Good morning accommodation owners and managers,
I absolutely love unique experiences, those once in a lifetime opportunities that expand your mind and soul. I think of the moments that have impacted me, and many were created whilst travelling and appreciating the wonders of the world. I was incredibly lucky, to talk to a top operator from Thailand who heads up Our Jungle Camp and Our Jungle House. They offer some of the most unique and beautiful accommodation in the world.
But like all of us - Covid has dramatically affected the way they run their business. Adversity tends to breed ingenuity and genius. More often than not, smart and capable individuals will find a way to use their hardships as fuel to build something better.
Our guest today did just that.
In this week's episode, we're joined by Gonthong Lourdesamy all the way from Thailand, to discuss how she shifted the businesses focus from international tourists to the domestic market amid pandemic flight restrictions. We talk about the many changes she had to make to cater to the staycation markets as well the valuable lessons from her triumphs.
Gonthong is a lifelong marketing and tourism professional, she has her roots in Environmental Education which started around 25 years ago as a tourist guide to students, teachers, and the general public who visited Thailand wanting to learn about its rich culture and variety of resident wildlife in Chao Phraya River. Through that experience, she moved to Malaysia with The Social Enterprise, where she ran a 10-year program of Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award, based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria standards.
Three years ago, Gonthong returned to Thailand to manage the 40-year-old “Our Jungle House” and her 5-year-old sister, “Our Jungle Camp”, in Khao Sok National Park in Thailand, a hotbed of incredible biodiversity that is famous for its dense virgin forests, beautiful limestone hills, and serene jungle rivers. Both are jungle destinations that attract adventure travel enthusiasts all year round, boasting 60+ staff and 40+ accommodation. Their jungle destinations are renowned for their treehouses and bungalows that blend into the surroundings, so you can enjoy the luxury of nature.
This episode punches above its weight, not just for the golden tips of appealing to the local market but thinking out of the box when dealing with the many challenges in our industry.
Notes
00:00 Running accommodation in the jungle of Thailand - moving from an international business to a local one (Part 1)
01:35 Intro and background
02:29 What is the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria?
03:50 How Our Jungle Camp has met the GSTC standards
04:46 What is Our Jungle Camp experience
05:26 Day to day operations of Our Jungle Camp and Our Jungle House
06:47 Guest experience at Our Jungle Camp and Our Jungle House
08:46 Changing from International guests to local guests
12:51 Marketing strategies to court your local market
17:49 Challenges of selling to a local market
20:17 Becoming your local expert
20:50 Experimenting with different marketing strategies
23:54 Meeting your guest at their platform of choice
25:30 How quickly do you need to respond to guests
27:31 Making a sale using messaging apps
Contact Info
https://www.khaosokecoresort.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ourjunglehouse
https://www.facebook.com/ourjunglecamp
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