Off the south-east coast of continental Africa lies the island nation of Madagascar, a legendary land of distinctive vegetation and oddly majestic creatures. Right here, the otherworldly panorama contains dry desert areas and dense tropics and an ample vary of animal life that’s matched solely by the colourful Malagasy tradition. Whether or not it’s within the crystal-clear waters edging the beautiful seashores, within the cultural magnificence or the scrumptious delicacies, simply “immersing” your self isn’t sufficient. This place deserves a plunge.
MORA TRAVEL
Which is strictly what Monique van der Heijden did when she based Mora Journey in March 2000. After a number of years of residing, learning, and dealing in Switzerland, the alternative of Madagascar, she resigned from her job and travelled to the island for the primary time.
With the deliberate intention of visiting for one 12 months, she volunteered at a Malagasy orphanage and, two years later, (nonetheless on the island), she based Mora Journey. First as a sideline after which, because the venture continued to develop, a enterprise using native individuals and offering an inlet to travellers and adventurers visiting the island for the primary time.
Madagascar is a treasure trove of life and a testomony to its vibrant vary of various shapes and extremes. It’s like a whole continent the place Mom Nature has loved tens of millions of years simply letting out her creativity. And, like anybody discovering Gaia’s artistic artwork studio, Monique is as eager to share it now as she was when she first began.
“It’s a rare island that grabs maintain of you and surprises you, regardless of how lengthy you’ve lived right here,” she says, “Because of this I find it irresistible a lot and why I get such pleasure from introducing guests to this unfamiliar and one-of-a-kind place.”
WHAT MAKES MORA TRAVEL UNIQUE?
The private contact units Mora Journey except for many tour operators working in Madagascar, going as far as to verify, at any time when potential, to supply and talk about gross sales and tour plans within the maiden language of the client. Within the workplace they impart in Malagasy, French, English, German and Dutch they usually perceive communicative Spanish.
“Madagascar is unfamiliar territory for first time guests and this may be daunting as there’s a lot that may be missed for those who don’t comprehend it’s there,” she explains, “We’ve discovered that it places an individual comfy if they’ll communicate their mom tongue and it additionally permits them to open up and clarify intimately what it’s that they’re seeking to see and expertise.”
Moreover, the brokers at Mora Journey make in-trip observe up calls with prospects to see how issues are going. This manner, it offers the client that piece of thoughts that their wants are being sorted. Additionally, if one thing isn’t fairly going in accordance with plan, it permits the brokers the chance to make amendments and tweaks. With a few years of discussing excursions and adventures with purchasers, Monique and her workforce know the significance of paying consideration.
“We can not overstate the significance of listening to what prospects say,” she tells us, including, “Creating excursions is just not a guessing recreation, it’s a listening train. We pay attention in the beginning and ensure we all know what the consumer is in search of, then we observe up through the journeys to guarantee that we’ve listened nicely.”
THE TEAM
Eleven full time, domestically recruited workforce members hold the enterprise going, not together with the seasonal drivers and guides that work with them on the entrance traces. The workforce are hand chosen and share a love of their nation and their business. And, in accordance with Monique, they solely recruit domestically, counting on the sturdy Malagasy affect.
TYPE OF TOURS
“Our excursions of Madagascar spotlight the extraordinary wildlife, pure areas, and welcoming individuals of our various island,” she says, “Working with people and teams, we provide bike excursions, excursions led by tropical ecology specialists or skilled guides in addition to strolling excursions. We delight ourselves on sharing in-depth native insights and offering unbelievable experiences.”
RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL. MORE THAN JUST A TREND.
To make sure that they’ll provide the perfect service, Monique and her workforce hold a finger on the heartbeat of the journey market and have seen some fascinating tendencies during the last couple of years involving not simply what individuals need to see but in addition how they ebook.
“Earlier than Covid journeys to Madagascar have been deliberate months or perhaps a 12 months prematurely,” Monique reveals, “Which gave us loads of time to plan and sketch out the proper excursions. These days among the bookings are available in mere weeks earlier than arrival.”
Additionally, they’ve seen that the demand for accountable journey is on the rise, which makes Mora-Journey, as the primary fully Travelife licensed tour operator on Madagascar significantly completely satisfied. Shoppers have an expectation of spending time interacting with native communities in a useful method. And a desire to work with operators with a demonstrative respect for the group and animal welfare.
“That is nice as a result of change to tourism flows upstream from the vacationers,” Monique explains, “We are able to see the change is developing slowly, however persistently.”
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
The opposite change that’s been seen is that extra travellers are keen to step off the overwhelmed observe than previous to Covid. Choosing particular, not traditional, itineraries that present the mud-in-your-boots journey expertise. These kinds of travellers additionally need to spend extra time partaking with one or two areas as an alternative of flying everywhere in the nation to seize snippets.
“Some persons are asking for itineraries with out inland flights, which is a problem as a result of infrastructure,” she says, “However challenges like this retains us developing with new itineraries and staying artistic.”
2023
On the workplace entrance, entrance finish consumer administration will see a improvement this 12 months, with a brand new CRM being put into place in addition to a re-launch of the Travpact Madagascar web site, an concept that the workforce labored out earlier than Covid with interns : www.travpactmadagascar.com
“We’re additionally wanting ahead to launching our specialised themed journeys that embody biodiversity excursions suiting smaller teams and may provide a extra intimate have a look at Madagascar,” she says, “This nation retains giving us extra to point out, so we’ve to maintain altering issues up.”
OFFICE NUMBER: 00261320711511
EMAIL: data@moratravel.com
WEBSITE: www.moratravel.com
SOCIALS: Fb and Instagram
Featured Picture By Greg Snell. Supply.
All different pictures courtesy of Mora-Journey S.A.R.L.
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