches and product presentations or life meetings.
We will be partnering with a local company that has created a very stable and high quality life stream system, with screen sharing and professional cameras and sound. This will enable clients for much less amount of money, to be able to showcase their products and share it on social media, for a greater impact and organic growth of their followers and clients, but also to have meetings and product launches without the costs of renting a venue, catering, flights and hotel costs. We will be recording in our partners studios in Dubai and we can brand the studio according to the clients needs. (Roll up’s, back drops etc)
Ask us for more information !
A GUIDE TAKES YOU ON A SENSORY JOURNEY OF AFRICA- THE CALL OF THE LION
Becoming a safari guide in Africa was not a very common career choice for a small-town girl from England, and Louise Monsey was steered down other paths before listening to her heart and following her dreams. She now brings her expertise as an educator, zoologist and guide to our Guide Training department in Botswana, and is excited to make a difference through her passion for wildlife, guiding, teaching and conservation, and contribute to our vision to conserve and restore Africa’s wilderness and wildlife.
Wilderness Safaris is proud to be nominated for the Condé Nast awards. As leaders in responsible ecotourism, these nominations are testament to the company’s continued commitment to providing its guests with life-changing experiences, which contribute to the biodiversity conservation of some 2.3 million hectares of Africa’s most pristine wildlife areas. In voting for Wilderness Safaris, travellers are helping the company gain further public confidence in our abilities to positively influence even more local economies through sustainable ecotourism.
The annual Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards are among the longest-running and most prestigious recognitions of excellence in the travel industry. In 2019, the Awards noted a record-breaking 600 000 votes from travellers across the globe rating their travel experiences. As the tourism industry continues to grapple with the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, this year the publication has urged travellers to cast their vote as a way to express their support and appreciation of the places they cannot wait to visit again.
Only one online entry per person/email address will be counted towards the results. These will be released in the November 2020 issue of the print magazine and on the Condé Nast Traveler website. To learn more about the survey, or to cast your vote, click here.
Wilderness Safaris has been nominated for the following camps in the Best Hotels and Resorts category:
• Botswana: Abu, Chitabe, DumaTau, Jacana, Jao, Kalahari Plains, Kwetsani, King’s Pool, Mombo and Little Mombo, Pelo, Tubu Tree and Little Tubu, Vumbura Plains and Little Vumbura, Qorokwe, Savuti and Seba.
• Kenya: Segera Retreat.
• Namibia: Damaraland, Desert Rhino, Doro Nawas, Hoanib Skeleton Coast, Kulala Desert Lodge, Little Kulala and Serra Cafema.
• Rwanda: Bisate Lodge.
• Zambia: Busanga Bush Camp, Shumba and Toka Leya.
• Zimbabwe: Chikwenya, Davison’s, Linkwasha, Little Makalolo, Ruckomechi and Little Ruckomechi.
SPACE NATION MOON LANDING EXPEDITION
This Expedition will start on the 30th of August this year!
Imagine yourself in a spacesuit on the same lunar landscape where Neil Armstrong trained in Iceland.
“We will put your cognitive skills, physical abilities and views on the world to the test like never before”
Hjörtur Smárason
Space Nation Mission Commander
SIGN IN NOW!
COMING SOON !
We are already planing a few events for the end of this year. A media breakfast in Doha-Qatar. Around 20 guests from photographers, Instagrammers and Travel Writers will join and we will be presenting some of our clients products.
We are also planning a few consumer events and Instagram campaigns this Summer in partnership with a local lifestyle magazine for a network of HWNI expats.
Contact us for more information !