The power of local connections in travel 🤗

Nobody remembers the places. They remember the people.

• 🤗 The guide who shared his family’s story.
• 😄 The stranger who turned into a friend.

Those are the moments that make travel last. 

Landscapes fade and landmarks blur. But the people you meet, that’s what stays. ☺️

Because the most powerful moments often aren’t planned. They happen in conversation, curiosity, and shared experience.

In this episode of Sustainable Today, Successful Tomorrow, we dive into the question: how do we make genuine local connections a part of travel?  ✨

Through insights from Thomas Power at Pura Aventura, we explore how travel businesses can create the right conditions for real connection, without forcing it.

You’ll hear how local relationships empower communities, how the “triangle of trust” works, and why small gestures can turn an itinerary into a memory. 💭

If you believe the best trips are about people as much as places, this episode is for you. 🎧

How well are you communicating sustainability? Apply for our free Sustainable Marketing Scan 👇
https://goodtourisminstitute.com/scan/

Transcript

Anne: [00:00:00] it's all about the experience and genuine local connections really change a visit from just seeing a place to actually experiencing it.

Anne: You can read a lonely planet or influencer blogs, but it won't really get you the actual understanding of how people live. 

Rik: Welcome to Sustainable. Today's Successful tomorrow, where we explore real world sustainable tourism stories that actually work. Today we're talking about what makes travel truly meaningful. We're asking how do we make genuine local connections a part of travel. So unpack this question. We've spoken to Thomas Power from Pura Aventura, a UK-based tour operator known for designing journeys that go beyond the highlights.

Rik: In today's episode, we'll listen to a few short clips from that interview, and we'll release the full conversation [00:01:00] next week. So Anne, why do you think that genuine local connections are such a powerful part of travel? 

Anne: I think because it's all about the experience and genuine local connections really change a visit from just seeing a place to actually experiencing it. Locals in destinations have, stories, traditions, local customs, and they really shape the identity of a destination.

Anne: And well, you can read a lonely planet or influencer blogs, but it won't really get you the actual understanding of how people live the authentic way of, of life. What do they value,And to really have that actual experience of a destination. So connecting with locals is a big part of that. And, um. Connecting with locals where you have better stories to tell, better travel memories. I think that's the entire goal of travel anyway. 

Rik: Yeah. Brilliant. It's all about stories. Yeah. And we'll dive deeper into that later on.

Rik: But first, when you [00:02:00] think about your personal travels, what genuine connections really stood out to you? 

Anne: when preparing for this podcast, I was kind of thinking about, okay, which. Encounter I want to share because we, we've traveled quite a lot, so there's a lot of, there's been a lot of encounters over the years.

Anne: Um, I was actually thinking about, my experience in, Rwanda, a few years ago where I was visiting a, cultural, or art workshop. yeah, this is kind of an art workshop. Okay. And, well there was one guy, that drove me there and in the car we started chatting and. We were talking about how he also works, in his grandmother's, herbal medicine garden.

Anne: I'm actually very interested in, okay, so you're, you're a touring guide, you're a driver, but you also work in this medicine garden. and he actually said that we want to see it. So after we went to the cultural, um, workshop place, we actually went to this, her role of medicine garden. 

Rik: That was spontaneous.

Rik: That 

Anne: was kind of spontaneous. Okay. Or maybe, or to me, maybe he calculated that in [00:03:00] him or now. So, but I am not very sure that was spontaneous, but So we went there and I still really remember his excitement from like running from one plant to the other, allowing me to smell, uh, feel, taste like these different herbs.

Anne: And, I believe these, all these herbs treat over 200 plus diseases. Look. Oh wow. so he was really telling all about, yeah, how he's continuing to work with his grandmother and how proud he's of that and also. I think what stood by me is like how important his position was and how humble he was about that.

Anne: Because he said like a lot of local in that area don't have the means to actually go and see a doctor. Mm-hmm. So their medicine garden actually helps treat a lot of disease. For locals who can't afford it, 

Rik: they really rely on it. 

Anne: They kind of rely on it. Yeah. but yeah, it looks like a spontaneous visit that we went to go through cultural sites, to look at local paintings and then this happened and.

Anne: I think the spontaneity of it, but also the stories he was heading, it's [00:04:00] like how I can share that story with you. Mm-hmm. Um, yeah, no, it was really, it was a really good experience 

Rik: and that's amazing. And I think what's made it personal is that he shared his family story. 

Anne: Yes, 

Anne: absolutely. Yeah.

Rik: It's a shame I wasn't there for that one. 

Anne: Yeah, no, absolutely. And what about you? Do you have any, well, genuine local connections? You, 

Rik: well, to be honest, I'm not really the kind of person to bust into spontaneous talk with strangers, but I do feel when there's like connectivity connected to it, I do tend to talk more.

Rik: So, I remember us traveling to Tama National Park in South Africa. We were kayaking into, uh, storms River Gorge, which is absolutely stunning. And we took the extended tour, which takes about four hours, so you have time to connect with the guides. I remember us talking with the local guides. We were living there for three months actually.

Rik: [00:05:00] So we made some local friends and we kind of got talking about local politics with, with the guides, and that was a really interesting view for me from a young person who's from the region. And yeah, that's something that really stood out to me. So you won't see me talking to strangers for hours in a restaurant or in a bar.

Rik: But I guess when it's connected to an activity and you can just take your time and get to know each other, I think that's cool to me. 

Anne: Yeah. Yeah. No, I think so too. I think I'm kind of the same, uh, in that. So when it's, I'd say like kind of facilitated, yeah. So you book a tour, and you go on a hike, for example, or you go on this, this water rafting tour, it's where you have the time to connect and ask question.

Anne: Mm-hmm. But it's also okay if you don't. But it's easier way to Yeah. Uh, to connect with people. 

Rik: Well, I'm usually interested in the activity that I'm doing, so in that way it's easy to get talking. 

Anne: Yeah. They're the share of interest. 

Rik: Yeah. 

Anne: And [00:06:00] especially what you said, like you, we have more, awareness about the local political situation.

Anne: Yeah. so it's quite, well, a normal conversation with normal. Conversation flow, some kind of ask, okay, how do you think about this? Get that local perspective. So I think that genuine interest from both sides is really important. Yeah. To bring that.

Rik: Yeah, it really is.

 How well are you actually communicating sustainability? We see many travel businesses and destinations working hard, yet they still struggle to talk about it, 

Anne: and maybe you feel the same. You're afraid of being seen as greenwashing, unsure what to share, or just not really connecting with your travelers.

Anne: We've been there with a lot of travel brands and we get how frustrating it is. So with years of experience in sustainable tourism and marketing, we've created something simple to get you started. 

Rik: It's called the Sustainable Marketing Scan. You just answer a few quick questions. We'll take a [00:07:00] look, and if it's a good fit, we'll invite you for a short call to go through your opportunities.

Anne: You can start today@goodtourisminstitute.com slash scam and turn uncertainty into a clear, compelling story.

 But let's get back to the main question. How do we make genuine local connection a part of travel? But before we do so, I think we need to define genuine local connection. 

Anne: I think that's a good starting point. I think genuine local connections happen beyond, transactional encounters and beyond staged experiences, and they can really happen when travelers need people or locals the way they truly are.

Anne: So beyond name badges, beyond, guide scripts, for example. I think it's really important that you as a visitor are welcomed and that there's genuine interest in you as a person, that you're not just a number, uh, but really actual person that, that might be interesting to talk to it together. No, a little [00:08:00] bit more.

Anne: And, um, Thomas actually had a very interesting, statement about this. Um, click where he talks about that. 

Rik: Okay.

Thomas: It's always the people. It's always the people. No, but I mean it's the same with all of it, you know? Yeah. I went to see my speech, but you know what? This crazy night in the bar and I met this person and we ended up going back here, and this happened at this levity et remembers the postcard view. So this, the scenery is the backdrop, but the actual stuff, the beating heart of it all.

Thomas: It's personal. 

Anne: Yeah. I really like what he says about the, the Machu picture example is that also I had friends, visiting Machu Picchu, and of course they have the pictures, um, they have the pictures of the llamas. But what they're actually telling me is, the funny guide they had or, someone they met along the way 

Anne: What they share, is actually the people. And I think Thomas is absolutely right. It then that makes the actual travel experience so great. It's the people that you meet along the way. 

Rik: [00:09:00] Yeah, very true. I think these local connections make lasting memories. Yeah. And that's really what you want with travel.

Rik: It's all about making lasting memories. Yeah. But aside from having better stories to tell and having memories, in what sense do you think. local Connections matter from a sustainability point of view? 

Anne: I think in terms of sustainability, well, it's all about the actual connection and I think the realization that you are visiting someone's home, someone's, place to live, and I think for kind of, is really key in sustainable tourism is to, behave like a visitor.

Anne: there's always a statement like, we want to create better places to live in and better places to visit. Yeah. It also has always has to be a combination and I think visiting a place and getting the actual, genuine connections reminds us, Traditions are very much alive. So just visiting, Peru, Machu.

Anne: I also remember [00:10:00] that my friend was very surprised to say that the Inca, culture is still very much alive, and she actually thought it was ancient and died out. But Thomas also addressed this in, in our interview where he said. The Inca culture is very much alive, and it's not a museum, it's not, uh, history.

Anne: And I think a lot of people don't realize that until they actually visit and talk to, someone from an Inca, community and how they learn that, the weaving is not just a tourist attraction, but it's actually something they still view.

Anne: That's how they, how they make them money and. I think, and that's also what I remember Theo said about Onga, about how his communities that he was working with were feeling so proud of, being able to share their stories and also their realization that people from all over world were traveling to, to their tribe to experience how they live.

Anne: So this pride is really. How you [00:11:00] empower local community. I think that's really important. and at the same time, very specifically, sustainability, I think connecting with locals, spending time with them automatically means that more money says locally. So, there's less money leaking to international operators or international, hotel chains.

Anne: so more money ended up. Community that Japan, uh, supports, small businesses and to really allow a community to, or to build their own future on their own terms. And yeah, I mean, if you can achieve that by more local connections, I mean, how perfect is that? 

Rik: Yeah. I remember Theo saying that in our interview from last season that, I do think that's something important to point out that.

Rik: Some people think that culture stands still in time. Yeah. Like people want to visit a culture and they think about it as it was a hundred years ago. But it's important to point out that cultures [00:12:00] evolve and time doesn't stand still. Yeah. For anyone. 

Anne: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's a really important realization and I think you will only, realize that, but you actually connect with the Lord elses.

Anne: And I think that's why. That's the part of responsible travel, to really be aware 

Anne: of 

Rik: it. Yeah. 

Rik: So if we've talked about the definition of local connection, and we've talked about why it matters, but another important part is where do you actually find it? I don't think you'll find it in the highlights.

Rik: In the overcrowded places, the places usually connected to overt tourism. So where do you find them? 

Anne: I actually asked Thomas the same question and what he said is that they displaced visitors in, in areas or regions where generally speaking, there are less visitors. So the people living there are generally interested in the travelers. So where Travelers but not a number were just.

Anne: Interesting people that are [00:13:00] passing by that that take the time to come and experience Airway of Living. and that are really pleased, to see them. And the, I believe the impact that the visits have on these locations, on their, daily lives. He's positive and they realize that.

Anne: So automatically the travel feels more welcome because more, yeah, it's more spontaneous. 

Anne: And I feel this is also the offbeat in track part where you're connecting with people without name badges, and I think. It's all about, when we talk about overt tourism to spread out people And to bring people to places that have less visitors. So on the one hand, you spread impact, but you also ensure that people have a better, a better experience, which is genuine, authentic, and you kind of lose this when there are a lot of travelers passing, passing by the same place. 

Rik: Yeah, exactly.

Rik: I do think that this might not be feasible for every travel business ride because a lot of [00:14:00] travel businesses sell like pre-made packages. So do you think these local connections can happen on a less tailor-made level? 

Anne: I think to a certain extent I think it will be. A lot harder. I know that Thomas put a lot of effort in building genuine local relationship with their partners, but I think still, as a travel business, you can still work with local guides with small school accommodations and you can select places that have well less, less visitors.

Anne: So I think it's really important that in your travel itineraries or wherever you're sending travelers to, is that you. Take into account, okay, are these people genuinely interested in having or receiving visitors? And if so, then okay, how can you explore, facilitating these genuine connections, for example, by, by sending a guide that, uh, that really knows how to engage [00:15:00] people in asking questions, for example.

Anne: so I think overall. Any travel business can ensure that a visit is perceived as positive, to spread out people. And I think

Anne: even with structured packages, I think it all comes down to the local connections. You have either local partner, even the local guides or with accommodations. Again, it served for people, it served for connections, even on a B2B level, uh, is that you have put effort in getting to know the people and knowing what they went through, uh, what they're going to share.

Rik: Yeah, so it's all about putting your local partners into the right place. Like, partners at accommodations, restaurants, local guides,homestay owners. Yeah. 

Anne: And also, for example, with Carumba Uganda is where it's just, they do active, community-based tours. That could also be a Viking tour with a very engaging guide, passing a few, local tribes 

Anne: or foods who are, along local restaurants, where can just quickly [00:16:00] connect mm-hmm. with the local chef, for example. So it's in all different aspects. You can find ways to facilitate Yeah. 

Anne: General connections. 

Rik: But the more you have your partners in place, the easier It will get to have these local connections.

Rik: for pure and. They stepped into this like a really specific niche, and I think for their competitors it must be difficult to do the same. And I guess that's why they're in this specific niche and that's a really good thing about how to do this.

Rik: Now, one of the most important things here is how do you actually facilitate it. And to me it does feel like putting partners in the right places, it'll help, but you still need that little bit of magic to happen, right? 

Anne: It definitely can't be, can't be forced. And I think it also very depends on the traveler.

Anne: For example, if you take, um, yourself, like if, right what you said, you're not the person to go [00:17:00] out and talk to everyone. Uh, you need along the way. Well, for example, an outgoing person who's really messing rah, talking to everyone, making new friends, If they arrive within five minutes. but I do think that as a travel business you can.

Anne: Create the right conditions for, uh, genuine connections to happen naturally and well, I think we already said this, but that starts with choosing places that have less visitors to, well, again, facilitate genuine connection, genuine interests, so that, you welcome. Second is working with local partners and, local guides who really are.

Anne: Policy rooted in the local community so they know, they know the people. they are aware of, yeah, the culture, I would say. And they can really boost the confidence of travelers to, to ask questions, to speak up and to be interested in anything they can learn. and third is obviously the traveler Who needs to be prepared. [00:18:00] 'cause it did arrive with curiosity and awareness and a bit confidence to ask questions. they're more, likely to actually, engage a bit more,

Rik: Yeah, I remember thumbs like comparing it to being more of an architect than being a builder.

Rik: Yeah. Because anyone can arrange transport and accommodation, but it's about the space in between. 

Anne: How 

Rik: do you feel that? Yeah, 

Rik: just coming back to facilitation part is that we facilitate the environment. So the place, the people, the mindset. Yeah. And that's the unique formula to, well, to have, um, JM connections, unfold It's about creating these moments where the unexpected or memorable actually can happen. Yeah. And to conclude that it all comes down to relationships, right? 

Anne: Yeah. I think the real value, lies exactly there in relationships.

Anne: And I think, well, when we talk about how to facilitate the genuine connections. Local [00:19:00] partners, um, local guides, they're always mentioned because like if you have good, uh, relationship with your local partners and they share the same values, yeah, they'll be able to, facilitate degenerate connections with your travelers as well.

Anne: and I kind of like to see this, I think, Thomas described it as a triangle of trust between, travel business, the destinations who local partners and the guides. And the traveler. And they all have a responsibility for a great gar experience, but also a responsibility for, for having a genuine, connection with locals.

Anne: So it's up to the, um, the travel business to select the right partners It's up to the local partner to open doors, to the actual community that travelers wouldn't have no way of finding on their own, to boost their competence in, talking to locals.

Anne: It's up to the traveler to bring, curiosity and respect. Um, and I think all that together, Oh, really [00:20:00] creates, connections with both. 

Rik: Yeah. That's interesting. I think everyone in this triangle plays their part. 

Anne: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And 

Rik: if, if one doesn't, the connection won't happen. 

Anne: No, exactly. And I think this is really what has meant by being an architecture is to really.

Anne: I think it's really about facilitating, putting everything in place. So that one said that, genuine and cancers can just unfold. Everything is in place. It's still up to the traveler and to the locals to make it happen, but. All the ingredients are there, it's ready to go. 

Rik: And in making it happen, I think preparing a traveler also plays a big part, right?

Anne: Yeah, absolutely. I think that's really important that Traveler has at least some awareness about how he's getting himself into, and I feel this is definitely the responsibility of the travel business too. Prepared travelers for, what to expect and maybe some background information, tips about local customs.

Anne: and [00:21:00] I think they kind of need that to feel confident, to ask questions, to let they really connect with, with local people so that they're not really holding back 'cause they. Me scared to insult someone, for example. 

Rik: Yeah. You need to feel at ease. 

Anne: Exactly. You need to feel at ease. You need to feel confident.

Anne: Okay. This is the way to go. And actually film had a very well, I, God, us a quite funny story about how they prepare travelers for a trip in Spain. Um, let's listen to the clip where he does that. Okay.

Thomas: Spain's a great one for if you walk into a bar in Spain, you know, in the uk you go into a bar and you stand there until the person behind the bar comes up to you and says, what would you like to drink? And you say, I would like my drink. Do that In Spain, you're there for a, I mean list of bars, everything but the full bar.

Thomas: You basically walk it, throw a. You throw a request over heads bodies and somehow they here, and like a minute later, this glass appears over somebody's head and to you. And if you didn't know that, you'd [00:22:00] stand there feeling they're ignoring me because I'm a tourist and they obviously don't want me in here.

Thomas: So, you know, you sort of retrieve her. It's not like that, that it's kind of this simply a different attitude. 

Anne: yeah. I think he really puts in a way that he's giving travelers the confidence. to go with it, to go with the local custom and see what happens, uh, and to not retreat out because you're feel like they don't want me here.

Anne: I think that's a really good example of sharing local custom, preparing them, for an actual local, experience. 

Rik: Yeah. Go with flow. 

Anne: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. 

Rik: And they also get them background information. Right. 

Anne: Yeah, so, um, what they also do is they share tape on, podcasts, books, movies, about, about the culture, but then also the traveler has a bit more awareness so they can have more of more random conversations.

Anne: and then also that means that, it's interesting for both parties. So, for example, your example in South Africa where you were aware about the [00:23:00] political, situation and you knew, you were going to be voting soon for a new, president. Is that you were actually, talking about that.

Anne: Yeah, 

Rik: I was prepared. 

Anne: Exactly. You were prepared, you were aware. And I think we also knew how to be a bit sensitive about, um, well, not judging booze on which side? 

Rik: Well, the guide was anything but sensitive, but 

Anne: 

Rik: I started out sensitive. 

Anne: You started out sensitive because you don't really know what their opinion is, but I think.

Anne: Also for this guy, it was a very interesting conversation to also hear, a foreigner's perspective on what's going on. So it was beneficial or fun or, 

Rik: I think we, we both liked the convers 

Anne: exactly. And then you, Bonnie have a genuine local connection. Yeah. And even though it was kind of a transaction, because you ebook a tour.

Anne: The actual connection with the guide Yeah. Was really same and genuine. 

Rik: Yeah. It did feel more like a friend joining us. 

Anne: Yeah, exactly. And I think a good guide has the ability to do that. Yeah. To really [00:24:00] connect with, people on a tour, and to kind of, well. Ask a little bit more about the interest and kind of find a topic that you can both have a good conversation about.

Anne: Yeah. and I think preparing good Bible for that is what I think the very good, starting point. 

Rik: Yeah. I feel it's really interesting that they provide this kind of background information in ways of books, movies, because I've actually personally traveled to destinations just because of the music scene, for example,

Rik: I've checked out like places from the music scene in the, in the eighties and the nineties from Manchester. 

Rik: do you, for example, did you talk to people about the music Well, of course I talk to people because when you're in the UK you start drinking.

Rik: That's true. 

Rik: They do have a bit of a drinking culture and after a few drinks, I do get more talk. 

Anne: Yeah, that's 

Rik: true. So, so I did speak to people about it and it is still very much alive in Manchester nowadays. Of [00:25:00] course, there's a lot of good music coming from Manchester. So to me that's really interesting.

Rik: And I listened to the music from the eighties and nineties in Manchester, but I also listened to the. To the music that's produced there now. 

Anne: I would also, now that I think about it, like the sh the stories that you shared about your Manchester trip were not the places you visited, but more like the weird people.

Anne: You're bonding bars, of course. that's the whole point. Like people. Stories. Yeah. Who made the travel? Travel memory. Yeah. And everything else is the background. 

Rik: The best memory there was like we didn't really know where to go, so we just followed this guy around who looked like Liam Gallagher, and we found this amazing bar.

Rik: Yeah. Yeah. That's just the way to go. 

Anne: yeah, the spontaneous, experiences always connected to people, I would say. 

Rik: Yeah, definitely. I do want to come back to the triangle between the traveler, the local partner, and the travel business for a moment.

Rik: Okay. Because it does make sense that the [00:26:00] role of the travel businesses goes well beyond logistics. And they're not just arranging experiences, they're also shaping how these experiences are communicated. That brought me to the question, how do you actually market experiences like this? Thomas had something interesting to say about this.

Rik: I've already shared it in first episode of this season, but I'd like to mention it again because what he said was the following. He said, sustainability by design. You shouldn't sell it because nobody's buying it. Nobody's ever asked Mercedes for an airbag. You're just getting it. And I really love that comparison because you're just getting it by design.

Rik: Now, I'm not sure if I 100% agree that nobody cares about an airbag, it's not exactly a unique selling point either. 

Anne: No, but people do expect it 

Rik: to 

Anne: be there. 

Rik: How do you feel this is for sustainability? 

Anne: well what you said, like traveler have proven to [00:27:00] not see sustainability as a priority for their travel experiences.

Anne: So they will always see sustainability as a bonus and it comes second. So it's not, it's not actually selling, but what we have to sell as travel industry are sustainable experiences by the fold. Yeah. To where it's building like the airbag It's there because it's kind of issue of safety and or some people might feeling that it's really important it's there.

Anne: I think that might be the same with sustainability actually. So you have different types of sustainable travelers as we, determined, but I think. What we need to do is to sell, stories and we, we we're selling experiences that have sustainability in it by the gold and for example, by sharing, a travel experience where you will go with a local farmer to, a herbal medicine garden where he shares all the stories about how this plant helped that disease and how he's taking oak from his grandmother and how they're helping the local community.

Anne: That is a great experience [00:28:00] and with the storytelling that it actually is, you're showing what sustainability looks like in practice. So you build it in, but you sell it as an amazing experience, which it is. but storytelling has everything to do with selling sustainability here. 

Rik: Yeah. And yeah, I completely agree.

Rik: I do think that getting these stories might feel difficult for a lot of travel businesses. I'm guessing as soon as you are building these genuine local connections, it might get a bit easier. because they're already in touch with the local partners. Exactly. And they're in personal contact with them, so the only thing you really need to do is ask.

Anne: Yeah, no, exactly. And yeah, I really agree. And also, per Aventura, um, that's the same, they have a high focus on. Sharing these story because they really understand that then sustainability is about selling, the experience, the genuine, um, or the local encounters that people can have when they travel with them.

Anne: and yeah, you actually had a really nice, well description about how [00:29:00] they do that, um, how they collect these stories from wards. So let's, let's listen to that. 

Thomas: When our clients go there and they, the hotelier is naming the names in the office and their people and the like, oh, we've sort of fallen into this network of trust. And so actually they, you know, it's when they're sharing stories, it doesn't come across as, now we need you to provide feed stock for our social media feed.

Thomas: It's actually, they're sharing stories of kind of stuff that's happened, transformational stuff that's happened. And it's amazing. I mean, there's, you know, you work in travel and people's reasons to travel and reasons not to travel. They can be pretty or emotionally powerful. They can be pretty inspiring.

Thomas: And so again, all coming down to sort of person, people, personality, relationships, they seem to share willingness. 

Anne: What you said, like they are able to do this, they're able to get this feedback the way they're getting it. 'cause of their tight local [00:30:00] network and their local connections and how they actually, help them is put it their friends with political accommodation orders or with the guides and they really, 

Rik: but they're also getting them from the traveler, right.

Anne: Yeah, yeah, no, exactly. But I mean, because they are, they have such good relationship with the local network that as soon as people arrive there, they are welcomed like friends. So they automatically are put at ease. They, um, know exactly who they're coming from and I think this, oh, this personal connection can, it's so strong on the per adv Ventura side.

Anne: The travel automatically benefits from that. so they're welcomed by, by the communities as a friend who is visiting, and I think that's a very powerful way to. Start or to travel and, because they have these genuine connections, they are very willingly, sharing these. 

Anne: Yeah. 

Anne: Um, because, well, we determined that, is that when you travel, you tell other people's stories.

Anne: you want to share what happened to you, you wanted to share. for example, my dad, he likes [00:31:00] to hike. Um, and then when he comes back from his month trip to, I don't know, Scotland, he only talks about all the people he stayed at. Yeah. I mean, sometimes they get a bit bored about how much he's talking about that person.

Anne: And because he goes very much into depth and it's, yeah. 

Rik: And we don't know these people. 

Anne: Exactly. It's a whole ho of He should have been there. Yeah. But still, I mean he's He's talking about the people. 

Rik: He's passionate about it. Yeah, 

Anne: exactly. And I think everyone is. Yeah. because you, you share, your travel stories are about the people that you meet.

Anne: and yeah, if you facilitate it right, you get this amazing feedback without having to ask for it, just because it hasn't have an amazing time. 

Rik: Yeah. I think it's a great way of doing this. And coming back to the triangle again, this is the bit about the connection between the travel business and the client.

Rik: Yeah. And aside from getting great stories to share for their social media and great feedback, I think it's also an [00:32:00] important part for them that I can only imagine they have a lot of repeat travelers because of this, because they have a good relationship with the client and that's definitely an added bonus.

Anne: Yeah, absolutely. They really like to host events. And do a lot of word of mouth, communication. So they have like this high group of travelers that really love the way, uh, you can travel with URA to, to less travel places, to actually connect with locals.

Anne: I think it's a very powerful way to, to travel. 

Rik: Yeah. unfortunately, it's time to wrap up again already, and I'd like to point out a few key points. One is that, genuine connections can't really be forced, but you do have. To create the environment for them to actually happen.

Rik: Yeah. The second is the triangle of trust between the traveler, the travel business, and the local partners.

Rik: It's really important that they all connect together. The last one I found really interesting was preparing the [00:33:00] traveler and give them a bit of background information, uh, about culture, about events, about, uh, movies or books that can go a long way. Yeah. And so these are the three things that really stood out to me.

Rik: Do you have anything to add? 

Anne: Yeah, I just wanted to say that I think for the preparing part, I think a lot of travel businesses, underestimate. How much of a difference they can make by really elaborating a bit more like how does it work and why does it work like that? And to really present it in well, in a way that people want to read it.

Anne: some travel businesses just grow over like a handbook of a hundred pages. Like your destination information. 

Rik: Yeah. 

Anne: People might not read, but I've also seen travel businesses where have like this very, they have an app, for example, full of, tips. Videos, like movie tips, for example, to really in a fun, engaging way, compare travelers to, or to, to be aware of where they're going.

Anne: Yeah. And to be excited about it. And I think [00:34:00] overall, I think, it might look like, like facilitating the genuine connections might be only for a very few travel businesses. I think any destination, any accommodation, any travel business. Has ways to somehow facilitate more genuine connections by adding few, elements of everything that we discussed today.

Anne: You can always, just implement small bits. I think that's really important to start somewhere and to really include storytelling, 

Rik: I think that when you do, you might actually get some more customer loyalty in return as well. 

Anne: Yeah. Act I think so too. 'cause I think the better experience travelers have, the happier they are about you and the travel business.

Anne: Yeah. And they might, they'll probably come back. 

Rik: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. 

Anne: I think overall travel should be memorable and I think we program that connecting with people while you travel really does just that. [00:35:00] Yeah. 

Rik: Okay. Let's wrap up.

Anne: Thank you so much 

Anne: for listening, and stay tuned for next week's episode where we release the full interview with Thomas Kura ura. In the meantime, please share how you're currently facilitating genuine local connections. We'd love to find out.

Anne: If you like this episode, please like and share, and don't forget to subscribe to not miss any future episodes. For now, thank you for listening and we hope to see you next time. 

Rik: Bye 

Anne: bye.