There seem to be three types of destinations: places that allow uncontrolled tourism, places that manage their tourism, and places that just don’t want tourism. There are good and bad to the first two. Uncontrolled tourism leads to over-tourism, which, while a boon to the local economy, can bring intended consequences such as rising prices, obnoxious tourists, and local resentment. Managed tourism is often found in more ecologically sensitive places where the primary resource isn’t a good time but an authentic experience with nature, and they work hard to preserve that nature as the number one tourist draw. The third, however, is places that just don’t want tourism, no matter what they say. As we expanded manifest destinations tour offerings, we’ve encountered all three, and the most frustrating is the destination that says they want tourism but does everything they can to discourage it.
One example of a destination that discourages tourism is Guyana. Although there are no laws prohibiting tourism, and they are trying to develop it, the problem is more a matter of disorganization that discourages tourism. We worked for months trying to set up a program in Guyana and ended up frustrated, annoyed, and with nothing but lost time. The disorganization we encountered was not only a waste of our time but also a hindrance to the development of tourism in the country. We started as most tour operators would by contacting the national tourism authority, and in a small country, we don’t think it should be that hard. We told them who we were and what we were looking for, and they were very receptive to us, but then the problems started. We asked what activities there were and what operators were covering those activities. We asked about transfer companies and guides that could handle our clients and accommodations that would be suitable for our clients.
They responded that they’d arrange a large meeting, and we’d have to come to Guyana to meet them. Now, any company that cares about its time and budget isn’t going to fly down without having meetings and site visits scheduled back-to-back so we’re not wasting time meeting operators who may or may not offer what we need. So, we asked for a list, but the tourism authorities said that they couldn’t give us a list because privacy laws forbid them from giving out names of ground operators. We asked if we could just provide our information and have that forwarded to those operators. We were told that our 20-year-old agency hasn’t been vetted yet so they can’t forward our information to anybody. The only way for us to contact the ground operators is to fly in and they’ll arrange the meetings and if it isn’t what we’re looking for, well, we can just fly back and meet more operators. It’s almost like they were trying to build their entire tourism industry by having us fly back several times, and if we didn’t find what we were looking for, well, they made their money because we came several times to visit. Needless to say, we walked away from that one, disappointed and annoyed.
Another example of discouraging tourism is not through disorganization but through too much organization. We’re talking about Tunisia. A relatively unknown yet perfect destination for the US market that fits perfectly with our SaharaTrek tour operation, we were excited to add the country to our tour catalog. With several offices worldwide and their aggressive marketing at trade shows, we thought it’d be easy. Man, were we wrong!
SaharaTrek has a specific formula for our success over the past 20 years. We hire the transfer company and drivers directly and have a stable of reliable, professional guides that our clients rave about. We use accommodations that are personally chosen to match the needs of our clients perfectly, and we offer itineraries that are both fixed and fully customizable. We know the price of every service and every accommodation. We know the distances between destinations and what there is to do like the back of our hands. Because of that, we can create and price a tour for our clients and have the itinerary and accurate prices to them within two hours at most. Those are the conditions we brought to the Tunisian tourist office. It’s lots of work for us, not much for them. Unfortunately, it’s also illegal in Tunisia.
According to regulatory procedures in Tunisia, you must work exclusively through a Tunisian tour agency to organize tours. So, once we create an itinerary for a client, we have to forward it to the Tunisian agency, which will then submit it to the Tunisian tourist office for approval (however long it takes). After that, the Tunisian operator will send it back to us at a non-negotiable price. Each group of tourists must be accompanied by an approved tourist guide that the Tunisian agency selects to guarantee better supervision and security of the routes (sounds like you’re traveling with a “fixer” or “combat accountant”). We would be allowed to choose the accommodations, but they must also approved by the tourist office. It sounds like we’re running a tour to Afghanistan instead of “tourist-friendly” Tunisia.
So to run a tour to Tunisia, we have to:
- Slow our response time to clients requesting a quote to days, not hours
- Have no control over the quality of the tours
- Risk our name and reputation with a company that couldn’t care less because they’re guaranteed work by law.
We did some research and asked around if there’s other countries with this level of control over tourism. The old timers mentioned the old Soviet Intourist. The more contemporary advisors mentioned another destination almost in lockstep with Tunisia. The government tourism agency controls, watches, and carefully plans every movement. Check. Only their selected and approved guides will show clients around. Check. Forget any notions of modifying your tour. Check. Travel throughout the country is only possible as part of a guided tour. Check. Independent travel is not permitted. Check. You must not leave your hotel without a guide, you will not be allowed to travel on the public transport system, and you and your guide will be punished if you infringe the rules. Not that bad yet. What country is this? North Korea!
So there it is. It is a great destination but is held back by bad policy. Things will either get better and more in line with international standards, or they’ll get worse and turn into Lybia. Place your bets!