Explore Himalaya Organizes FAM Trip for Kipling Travels, Denmark.

FAM trips are exclusive educational trip for travel agents and Sellers. It is especially important in the context of a country like Nepal where these trips can impart valuable information regarding the country and what it has to offer for tourists. It gives them a first-hand information of the destination. These trips help them better promote Nepal as a travel destination to potential clients.

Kipling Travel( www.kipling.dk) a prominent travel company based in Denmark has been in the travel business for decades. They have been sending tourists to Nepal for over 20 years. They have also played a significant part in popularizing Nepal as a destination in Denmark and Europe.

This year, Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure, once again organized a FAM trip for all the staff members of Kipling Travels. The team was headed by Mr. Lars Gundersen, proprietor of Kipling Travels, and consisted of his team members from Sales, Finance and Operations.

Since Spring being ideal time to visit Nepal, this year’s FAM trip held between May 17-21, 2024.

Upon landing at the international airport on May 17, the guests were taken to Hotel Marshyangdi, the host hotel in the heart of the tourist hub of Kathmandu. Amidst the hustle and bustle of Thamel, it offers a great location to spend your first evening and get familiarized with Nepal.

On May 18, the guests took the scenic and adventurous flight from Kathmandu to Lukla in a helicopter. Due to weather conditions, they chose the helicopter option instead of the flight as initially planned. Two helicopters- one each from Fishtail Air and Heli Everest flew the guests to Lukla. After spending some time in Lukla it was time for a helicopter ride to Hotel Everest View in Syangboche. They served breakfast there, and then the guests hiked to Namche Bazar and enjoyed lunch at Yeti Home. The guests spent the afternoon freely and checked into Bodhi for dinner and a nightcap at Namche Bazar.

On May 19, it was a 20-minute walk upto the heli pad in Namche Bazar from where they were first shuttled to Lukla and then to Kathmandu, again in the helicopter from Fishtail Air.

On arrival in Kathmandu, transferred the guests to the domestic airport for their flight to Pokhara on Buddha Air’s domestic flight. The arrangement was to spend the afternoon and overnight in Begnas Tal at the Annapurna Royal Camp. The Camp warmly welcomed them, and they spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying local fish and meals. While there, they took a short tour of the Begnas area and enjoyed an evening stroll around the lake. The group enjoyed an evening of good banter at the Camp dining area with snacks, drinks, and dinner.

After spending the night at Annapurna Royal Camp, on May 20, the guests were able to walk around the Camp for a bit before transferred to Pokhara by van. As this was a FAM tour, the leader of the group- Mr. Lars Gundersen, took time to take visit and inspect some of the hotels that Kipling send their guests to in Pokhara, namely- Barahi, The Pavilions Farm and The Fishtail Lodge. All the properties warmly welcomed the group.

After some sightseeing in Pokhara, the group returned to Kathmandu via flight in Buddha Air for their final night’s stay at the Marshyangdi Hotel.

On 21 May, their final day, the group started their day with a breakfast meeting in the gardens of the hotel with the entire Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure team. The meeting offered a great opportunity for team members to connect with colleagues they had corresponded with but never met. It was about those times when one can put a face to a name.

After breakfast, Mr. Gundersen again led his team for few inspections to hotels used by Kipling in Kathmandu- Nepali Ghar, The Malla Hotel and Hyatt Regency.

This wrapped up the FAM tour for 2024. All the members appreciated their achievements in terms of places visited and objectives met, given the limited time. The team from Kipling were able to cover and inspect all places and venues they had planned. They will return with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.

FAM Trips are essential and important to Nepal for:

• Lead Generation: Learnings from FAM trips can generate new leads and potential business opportunities for Nepal.
• Awareness: FAM trips significantly enhance awareness about Nepal by showcasing the Nepal’s offerings.
• Feedback: FAM trips are able to provide firsthand feedback about the destination, management, logistics and services

Overall, this was a well-organized and coordinated FAM trip by Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure. The success of the trip is also due to the support provided by Buddha Air and Fishtail Air. The team at Kipling feels Nepal has a lot to offer- culture, history and adventure. They will utilize the insights gained from this trip to significantly enhance their product knowledge and better understand the destination. This enhanced knowledge, in turn, enables them to effectively sell the unique experience that is Nepal. Similar trips for other international agents would be a good marketing tool for promoting Nepal as a destination.