Postcard from Bishkek

Last week I came across an interesting post by a Canadian travel writer and photographer, Brendan van Son: Why I’ve Never Been to… on his blog Brendan’s Adventures: The World is my Jungle Gym.  It caught my attention because of the unusual and seemingly negative approach … and I wondered if there was something we could learn from it.

Rather than outlining the attractions of a destination and why people chose to visit it, such as: for the sightseeing, the historical connections, the cultural attractions, the available activities or entertainment …  the article addressed the negative question of why someone, a potential visitor, might have passed it by.

We are used to taking the positive approach – for example I have written postcards about making positive choices: Why Kyrgyzstan?, Why Celestial Mountains? and even about why people choose to return somewhere, (Going back).

On the other hand, Brendan von Son points out that, as a “permanent traveller”, he’s been to a wide diversity of destinations and especially places which are not traditional destinations but can be regarded as being “off the beaten track”.  Apparently, or say he tells us, people are often shocked when he says that he hasn’t been somewhere.  That surprise might well be something to do with the expectation that, as a “professional traveller” he would have been to certain particular destinations, but it is also possible that the destination in question is thought to be somewhere that seems to fit the profile of the sort of destinations that he features in his work.

Usually, he said, after the element of surprise he is asked the question “why?”, (although I presume that should be: “why not?”).

He said that there is no single answer, nor for that matter a “formula”, but he gave four examples.  In most cases, he tells us, it was not simply that he wasn’t interested in the destination – on the contrary, he was  full of the potential that they offered.

• In one case he felt that he put off by the cold.   Even though he’s a Canadian, (and so used to cold winters),  and that fact that he’s been to places like Antarctica – the idea of having to brave the cold was just too much of a deterrent.  (Personally, I think that’s a little unfair and I would recommend that he reconsiders because the destination is spectacular and well worth a visit even in the summer).
• In another case, he was almost on his way to visit, but another opportunity cropped up – and now it is just too far to travel, and the cost involved is out of his budget – although he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of making the trip at some time in the future.
• In a third example,  whilst he admits he would love to visit the destination, there are just too many other gems in the region – and the result is that it’s just not top of his list of priorities at the moment.
• The final example was one where he admitted that he feels no real desire to visit, although he admits that it may well have been somewhere he could have fallen in love with years ago, before the tourists arrived in their masses … (remember that he specializes in visiting places that are “off the beaten track”) …

I hope that I have been fair in summarising the gist of his argument.  He is quite clear that his examples were exactly that – examples – they weren’t meant to be an exhaustive list.

Indeed, as I thought about it I considered what might want to add:

• physical factors – although he lists the deterrent value of  ”the cold” – Brendan van Son could as easily have cited the heat, the rain, the lack of creature comforts, … and so on … perhaps the extreme physical factor is that of …
• • risk - although there are some people who enjoy visiting trouble spots, disaster zones, and so forth, most people, (myself included), would probably pass up a destination where we thought there was a heightened sense of risk – whether it be from physical or man made dangers.
• social or peer pressure – brought by family and friends may take the form of advice or comments and make someone rethink their plans – especially when it comes to travel to potential hot spots … and that can sometimes make them reconsider and rule out a potential destination.
• emotion - van Son mentions the lack of appeal as a reason why he might be positively discouraged from visiting a specific destination … he chose to highlight a particular feature – the need to get away from it all and off the beaten track, but over the years I have meat people with other concerns, the desire to avoid poverty or “dirt”
• ordinariness – a lack of uniqueness – like many people van Son would rather try somewhere new, somewhere different, and to get away from the crowd … most of us live ordinary lives and so we are looking for something out of the ordinary – a sense of adventure or the exotic.
• awareness – one reason he doesn’t explore, but I think is an important factor is a general lack of awareness about a destination and what is has to offer.  I think this is a vitally important factor when it comes to choosing a destination from a dazzling array of potential alternatives.  I well remember the clients who once said to me: “Ian, if only we had known … we would have planned to spend longer here …“
• facilities and experiences available – personally, I loathe sunbathing and if that is all that a destination seems to have to offer then I am afraid that I am not likely to find it attractive.  Whereas some people find the presence of a vibrant cultural life, (concerts, theatre, opera and ballet) a great attraction, for others it means nothing … on the other hand a vibrant night life can be an important attraction for some, but quite off putting for others.  It is interesting to see how many destinations are seeking to attract the LGBT visitor, but to be honest, the paucity of a lively gay subculture is likely to put off some potential visitors from choosing a particular destination … and a lack of luxury accommodation, fine food, good communications or health care facilities can also have the same effect for other groups.
• priorities in the face of competing destinations - I well remember the clients who said that they loved Kyrgyzstan but probably wouldn’t be back … after all, there were about 200 countries and territories in the world and they still had about half left to experience … van Son, himself, talks about how a new opportunity diverted him from making a trip to one destination and again that his visit to another may well be simply as a result of travelling to a third …    
• practicalities such as time, distance and cost :
• • cost I was once told that it all boils down to the bottom line – what’s the cost? can we afford it?  I suppose it is a case of options …  and balancing the various features … there are usually different packages available with, for example, different levels of comfort.  Many families chose camping as a way to visit places because it offers a sense of adventure as well as lower costs, or self catering options top cater for specific dietary needs – and cheaper options.
  • time: when a student has a three month summer holiday, travel seems easy … but once they have graduated and entered the “rat race”, are tied down with the responsibilities of a job, and perhaps a family, then the time needed can rule out travel to a distant destination or undertaking a journey along the Silk Road or a cycle marathon the length of Africa … and even if the time is available it may not be convenient for the conditions in the chosen destination, (summer holidays in the Northern hemisphere fall in the winter season in destinations in the southern).
  • company: although van Son suggests that he wants to avoid crowds of “tourists”, and the implication is that he is happy to travel alone – but not everyone is happy to do so.  Many of us like having someone to travel with and to share experiences with – and difficulty in finding people ready, willing and able to do so may rule out a particular destination.
  • opportunity: van Son points out that although he was about to embark on one journey, and alternative opportunity opened up for him, so he ended up on missing out on that particular destination.  It might seem like the result of a game of chance, but there is more to it … I am often told by the kids how they would like to visit Britain … or some other destination.  My response is often to tell them that I would like to walk on the moon – but I have never had the opportunity and even with the possible advances in space tourism, I doubt that I will ever fulfil that particular dream.  Much more prosaically, there are lots of places in the world that I would love to visit … I have always been fascinated, for example, by South America, Brazil in particular and specifically the Amazon Basin, ever since I studied the continent at school.  Unfortunately, the opportunity has never really presented itself to me … but, unlike the moon, although it is unlikely, it is still an open possibility.

Maybe you can add some more … I would be interested to hear …

 

Why do I think all this is important? … because, if we are to develop Kyrgyzstan as a tourist destination then I think that we have to consider both sides of the coin:

• what is it that positively attracts people … so that we can work on developing and promoting these positive aspects – and also
• what positively discourages people … so that we can work on avoiding, minimizing, (and preferably eliminating), such negative factors.

After all, a standard SWOT analysis seeks identify Weaknesses and Threats as well as Strengths and Opportunities.

Tags: Expat, Marketing, Tourism