The changing demographic of the incentive travel guest: A significant opportunity.

THEPartnership and the Changing Demographic

A Great Opportunity

THEPartnership is a group of global DMCs focusing on destination business solutions with an emphasis on consistent, superior service in all of the 40 countries where we have an established presence. Together with our DMC partners we strive to offer creative solutions to meet the business goals and objectives sought by our clients – corporations, associations, universities and non-profits, etc., and all those in the meeting planning and event companies who work tirelessly on their behalf. At the end of 2019 we’ll celebrate 30 wonderful years in business.

         

It’s always been true that excited and inspired guests are the key ingredient for a successful event or incentive travel experience. But the event guest demographic is evolving to younger participants seeking to participate in, and be part of, what’s COOL! rather than passively looking and admiring the WOW! like their predecessors, the Baby Boomers.

         

Younger generation guests, typically Millennials / Gen X, seek to interact with local communities and build friendships that will endure long after the event. They want to give, in whatever form that might take, and to leave a footprint, to make a difference. Plus, they are much more likely to be aware of, and in empathy with, issues that affect the planet and their fellow man, like sustainability, the environment, fair trade, support of local cultures and traditions, and meaningful global, social issues such as the eradication of human trafficking in all its forms.

         

 

Email or call +1 904.679.5156 and speak with David Spain to discuss how we can assist YOU create a COOL! program for our younger generation meetings, events and incentive travel guests with the enriching experiences they’re both demanding and which they’ll long remember.

All of us at THEPartnership are working hard to maximize on the opportunity the evolving demographic presents by staying ahead of the curve and creating innovative, enriching, creative and relevant experiences to drive demand. Follows some ideas that we’re building and adapting 24/7.

PERU

Peru’s varied geography, culture and intriguing history make it the perfect place for both cultural interaction and adventure. From the cosmopolitan Lima, to the warm desert coast, to the inspiring Andes mountains and the lush Amazon rainforest, you’re invited to enjoy all kinds of safe adventures together with trained instructors and team leaders, including hiking in the mountains, sandboarding on coastal dunes and the year-round, full day white-water rafting experience on the Urubamba River just an hour from Cusco.

 

Additionally there is plenty of adrenaline pumping adventure to be found while buggy driving in the Paracas Desert in the Ica Region…

…or canoeing in the Samiria National Park in the Amazon Rain Forest…

…or exploring the Salt Mines, near Cusco.

Critically important is that in addition to enjoying soft adventure and interacting with local people there exist many opportunities in Peru for a company’s event or incentive travel program to strategically reflect its own core values, philosophy and social responsibility policy, key essentials to satisfy the Millennial / Gen X guest. As an example, one remarkable non-profit organization that values the support of international travelers is Peruvian Hearts who strive to end poverty and gender inequality by giving every girl in Peru the right to receive an education and dream of a brighter future.

Remarkably, Peruvian Hearts was the inspiration of eleven-year old Ana Dodson, adopted from an orphanage in Peru as a baby and raised in Colorado, USA. Ana developed this nonprofit organization to enable young women to embrace education, believe in their own power, and dream of a life beyond the conditions into which they were born. It supports three different girls’ homes, or hogares, in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. The Hogar Mercedes is a loving home and structured environment for 15 young girls; Hogar Santa Rosa is home to 51 school girls; and Hogar Munaychay provides a safe and stable home for 70 children who come from difficult and chaotic backgrounds.

Peruvian Hearts welcomes assistance with renovation and improvement projects to make the hogares safer and a more secure environment. For more information please see the Peruvian Hearts video and/or contact Jayki Camargo at our Partner DMC in Peru.

MONACO AND THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

Monaco together with the South of France is the ideal destination for the Millennial / Gen X meeting and event guest seeking unexpected experiences and the COOL!

         

Our younger generation guests venture onto the unexpected peaks around the Principality of Monaco. Only a very short distance from Monaco guests can enjoy the breathtaking Mediterranean views from the trail that leads up to the Tête de Chien (Dog’s Head), a high outcropping of rocks in the Alps.

From here, equipped with safety harness and helmet, and under the watchful eye of skilled and professional instructors the adventure culminates with either a giant zip-line or a giant abseil!

          

For landlubbers and mariners alike our DMC partner in Monaco offers the excitement of sailing, an activity that gives a real sense of accomplishment, being at one with the sea. We’ll organize your corporate regatta, with structured teams, easy-to-follow rules, team flags, race strategy, marine maps, etc. Board the prepared sailing boats under the care of your skipper and, under him or her, as part of the boat’s “crew”, sail together, establishing a real team spirit, bonding with one another, a valuable experience that will extend into the workplace long after the race.

What would a visit to the Principality of Monaco and the South of France be without the unique sensorial experiences that are bestowed on us as gift from perfume and wine? Don’t take our word for it, be guided by the professional Sommelier that we’ll arrange for you to personally discover and analyze different kinds of wine. Then assisted by your Master Perfumer that we’ve arranged, test the essences of perfume and blend the right combination to create your own Eau de Toilette.

As the sun begins to set on a day of exciting yet tiring adventures in Monaco as well as the vibrant and bustling atmosphere of the South of France make time for yourself to unwind (literally) with a relaxing Yoga lesson on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

 

ROMANIA

   

Just over an hour and a half from Romania’s capital of Bucharest are the Carpathian Mountains and National Parks, featuring a variety of landscapes, vegetation and wildlife and some of the largest remaining areas of pristine forest in Europe. Grasslands, gorges, subterranean caves, volcanic lakes, and an extensive river network that also includes the Danube Delta, Europe’s largest wetland.

   

There are many ways to enjoy this beautiful part of the world, for sure one that has appeal to Millennials and Gen X incentive travel guest is the adrenaline-pumping excitement of the ATV, or the off-road equipped SUV.

contrasting with the tranquility and beauty of a prepared-in-advance, mountain-top picnic.

Interact with local people enjoying home-made Romanian traditional products – jam, cheeses on fresh crusty bread – at their villa houses in the old mountain villages. A very special program for Millennials / Gen X in a less-well-known, yet beautiful, part of Europe.

 

CROATIA

Croatia’s long-popular coastal town of Dubrovnik is even more famous today as the King’s Landing location in HBO’s Game of Thrones.

This historical city, host to the world famous show, provides a fabulous backdrop for a Millennial / Gen X adrenaline packed program including abseiling from the city walls where the battle was filmed.

Additionally, Croatia’s unspoiled coastline boasts more than 1100 islands and eight breathtaking National Parks. This provides the perfect means to explore the real Mediterranean culture while bonding with colleagues and customers through soft-adventure experiences so popular with Millennials / Gen X. These include kayaking the Paklinski islands…

and diving off the island of Vis to explore the underwater World War 2 wreck that has become a natural reef and habitat, attracting an array of sea-life. Click HERE for more detailed information about our Partner DMC in Croatia.

 

PORTUGAL

When in Portugal (and especially Porto) forget the bland (invariably beige or gray) painted city buildings that we’re all too used too in our everyday lives. All around the city of Porto skillfully painted and often flamboyant ceramics adorn and decorate the buildings, from apartment blocks to ancient churches to railway stations. It was, and is, typical for the Portuguese to tell stories through these beautiful tiles about their history, religion, and culture and they soon became the story of, and by, the people.

              

Azulejos date back to the 13th century, when the Moors invaded what is now Spain and Portugal. They became better established in Portuguese culture between the 16th and 17th centuries. The word azulejo comes from the Arabic, meaning ‘small polished stone’. Originally the first tiles were fairly simple, geometric shapes and floral designs in neutral tones in keeping with Islamic law that did not allow human subjects to be featured, but in the early 20th century they became more brightly colored and artistically creative.

Our Millennial / Gen X guests need not be content with simply looking and admiring though because under the watchful eye and direction of a Master Ceramics Artist we can give them the opportunity to create and paint their own …and take them home with them. The Azulejo (which means polished stone) tile is probably the most easily recognized, introduced to Portugal by the Moors in the 13th century.

 

Portugal now is arguably the event capital of Europe, increasingly popular for city-wide conventions like Rotary; press launches for major motor manufacturers like Jeep…

 

…and for a range of good fun, exhilarating, motivational incentive travel programs from around the world.

         

 

 

GREECE

RIB Boats around Greece’s Saronic Islands are a fabulous full-day event for our Millennial / Gen X guests offering a fast track to Greek island life. Named after the Saronic Gulf in which they are located, just off the Greek mainland and, like all Greek islands, each with its own identity and culture: fun resort; isolated escapism; stunning architecture; historically interesting.

       

RIB stands for Rigid Inflatable Boat, having a strong rigid hull and inflatable sides. They are safe, fast and a lot of fun. Each has its own experienced skipper, but there’s plenty of opportunity for those who are keen and willing to have a role as crew. Lunch is in a traditional seaside taverna with plenty of local delicacies and with the opportunity to interact with local people.

Alternatively, great fun and very relevant for the Millennial / Gen X meeting and event guest is a private, sightseeing-with-a-difference tour, by hi-tech electric Trikke. Relish the beauty of Athens and all its ancient treasures while zipping along the streets of the capital. More sightseeing / less sweat …very Millennial! Enjoy Plaka, the old neighborhood of Athens and pass through ancient landscapes and monuments like the Roman Agora, the Tower of winds and Hadrian’s Library. Adore the National Gardens, an oasis in the heart of Athens and experience the vivid and ceremonial change of the guards or evzones as they are called, at the Greek Parliament. Finish off by feeling the heartbeat of Athens passing through Monastiraki square and flea market. On your tour, ride in front of the Panathenaic Stadium — site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Glide through leafy Syntagma Square, and admire the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Greek Parliament and the Presidential Palace, guarded by the red-bereted soldiers of the Presidential Guard.

         

 

 

TURKEY

 

Cappadocia, in Turkey, is a geological oddity of honeycombed hills and towering boulders of other-worldly beauty and has huge appeal for the Millennial / Gen X guest who is hungry to experience a destination that has no comparison, other than the moon perhaps! There is no better way to experience the magical topography than by an exclusive hot air balloon flight that brings to life the human history of this region.

   

People have long utilized its soft stone, seeking shelter underground and leaving the countryside scattered with fascinating cavern architecture. The fresco-adorned rock-cut churches of Göreme Open-Air Museum and the subterranean refuges of Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı are the most famous sights, while simply spending the night in one of Cappadocia’s cave hotels is an experience in 21st-century cave living.

  

There are many opportunities for Millennials / Gen X guests to explore the area in a COOL! way, such as with ATVs, mountain bikes or hiking, all exhilarating and a lot of fun.

 

MOROCCO

 

Morocco is a country to immerse yourself in, a vibrant mixture of the traditional and the contemporary that demands participation by top achievers. Cooking classes by a dada (traditional Moroccan chef) in a Riad; horse drawn carriages; street artists; the bright colors and oriental scents of the bazaars; souks brimming with spices, carpets, jewels, copper. Private helicopter to your exclusive desert encampment, waking up to the beauty of the Saharan sky.

Craft workshops, participating with traditional craftsmen in a trade that was once the domain of young Moroccans, father to son. Our guests not only create their own leather or copper souvenir to take home as a permanent memory but learn about the history and the threats to these traditional crafts.

For the Millennial / Gen X guest there are countless activities in and around the desert and the Atlas Mountains. including a camel train and a faster variant, the ATV!

ARGENTINA

 

There are few places in the world that offer the range of geographic diversity equal to that found in Argentina, a country that stretches from close to the equator in the north to the gateway to Antarctica in the south. For the motivational program targeting Millennial/Gen X guests the opportunities to create COOL! experiences are virtually limitless. To name one – El Calafate, the small, remote town in Patagonia, is the gateway to the Los Glaciares National Park which in turn is home to Glaciar Perito Moreno. The amazing ice-blue glacier, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, believed to be the only glacier in the world that’s not receding, can be visited in multiple ways: from land, navigating its awe-inspiring face or walking along it in crampons! But there is more to El Calafate – hiking, horseback riding, staying at a homely sheep estancia (hands-on shearing and all!), enjoying the sweeping views and savoring the unique Patagonian lamb.

SOUTH AFRICA

 

There can’t be many better opportunities to accomplish a sense of achievement than rhino tagging in South Africa. Rhinoceroses are, sadly, critically endangered in South Africa, even in the game parks in which there is a measure of protection from poachers. It is difficult to protect all of them due to a lack of funds and qualified staff, combined with an overabundance of poachers waiting for a vulnerable moment to attack.

The black and white rhinos both occupy South Africa. They are found mostly in the Kruger National Parks and adjacent game reserves. Here, they live on the grassy plains and savannahs of the local bushveld. The White Rhinoceros has recovered from near extinction in South Africa and is now the most prolific rhino species in existence, anywhere in the world. South Africa is the custodian of more than 80% of the entire world’s population of rhinos and therefore their protection is of paramount importance in South Africa.

Tagging is undertaken as part of a small team of scientists, veterinarians and park rangers where each of the guests has a pre-determined role – the guests are not there to watch, but as part of the team. First boarding a helicopter one of the team shoots a tranquilizer dart into the rhino to send it to sleep, then the guests work as part of the team to painlessly tag and microchip the rhino. The purpose of this is to discourage poaching by providing a visual ID tag, insert a monitoring microchip, take blood samples and to collect valuable DNA samples and data, including resting heart rate and body temperature. After approximately 45-minutes the rhino wakes up and wanders off to hopefully enjoy a long and happy life and the guests are left with memories of an experience they’ll never forget.

JAPAN

 

Tokyo for the Millennial / Gen X guests is a love affair with manga pop culture, fashion, high-tech trends and conspicuous consumption in shopping, entertainment and commercial emporia that happily co-exist with Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Japan’s serene Imperial Palace and quaint wooden houses with their private gardens and meticulously clipped bonsai trees sit comfortably in the shadows of architecturally inspiring skyscrapers. Now add the Mario-karts to the list! You can dress up as your favorite pop culture character, be it Spiderman or Super Mario, and crisscross the streets of downtown Tokyo. Warning – NOT for the shy as you’ll attract a lot of attention.

Kyoto is a city of culture that offers a plethora of temples, shrines and other historically priceless structures that still survive today. With 2,000 religious buildings, including 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines, as well as palaces, gardens and associated architecture, it is one of the best-preserved cities in Japan and boasts 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Our COOL! guests immerse themselves in the culture in a private temple, and wearing a Japanese summer kimono, learn the art of traditional sword combat before returning to tranquility with a Zen meditation by an English-speaking monk.

ICELAND

 

Over the last decade Iceland has become an highly coveted spot, first for a once of a lifetime experience, but soon to be realized after visiting — Iceland and its unspoiled nature, with only 340 000 inhabitants for a land almost as big as England, remain accessible. The birth rate in Iceland is over 2.6 children per couples, which makes it one of the youngest nations in the world. Millennials have a big place here for Iceland is highly developed, it produces renewable energy using volcanic activity, you can have 4G connection on top of largest glacier in Europe, Icelanders eat fresh fish from the sea and organic meat roaming in lightly salted pastures due to surrounding Atlantic ocean. It is the least to say that Iceland nowadays made by and for millennials trending towards an healthier lifestyle, bringing back real life values and keeping away from politics. Iceland is also ranked the safest place in the world which is no wonder then why Yoko Ono chose Iceland to establish her Peace Tower.

Iceland has been the backdrop of many popular movies or series, from 007 riding his Aston Martin across Vatnajökull glacier to many scenes of the more recent Game of Thrones series…”

Come and experience Iceland for yourself, its 5* nature, and our tip of the day, the local currency has lost almost 20% of its value in recent weeks towards the USD, we are not saying that millennials are price sensitive .. So its time to visit and check out the Aurora Borealis visible until the middle of April, our Glaciers covering 18% if the island, our dramatic landscapes that some qualify as moonlike, we cannot confirm that part as we have never been to the moon, however Neil Armstrong has for sure been to Iceland as the NASA trained here for moon landing ..

Boutique DMC Iceland will be delighted to assist you with your Iceland discovery !