Apsara-Travel : interview with Marie-Aude MA
Apsara-Travel is a original travel concept with real value for all the tourism players.
I am please to give you this interview.
Marie-Aude MA tell us all about Apsara-Travel.
>Marie Aude, can you tell some information about you?
Well, I'm 31 years old and have not a classical profile. I first wanted to work with NGOs and was involved in one of them working with Southeast Asia. I graduated in International Relationships at the Sorbonne University in Paris, and also got a Master degree in International Business. I had many professional experiences in different companies, NGOs… The main point in all of this is this passion for Asia I always tried to put in the centre of my activities. And finally I find my way, using my abilities and skills to serve and transmit this passion to the others through travelling and discovering Southeast Asia.
>You manage a original travel site, aspara-travel.com, Can you tell us some fact about it and the Aspara concept and your business model ?
www.apsara-travel.com was officially born in September 2007 after almost 2 years working on the new concept I wanted to offer to the travellers. I was leaving in Singapore and travelling a lot in the neighbouring countries when the idea came to me : why not proposing a service to help travellers to organize their trips in Southeast Asia ? You know, I met so many travellers losing time or disappointed because they didn't choose the right place to go or to stay… And I also met so many people bored with classical "40-people-coach-tours", but who wouldn't dare travelling by themselves or cannot afford an individual tour with a specialized agency (as you surely know, prices are quite high). I thought there was something missing for these travellers looking for "something else", and I decided to propose them this new way of preparing their trips. Apsara travel concept was born !
The idea : proposing tailored made itineraries, adapted to the traveller's needs in term of activities, housing, guiding, transport, and of course budget. Of course we provide all the keys that will allow the customer to finalize preparing his trip very easily.
How it works : once we defined the ideal itinerary for and with the customer, we prepare a document called "the guide of your trip". This document includes everything about the trip : practical information about the country (money, transportation, health matters, etc.), all the address the traveller will need to proceed to bookings (almost exclusively by internet/ emails) like hotels, visits and activities, local travel agencies, guides, driver… anything he needs. This tailor made guide also includes a detailed program with suggestions day by day, detailed budget, and all the information to go from one stage to the next one. In short this is a very concrete and practical guide that gives all the keys to prepare easily the trip. And this works from the most autonomous trip to the most accompanied one.
But the concept goes further, by promoting original and ecotourism activities, supporting small family run business or even NGOs programs (like hotel-school projects, massages by blinds people, etc.). Less middlemen, an affordable cost for more individual travellers and a direct sustainable profit for local people.
We are already proposing 6 destinations : Vietnam, Lao, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
I'm proud to say that www.apsara-travel.com is the first one (and still the only one) to provide such a service to the travellers.
>Can you give us some higlights about your customers !
Actually, there is no typical profile as we try to adapt closely to every traveller. Some are very young (less than 25 years old), some are seniors… A lot of couples, but more and more families, small groups of friends or relatives also. Some contact us one year in advance, some one month before. But statistically, it shows that a lot of customers are last minute ones ! I mean, travellers that realize that they will not have time to prepare their trip less than one month before going… At the beginning, I thought that people that use to travel by themselves would never be interested in our services. But some of the customers just prove the opposite… Interesting !
Another point regarding our customers : until now 100% of them were satisfied with our service.
>Ecotourism and sustainable tourism are a big trend in tourism industry. What do you think about this trend ? Do you have some initiatives with Aspara Travel and your partners in Asia ?
About ecotourism, I'm afraid that this term is more and more lead by marketing than by the deep will to respect or to conserve. I'm a bit bored with some terms like "out off the beaten track" that almost every agency is using now, or this new ecotourism trend everywhere. This is a good thing in a way, but how come that everybody is turning towards it so fast ?! May be because everybody's putting his own definition of what is ecotourism or sustainable tourism… I'm also afraid that many projects linked with ecotourism or sustainable tourism will only be accessible to high budget travellers, like most of these beautiful lodges or elephant trekking experiences which are really expensive. For Apsara travel, ecotourism is mostly made of simple things like promoting biking tours through villages and paddy fields, respecting the nature and the culture of people living there… Sustainable tourism is simply spending a night in a family-run guesthouse, eating a noodle soup at the next door… Then the local people will profit directly from the tourism, and you will learn so much about people, their way of living… Much more than in an asepticized five stars hotel for sure ! Anyway, Apsara travel is deeply focusing on these matters, and our local partners are chosen on this basis too. It comes logically with my previous professional involvement in NGOs., I've always been sensitive to sustainable development matters.
>Internet is going faster and we talk now about Web 2.0 and Travel 2.0, what do you think about this evolution in the tourism market place ?
Well, I'm quite happy about it ! Without this evolution, www.apsara-travel.com wouldn't exist ! In the other hand, it becomes more and more difficult for the customer to select the right information… But this is our part actually !
Statistics show that tourism purchases have one of the most important yearly growth on the internet (more than 10 % each year). It simply shows that the customers are more and more ready to buy this type of services on-line, quietly sat behind their computers. They can choose everything while dealing with their virtual agency, checking reviews with other travellers, etc. Why spending time running after several agencies at the 4 corners of the city when you can have it directly on the internet, during your lunch time break at work ? At week end or evenings, people are busy with the family or other activities, they have no time to think about or prepare their holidays… I could also notice this through www.apsara-travel.com : most of the emails we receive are sent during office hours !
Classical travel agencies already have to face this evolution and have to find new ways. Apsara travel is more than ready, and may be a little bit in advance in this tourism market place !
>What are your tastes for:
>Travel:
Individual travel, but well prepared before going !
>Travel destination
Southeast Asia ! What a question !
>Hotel :
A simple quiet and clean guesthouse, with a touch of local decoration, a tropical garden, a great homemade breakfast, and a warm and happy staff is just perfect for me ! I also love boutique hotels…
>Business:
Innovative business I guess…!
>You have the micro
You plan to travel to Southeast Asia ? You want to experience individual travel at affordable price ? You want a trip that looks like you ? Don't hesitate to contact www.apsara-travel.com and be sure we'll do our best for an unforgettable trip.
Thanks Marie-Aude, wish you all the best for your venture.