Dear Colleagues & Friends,
Spring is in the air! With the changing of season and the clocks springing forward by an hour this weekend, life seems to be taking a turn for the better! For me, this is also a special time of the year as our community begins to prepare for “Nowruz”, the Persian New Year. Pronounced ‘Nov-Ruz’ meaning New Day, we Zoroastrians living in the Northern Hemisphere, celebrate the Spring (March) equinox and the first day of Spring as our New Year. Usually falling between March 19th and March 22nd as determined by the precise astronomical calculations, Nowruz is celebrated by several communities that hail from South, Central and West Asia. This year, Spring arrives on March 20th at 5:01AM Eastern time, and let’s celebrate the new beginnings with hopes for peace and stability around the world!
Last month I wrote about the increased use of Astrology in shaping one’s travel plans, and now I’d like to talk about the age-old practice of shaping travel itineraries as inspired by travel-themed books by famous authors. After making travel arrangements, whether for a safari in Africa, a cultural odyssey in South-East Asia or simply a train journey through Europe, I’m frequently asked for book recommendations and suggested reading. Clients are always eager to learn more about the destinations they plan to visit, and over the years, I have compiled a comprehensive list of reading material. Despite being in the age of digital platforms, books still hold us in their thrall and have given rise to an interesting trend found around the world, where cities who host international book fairs offer a superb selection of travel-themed books amongst their collections. This has led to authors and publishers now participating in worldwide book clubs focused on specific interests to attract niche audiences. For example, the Helsinki Book Fair drew some ninety-eight thousand people to the Finnish capital in 2024 which seems to indicate to me that there is much business to be had from promoting travel to this growing market.
Which leads me to my next topic: specialization, that in my opinion, is probably the final frontier in our business. Our industry contains many respected tour operators who have gone all-in on specializing in a destination; to the point where they could probably create the most magnificent travel plans in their sleep! We are blessed with these true trailblazers who have pioneered in their distinct fashion, unique access to those faraway, and often obscure places around the globe. I’ve had the privilege of working with several of them and have been the beneficiary of their skilled guidance. In fact, going back to the very first day of my first job in travel in 1971, the company’s owner made it clear that his expectations of the importance of specialization should guide my career path. Since then, I have always admired the patience, the perseverance and the successes of these innovators who have specialized in unusual destinations and I’d like to acknowledge, with gratitude, their mentorship. Today, thanks to these men and women I have been able to build a business that YOU, my retail travel agency partners trust.
And talking about business ideas; I’d like you to give some thought to ‘partnering possibilities’. Whenever and wherever such a possibility emerges, I will extend our hand in partnership. Should you have an interest in creating and promoting a travel idea, I want to hear from you. Feel free to email me at firdosh.bulsara@myescapades.com and then let’s meet, discuss, plan and jointly market unique and exclusive travel itineraries in your communities.
While some group projects can take as much as a year to come to fruition, if you’re willing to exercise patience, I will bring perseverance to the table! Having a portfolio of unique offerings will not only help differentiate your agency but will also help attract new clients.
Finally, I can’t resist sharing some awesome facts about my favourite destination, Africa, which is bigger and richer than one could ever imagine! When it comes to size, the African continent is larger than China, India, the continental U.S., and most of Europe… combined! In terms of natural resources, it is the repository of approximately 30% of the earth’s remaining mineral wealth including 40% of its gold reserves, over 60% of cobalt, and 90% of platinum. And of course, as you are probably well aware, there’s the matchless wildlife component. Interesting to note that not only in Africa are the Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Hippopotamus found roaming freely in the wild, but Zebra, Giraffe and the Wildebeest are also exclusive residents in the wilds of the African savannahs. Anywhere else in the world, they would all be in some form of captivity.
So, what’s the message? Well, YOU’VE just gotta come to Africa and experience it all!
Until next time,
Firdosh
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