The submit How fam trips help travel agents and media promote cultural tourism globally appeared first on TD (Journey Every day Media) Travel Daily Media.
Jonker Avenue in Melaka, Malaysia is a visible extravagaza that additionally doubles as a vacation spot for avid consumers and meals lovers
Every time the phrases familiarisation journeys (colloquially shortened to “fam journeys”) are talked about, ideas routinely appear to go to tour operators or journey brokers who need to know sufficient a couple of location to be able to pitch it to potential clients.
Nevertheless, within the context of the rising world penchant for cultural and even pop-cultural tourism, familiarisation excursions aren’t only for brokers, however additionally they assist contributors acquire a greater understanding of the placement via its historical past, traditions, tradition, and delicacies.
On this function, we level out a number of the explanation why fam journeys might be an integral a part of tourism promotion, significantly within the context of cultural and heritage tourism.
It’s our hope that this text serves to information the pondering of tourism boards and different organisations searching for to advertise their residence nations or particular areas to the world at massive.
The reside Tangkuban Perahu crater in Bandung, Indonesia serves as a residing ecology lesson that fascinates each native and international travellers
First up, what precisely are familiarisation journeys?
Within the technique of doing the analysis for this function, I’ve seen that many consultants skip defining the time period, and I discover this annoying as a result of not everyone seems to be clued in on what it means.
So let me put it merely right here: a familiarisation journey / fam journey is outlined as a promotional exercise on the a part of a tourism board, airline, hospitality supplier, or cruise agency whereby journey and tourism professionals are invited to tour a particular vacation spot to be able to enhance the placement’s picture, expose it to a wider or extra various market, and improve site visitors into the world.
Fam journeys are, certainly, a good way to provide contributors first-hand expertise of what a location has to supply, primarily immersing them instantly into its tradition, traditions, and points of interest.
No matter whether or not contributors are journey brokers and tour operators, journey media and influencers, and even tourism officers and diplomats, fam journeys needs to be handled as a invaluable platform for studying past mere familiarisation.
Attendees at ITE HCMC 2025 had been inspired to attempt their hand on the age-old craft of silk portray in Ho Chih Minh Metropolis
Broadening horizons via hands-on expertise
One of many extra memorable points of interest provided to media and influencers masking ITE HCMC 2025 was a collection of on-site workshops educating quite a lot of conventional crafts from silk portray to baking banh mi from scratch.
Certainly, whereas fam journeys function an expression of nationwide satisfaction for organisers, they’ll function a means of broadening private horizons for contributors.
As a report from The Tourist Space places it: “Those that are visiting can see the inspirational influence [such experiences] have, the joy of returning residence to share the information of what they’ve realized and the way they visualise methods by which they might implement comparable practices inside their very own locations.”
That mentioned, fam journeys supply an perception right into a location’s historical past, intrinsic practices and traditions, and the trajectory of its socio-cultural in addition to financial growth.
By doing so, contributors get first-hand info on what methods helped draw travellers into the world, what prompts them to remain and/or return, and the way the neighborhood has benefitted from tourism over time.
The tunnels and previous camps in Cu Chi, a neighborhood to the northwest of Ho Chi Minh Metropolis, inform travellers the grim story of how the folks survived all through the warfare years
Past the great thing about areas
On the identical time, fam journeys aren’t only a means for nations to indicate off magnificence spots, however additionally they function residing lectures on their historical past, together with the darker aspect of it.
Living proof: Vietnam has by no means shied away from bringing fam tour teams into areas just like the Cu Chi Tunnels on the northwestern outskirts of Ho Chi Minh Metropolis to be able to learn the way bizarre folks fared all through the Vietnam Warfare.
At Cu Chi, tour contributors are led via jungle paths to the precise tunnels used all through the warfare, those that led to bunkers that served as strongholds and secure homes for the locals, in addition to those who had been laid as traps in opposition to the enemy.
Such excursions are additionally provided exterior of Asia, with guests making their solution to Alcatraz Jail in San Francisco and the Holocaust Memorials in Europe.
These function a bodily reminder of the savage influence that legal exercise and warfare have on nations, and function visible and psychological warnings to these within the current day of the results that these can have on society in the event that they occur once more.
For diplomats taken on a fam tour to those areas, they function meals for thought to assist steer their pondering in the direction of extra peaceful relations with their world neighbours.
For the media, however, it helps to create a extra holistic view of a vacation spot, permitting for a extra goal tone when presenting it to the general public.
The Pier-2 Arts Centre in Kaohsiung’s Asia New Bay Space is an industrial space that’s now a hub for town’s creatives
Earlier than you go…
Previous to collaborating in a familiarisation journey, I discover that it pays to be ready for it nicely beforehand.
Through which case, listed below are a number of suggestions that would enable you to alongside:
- Do your analysis By this, I would love you to take a actually good take a look at your vacation spot: know its historical past and geography, get to know key points of interest and the way these have appealed to each native and international travellers; even go so far as what specialities are intrinsic to the world;
- Know the folks Make sure you recognize who your level particular person for the fam journey, together with any related contacts you may get in contact with for important info, interviews, and even emergencies;
- Know what to ask That is particularly relevant to members of the media and influencers on such journeys and is said to the primary two factors. Realizing the world and the important thing folks concerned will enable you to ask the best questions. That is significantly useful if the fam journey is held along with or instantly after a key occasion equivalent to a journey commerce conference or a significant exposition;
- Put together your self As in all circumstances, make sure to costume appropriately for the local weather and tradition of the world you’re visiting. You should definitely behave in a circumspect method and be aware of your environment. Likewise, be proactive and advise your host organisations of any bodily circumstances you’ll have which may influence the journey each for your self and everybody else.
Whereas fam journeys are work journeys in a really technical sense, understanding the terrain so to talk will allow you to benefit from the expertise and are available away with a greater understanding of the world round you.
The submit How fam trips help travel agents and media promote cultural tourism globally appeared first on Travel Daily Media.
