MSC Cruises became a part of the cruise industry only within the last couple of decades. Being supported by the 40 years of expertise attained by its parent shipping firm, however, means that the cruise company is already recognised worldwide for its elegance and refined service, both on board and off.
The MSC Cruise experience has been shaped over the years by its Mediterranean influences, specialising in traits such as warmth, hospitality, an unhurried pace of living and a zest for life. It is this convivial atmosphere and the diversity of its passengers that MSC Cruises believes distinguishes it from the rest of the industry.
Following several years of unprecedented growth, MSC Cruises is now the market-leading cruise company in the Mediterranean, South Africa and Brazil. As well as sailing year-round in the Mediterranean, plus offering a wide range of seasonal itineraries in northern Europe, the Caribbean and French Antilles, South America, southern Africa, Dubai, the Emirates and Oman, MSC Cruises also offers corporate clients the chance to showcase their businesses in on-board conferences.
MSC Cruises offers corporate clients the chance to showcase their businesses in on-board conferences
The luxurious MSC Orchestra departs from Dubai and returns after 7 nights
Day 1
Dubai, UAE Day 2
Abu Dhabi, UAE Day 3
At sea Day 4
Khor Fakkan/Al Fujayrah, UAE Day 5
Muscat, Oman Day 6
Khasab, Oman Day 7
Dubai, UAE Day 8
Dubai, UAE
Expanding horizons
For the upcoming 2014-15 cruise season, MSC Cruises will be offering extended itineraries in Dubai and the Emirates. The natural appeal of the region means that business meetings and conferences are being held there more and more frequently, making it a more common destination for business travellers across the globe. Antonio Paradiso, MSC Cruises Executive Director, Emerging Markets, said: “The addition of four more cruises is a response to the increasing demand for Dubai-based itineraries from all around the world. The Gulf is an amazing destination that contributes to creating an exotic journey that can be enjoyed by all.”
Concerning MICE events, he added: “It is also important to stress the fact that the new multi-entry visa system recently implemented by the UAE has made multi-stop trips easier and cheaper for cruises, hence increasing the demand for the region which sits half way between Europe and South East Asia. Tourists, but most importantly business travellers, will find Dubai more attractive and we are ready to assist them in their search for the perfect corporate event.”
Dubai will also be the port of departure for the first ever MSC voyage to Australia. This journey will see the MSC Orchestra leaving the shores of the UAE to embark upon an epic 33 night journey, taking guests to India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia on the way.
MSC Cruises prides itself on the luxury and elegance of its fleet
MSC Cruises’ immediate response to this increase in tourism in the region, along with its Business Destinations award for Best MICE Cruise Company in the Middle East, 2014, suggests the lengths that this company has been going to in order to target the influx of business travellers who are looking for something more unique in the area. Mr Paradiso said: “Receiving this Business Destinations award means a lot to us at MSC Cruises. We have worked hard to please all our guests, especially our business guests, and it’s good to see that it shows.”
Exploring the world
A voyage on the MSC cruise ship MSC Orchestra gives passengers the opportunity to explore unique cities across the world. Its journey to Oman departs from the port of Dubai, an ultramodern city that remains steeped in tradition and is flanked by both the coast and the edge of the Arabian Desert. Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates: its geographical location has meant that since the beginning of the 20th century the city has become an important centre for trade, and has consequently made it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.
The first leg of the journey brings travellers to Abu Dhabi. The UAE capital boasts a spectacular skyscraper-filled skyline, earning the city the nickname ‘the Manhattan of Arabia’. This city is not just famous for being the capital of the United Arab Emirates, but also for being home to some of the most impressive buildings in the world; for example the majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. The mosques of Abu Dhabi are some of the largest in the world, with over 1,000 columns covered with marble panels and inlaid with lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone and pearls.
As the ship continues on its way, passengers are given the opportunity to discover the region in more depth: a call at Khor Fakkan gives guests access to the spectacular snorkelling of the Middle East, as well as walks through lively souks, archaeological sites, the Hajar Mountains, and the dry river beds known as the wadi.
A balcony suite aboard the MSC Orchestra
The MSC Orchestra will then follow the coastline and head to Oman. Muscat, the capital city, is one of the largest ports in the world and has a rich history that is visible in the forts of Al Jalali and Al Mirani; boasting many souks and traditional buildings such as the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The town of Khasab, a settlement of fishermen and Bedouins, is known as ‘the Norway of Arabia’ due to its landscapes that recall the Scandinavian fjords.
MSC Cruises invites its passengers to embark upon an exploration of modern luxury teamed with natural wonders. The contrasts in locations and views promise to surprise and delight, from the sensational on-board conferences to the exhilarating ocean skylines; the desert safaris of Abu Dhabi to the futuristic cityscape of Dubai.
Making friends can be a fairly scary prospect, even for the most confident of us – and doing it in a foreign country can be downright terrifying!
And while it’s incredibly easy to keep in touch with your old pals and family back home thanks to social networks and other new technology, finding likeminded souls is one of the most important parts of your transition to your new home – and one of the things that can make you feel settled much quicker.
To help you on your way, here are OverseasGuidesCompany.com’s top tips for making friends locally:
Research expat groups before you go
There are likely to be many for all nationalities across your new home, and all will welcome new members for numerous activities across the year.
Dive in!
Once you have accepted that your life is going to be different, it’s really important to get started as soon as you can. The best places to start are with your neighbours, your new colleagues and parents of your children’s school friends. Introduce yourself and show willing! Think of questions to ask in advance and show an interest. Try and arrange meetings over a local delicacy, or invite them over for a real English cup of tea.
Speak the language (if relevant)
If you are moving to a country where the first language is foreign to you, it’s a very good idea to start thinking about learning the basics as soon as you can. You will find this makes it much easier to make friends with the locals – especially in certain locations where English is not readily spoken. You will be surprised by how understanding and welcoming the locals will be when they hear you at least attempting to converse in their first language.
Research groups of interest
Think about your hobbies and those of your family and research online for groups or places where you can take part. There will often be numerous sports clubs throughout the year, no matter what your interests are.
Visit places with bulletin boards
Your local library may have a board of all local activities, or you may have something at your place of work. There may well be online resources that you can tap into as well.
Join a gym, a religious establishment
…or anything that meets your individual needs, where you can meet like-minded people. Are there any skills you have always wanted to learn? Look into classes at a local college or university.
Get out into your community
You can become a regular at your local library, coffee shop or park. Volunteer for an organisation you are interested in to meet likeminded people.
After the relative hiatus that followed the credit crunch, when most corporations were focused on simply cutting costs and growing organically, this year has seen mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity returning with a vengeance. According to data supplied by Thomson Reuters, volumes have recently seen a seven-year high. A combination of factors – including executives looking to outmanoeuvre rivals in rapidly consolidating markets; investors providing support that aims to produce quick, short-term gains; and US (for the most part) corporations lowering corporate tax liabilities by buying out their overseas rivals and subsequently relocating their headquarters there – have all proven to be major drivers in this situation.
While private equity companies provided much of the impetus for deals seven years ago, this time round it is rich corporations boasting strong balance sheets and looking to deliver knockout blows to their rivals that are doing much of the running. Opportunities have never been greater for these companies than they are at the moment, in what has become known as a time of ‘cheap’ money.
Rising numbers
It remains to be seen how long the corporate sharks will continue to feed upon one another, however – especially since US authorities belatedly decided to take action against this tax inversion. But in the meantime, global deal volume through June 2014 was up 75 percent year-on-year at $1.75trn, according to Thomson Reuters. This is almost comparable to the $2.28trn witnessed in 2007, when activity last underwent a boom on such a scale. However, as the actual number of deals fell in 2013 – from 17,820 to 17,698 – this also reflects an increase in deal sizes, as a number of cash-rich blue chip companies became major players again.
While private equity companies provided much of the impetus for deals seven years ago, this time round it is rich corporations… that are doing much of the running
Most striking, though, has been the frequency and magnitude of hostile or unsolicited bids. Thirty-eight, totalling more more than $150bn, were launched during the first six months of 2014, compared with 19 totalling just $8bn in the same period last year. Data from the Mergermarket H1 2014 report shows that when announcements were made regarding US acquisitions worth $1bn or more, nearly 70 percent were subsequently followed by a rise in the stock prices of the buyers involved. This figure, which compares to 60 percent during the same period last year, suggests that the risks being taken by executives have seemingly been rewarded by investors, who often view acquisitions as a ‘quick win’ in terms of boosting overall earnings.
However, while the era of cheap money still has some time left – despite the US Federal Reserve abandoning its version of quantitative easing – the recent pullback by major global stock markets has only highlighted the fragility of the global economic recovery. Especially given how, previously to now, investors had mostly ignored any ongoing geopolitical tensions, this development may seriously impact M&A activity over the medium term.
Prior research
One often-cited justification for making an acquisition is the ability to generate synergies post-merger – but this mostly ignores the fact that many M&A deals actually fail to yield the savings that companies expect them to. In a recent survey of 352 global executives by US-based management consultants Bain & Company, overestimating synergies was identified as one of the major reasons for disappointing deal outcomes. Part of the problem is that companies routinely set aggressive targets in order to justify deal prices to financers and shareholders. However, the Bain analysis – which involved comparing deal announcements with the performance of more than 22,000 companies across a range of industries – unveiled another fundamental contributor to rampant overestimation: the fact that most merging companies entering deals simply fail to have a clear understanding of the level of synergies they can expect through increased scale.
Typically these companies make broad estimates using prior deal announcements, without considering whether the cost structure of the combined entity is realistic based on benchmarks of like-sized companies, Bain & Company says. As a result, two $1bn companies may merge without any knowledge of what the resulting cost structure will look like based on the existing $2bn companies in their industry.
Synergies have arguably become an overhyped concept to the point of cliché in recent years, and so corporate executives – particularly in the US – have begun to move on to more creative solutions in order to justify their existence. This includes the use of corporate tax inversions. While this method of avoiding US taxes by replacing a US parent with a foreign corporation is still completely legal, US Treasury officials have now concluded (admittedly, rather later in the day) that companies avoiding US corporate taxes are placing an increasing burden on those who do actually pay the correct amount. The Department of the Treasury therefore recently announced that it intended to take targeted action to reduce – or, if possible, stop – the tax benefits that come from corporate tax inversion.
US Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew said: “These first, targeted steps make substantial progress in constraining the creative techniques used to avoid US taxes, both in terms of meaningfully reducing the economic benefits of inversions after the fact, and when possible, stopping them altogether.”
Corporate history is littered with the shells of mergers that looked good on paper, but ultimately imploded
He added, “While comprehensive business tax reform, that includes specific anti-inversion provisions, is the best way to address the recent surge of inversions, we cannot wait to address this problem… Treasury will continue to review a broad range of authorities for further anti-inversion measures as part of our continued work to close loopholes that allow some taxpayers to avoid paying their fair share.”
Taking action
Specific action announced so far includes the elimination of certain techniques that inverted companies are currently using to gain tax-free access to the deferred earnings of a foreign subsidiary. This eradication will significantly diminish the ability of such inverted companies to escape US taxation. It also makes it more difficult for further US entities to invert, as it will enforce a requirement specifying that the former owners of the US company are only allowed to own less than 80 percent of the new combined entity. For some companies considering mergers, these actions mean – or so the U.S. Treasury hopes – that inversions will no longer make economic sense.
What it will probably mean, however, is that, while merger activity between US and non-US companies will most likely be slowed, the action will not undercut activity entirely. Moreover, the ongoing availability of cheap money, along with the threat of corporate executives looking to hang on to their well-paid jobs by being proactive rather than reactive, (as far as shareholders are concerned), could actually help to boost M&A activity. Ultimately, wherever businesses are concerned – if the deal makes sense then the deal will be pursued. But while, of course, all deals make sense to their cheerleaders, it doesn’t necessarily mean all deals are sensible.
Corporate history is littered with the shells of mergers that looked good on paper but ultimately imploded. Below you will find a history of some of these unions. They certainly can work, as some examples show – but quite often, they don’t.
DaimlerChrysler
When it comes to mergers going wrong, few can compete with the coalition between Daimler-Benz and Chrysler.
If there was any logic behind the decision for a transatlantic auto-manufacturing giant to take on its rivals, it was soon proven unfounded. A $37bn deal sealed in 1998 soured to the point where Chrysler was eventually offloaded to corporate restructuring specialists Cerberus Capital Management in 2007 for just $7.3bn.
Even worse than that was the fact that Daimler directly received only $1.4bn of Cerberus’s capital contribution to the sale – the rest being invested by Cerberus into Chrysler. Factoring in Daimler covering another $1.6bn of Chrysler losses and the overall complexities of the deal, Daimler effectively paid Cerberus to take Chrysler off its hands.
The reality was that Chrysler, the mass-market auto-manufacturer, never provided the right corporate fit for high-end producer Daimler-Benz. Daimler as a company was very hierarchical in structure, and consequently had an extremely rigid chain of command. Chrysler, by contrast, was more team orientated and egalitarian in its management approach. These management styles in many ways reflected the markets the companies operated in; with Chrysler being more likely to take risks in the US mass market and Daimler more intent on being conservative, efficient and safe. Or, to put it another way – Chrysler went for sexy designs and competitive prices, while Daimler valued reliability and quality above all else.
The inevitable clash between different management cultures – exacerbated by Daimler officials trying to impose their value systems on the new company in terms of how it would operate – eventually led to mistrust and communications challenges that would ultimately undermine the functioning of the company as a whole.
AB InBev
One example of a merger where synergies have actually worked is the $52bn takeover of US brewing giant Anheuser-Busch by Belgian-Brazilian rival InBev in 2008.
When the merger was announced, AB InBev claimed that $2.25bn worth of synergies would be achievable – significantly more than could be expected from economies of scale alone. Yet history had shown that both companies were good at generating cost reductions, and so these predictions were ultimately accepted.
As data gathered by Bain & Company notes, mergers involving consumer product companies typically increase EBITDA by 3.2 percent of target net sales. In the case of the AB InBev merger, however, those synergy gains actually contributed to a 16.8 percent improvement over the three-year period that followed the transaction.
eBay-Skype
History is littered with merger ‘what ifs’ – and, as such, we’ll never know whether eBay’s purchase of Skype in 2005 for $2.6bn (only to sell it to a group of private investors four years later for $1.9bn) was the right deal at the wrong time, or simply the wrong deal. What’s clear is that eBay misread the attitudes of its customers, even if Luxembourg-based Skype did offer technologically advanced Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony.
In short, eBay’s principal mistake was its failure to recognise that VoIP was of little interest to buyers, sellers and third party operators shipping products through eBay. These users had long been accustomed to communicating by e-mail, and ultimately saw no reason whatsoever to communicate in person (or thereabouts).
Alcatel-Lucent
The 2006 merger of France’s Alcatel and US rival Lucent reflected competive pressures in the global telecommunications industry at the time. However, the ensuing years haven’t been especially kind to Alcatel-Lucent.
A combination of a major economic downturn, persistent price pressures and a lack of product focus saw the company undergoing a series of restructuring plans, job cuts and profit warnings. Its October 2013 restructuring plan, which involved the shedding of one in seven of its workforce with an objective of lowering fixed costs by 15 percent (€1bn), was viewed by some in the industry as the last chance saloon.
While the company’s Q2 2014 results are expected to show a narrowed loss to one cent per share versus the previous year’s figure of 11 cents, revenues are expected to come in 6 percent lower at $4.41bn as the company continues to come to grips with its downsizing.
Pfizer-AstraZeneca
The proposed merger of US drugs giant Pfizer and its UK counterpart AstraZeneca proved to be the one that got away – although, should Pfizer revisit the issue at the end of this year, there is still a chance for it to happen.
Ultimately, the proposed £69bn offer from Pfizer was rejected by the AstraZeneca board on valuation grounds: the gap between Pfizer’s final offer of £55 a share was seemingly too much of a jump away from AstraZeneca’s demand for a miniumum £58.50. Much of the groundwork for rejection had already been laid by AstraZeneca’s CEO Pascal Soriot earlier in the year when he announced the company’s optimistic sales targets; playing up a revitalised pipeline for cancer drugs and downplaying looming patent expiries.
By implying that analysts had gotten their valuation of the company wrong, Soriot subsequently convinced other major investors to back him on the bid (on price grounds at least) – although clearly this won’t prevent further talks down the road should Pfizer renew its interest. Soriot also eventually managed to bring UK politicians on side by claiming that a deal with Pfizer would be bad for UK jobs. He implied that the company was only using the deal to gain access to AstraZeneca’s drugs pipeline, and that any merger could cost lives if it delayed the rollout of new cancer drugs.
GSK-Novartis
Contrary to popular belief, mergers in the pharmaceuticals industry don’t always destroy shareholder value. This was demonstrated by the deal made in 2000 between drugs giants Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham.
Since this union GlaxoSmithKline has consistently been rated one of the world’s best-performing healthcare companies, led by a strong vaccines business. But it hasn’t rested on its laurels – last April saw the company agreeing to a massive swap of assets with Swiss rival Novartis, satisfying shareholders by putting them in line for a £4bn capital return. While this isn’t a conventional merger per se, the two companies will nonetheless be joining forces in the consumer healthcare sector, combining brands including Aquafresh, Beechams and Tixylix while exchanging their oncology and vaccine businesses.
The £4bn cash windfall meanwhile will be funded by net proceeds of $7.8bn from the Novartis deal, following the sale of its oncology business to Novartis for $16bn and purchasing its new partner’s vaccine business for an initial $5.25bn. A further $1.8bn is promised to Novartis if the vaccines division performs well.
GE-Alstom
Mergers can threaten to run into the sand when political interference is being exercised. Indeed, their scope can be significantly altered by such antics – a recent example being GE’s €12.3bn (€7.3bn in cash) bid for the energy business of French engineering group, Alstom.
While the French government was initially known to be in favour of a rival offer from Germany’s Siemens, it eventually signed off on the GE deal after the US giant provided job creation guarantees. This also came after the government won an option to buy 20 percent of Alstom from French construction group Bouygues – Paris had backed the merger with GE on the condition that it first secured the stake from Paris-based Bouygues.
Under the deal Bouygues will lend Alstom stock equivalent to 20 percent of voting rights to the French government. It will also give up its two board seats and allow the state to exercise an immediate role as the group’s main shareholder. The government will then have a 20-month option to purchase the stock, with a two to five percent discount when the market price is €35 or more. If the government has not acquired 20 percent of Alstom by the end of that period, either from Bouygues or the market, it can purchase up to 15 percent from Bouygues with a similar markdown.
AT&T – Deutsche Telecom
In 2011 US network giant AT&T managed to convince Germany’s Deutsche Telecom to sell its US unit T-Mobile US in a cash and stock deal worth $39bn.
The problem, however, was that US regulators didn’t like the deal, arguing that it was against public interest as it would severely reduce competition in the US mobile communications market. Moreover, it was argued that subscription fees would likely rise and existing players, such as Verizon and Sprint, would become even less incentivised to improve their services. And so, with the US Department of Justice looming large in the background making it adamantly clear that it would block any deal anyway, AT&T and Deutsche Telecom decided to throw in the towel.
The problem for AT&T, however, was that under the terms of the deal it had to pay Deutsche Telecom a break fee of $3bn. That proved very profitable for Deutsche Telecom, which then proceeded to use the cash windfall to bolster its US operations.
Humans are wasteful creatures. The mere fact that governments, businesses and media establishments refer to their citizens, customers and target audience as ‘consumers’ says a lot about how human beings relate to the world around them – particularly with regards to how they interact with the goods and services that they choose to buy and sell.
Excessive consumption is the norm in society. It is one of the easiest ways of identifying an individual’s position within it. This is also true of nation states, where in the modern economy – where everything is predicated on perpetual growth – countries keep score through the incremental upticks in annual GDP, with the highest among them proudly possessing a population that has the greatest ability to consume and spend.
[D]espite the staggeringly high rates of consumption, the majority of Iceland’s power comes from renewable energy sources
The only problem with this perpetual growth model is that at some point, demand exceeds production. Cheap, abundant fossil fuels, which act as a storage facility for 650 million year old sunlight, have had a huge impact on our energy consumption habits – and, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has confirmed, a rather adverse effect on the environment. Jacqueline McGlade, chief scientist at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) sent a clear message to the international community when she said that the IPCC had provided conclusive scientific evidence that human activities are causing unprecedented changes in the Earth’s climate. “[It] is time to take immediate and robust action to mitigate the impacts of climate change against the risks of a greater than two degrees C temperature rise,” said McGlade. “For those who want to focus on the scientific question marks, that is their right to do so, but today, we need to focus on the fundamentals and on actions.”
Excessive consumption
Wastefulness is a by-product of excess. Those with access to the most resources are therefore, by definition, able to consume the most. The logical conclusion to reach would be that countries with the largest economies and, consequently, the greatest purchasing power would be leading the way in reducing energy consumption – but that is not the case.
Remarkably, when the World Bank published its data on electric energy consumption, it was not the United States that made it to the top of their rankings – instead, the top spots all went to Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden). Iceland managed to come out on top; a country with such a small population that an anti-incest app has been released in order to stop citizens from accidentally falling in love with their relatives. Icelanders consume on average 52,374kW hours of electric energy each year, while their cousins are left far behind, with the Norwegians, Finns and Swedes responsible for 23,174, 15,738, and 14,030kW hours respectively. There are a number of factors that help contribute to Icelanders being at the top of the table: according to a report conducted by NASA’s Earth Observatory, the high levels of energy consumption are the result of Iceland being home to a number of power-hungry industrial sectors. For example, the country bears three very large aluminium-smelting plants, which use more than five times as much power as all of the country’s 325,000 citizens combined.
Renewable alternatives
It is important to point out that, despite the staggeringly high rates of consumption, the majority of Iceland’s power comes from renewable energy sources – meaning that minimal amounts of harmful greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere. Askja Energy, the independent Icelandic energy portal, states that hydro and geothermal resources supply almost 100 percent of the country’s consumption of electricity and approximately 85 percent of its total consumption of primary energy. That is simply staggering – and while admittedly not all countries benefit from being situated on a landmass with such an abundance of naturally occurring hydrothermal activity, it goes to show what is achievable when a concerted effort is made to pursue renewable alternatives.
[Reykjavik] is an absolute feat of engineering, being able to meet nearly all of its energy needs through the use of renewable methods alone
As the satellite image captured by NASA (pictured above) shows, Iceland’s capital city Reykjavik is truly a shining example to other countries around the globe; demonstrating the full power and potential of fossil fuel alternatives. The bright spot on the southwest edge of the land mass is Reykjavik, home to a population of 120,000 people – a third of the country’s total.
The city is an absolute feat of engineering, being able to meet nearly all of its energy needs through the use of renewable methods alone. It is a hub for geothermal technology and is where scientists the world over goes to learn from the best in the field of renewable research and development. Its success in the field has benefited the city considerably – and not just in its ability to keep peoples’ lights on or houses heated during the course of its long winter months, during which citizens can receive only 4 hours of sunlight per day: geothermal and hydroelectric power have also played a major role in the country’s resilience and steady recovery from the global financial crisis, helping to take a large amount of strain off the shoulders of its residents.
Amid Scotland’s flirtations with independence, the UK had begun talks with the Icelandic government about a particularly ambitious project. The proposal, instigated by Icelandic state-owned utility company Landsvirkjun, involved the installation of a $2.1bn underwater power cable that would supply the energy needs of the UK. While the plan is still being hashed out and may never fully materialise due to a number of socio-economic implications, if followed through it would secure Iceland’s economic recovery, as well as the UK’s energy needs.
While it must be conceded that geothermal energy on the scale of Iceland’s is not possible everywhere, with less than 10 percent of the Earth’s land mass capable of reproducing the results offered in Iceland, the Nordic country and its capital city stand as a bastion to all naysayers that belittle the potential of green alternatives.
A World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) report published in 2003 estimated that by 2015 the size of China’s travel and tourism industry would be second only to the US; predictions that were swiftly met by a wave of disbelieving readers. The reality, however, was even more surprising: in 2011 the nation beat Japan to the second spot, and today it is readying itself to take America’s place at the summit. Whereas in years past it was neighbouring Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong that welcomed the majority of Asia’s tourists, China’s young – though no less impressive – market has quickly made a name for itself on the world stage and brought with it a degree of economic independence.
WTTC data shows that China’s tourism sector contributed $850bn to the country’s GDP, equivalent to 9.2 percent of its total output and 8.4 percent of the country’s workforce. Yet the sector’s expansion is not without consequence, and an explosion in tourist numbers, whilst profitable in the immediate-term, has come with its fair share of growing pains.
Although the vast majority of the media’s focus has so far fallen on outbound travel, dwindling inbound figures are of just as much, if not more, significance for the country and its diversification away from foreign investment. Granted, the headline figures for the latter make for lighter reading – but the implications of sustaining such high visitor numbers without improving its infrastructure has significant ramifications for the country generally, as well as for its international appeal.
9.1%
Of tourism’s overall contribution to China’s GDP is attributable to foreigners
12%
Domestic tourism increased this much in 2013
10m
People visit the Great Wall of China every year
Worryingly, it can be argued that major tourist sites have cut corners to make good on foreign interest in the market, without a view to how this might stifle the sector’s ability to sustain growth. What’s even more concerning, however, is that China’s failing infrastructure is turning off wealthy domestic travellers.
This eagerness to cash in on rising visitor numbers is partially responsible for a year-on-year decline in inbound tourists, and so, without an increase in spending, the country’s infrastructural inadequacies and overly complex administrative processes will leave arrival numbers to stagnate. An unwillingness to enforce the necessary controls or modernise long outdated facilities and attractions has plunged some of China’s biggest draws into disarray, leaving the country with no option but to pack in pundits wall-to-wall at peak season.
The implications of shying away from further investment go further, however, and continuing with this cash-in-quick mentality could threaten the country’s capacity to make good on opportunities for much-needed social and economic development. As such, the issue is not whether the country’s tourism industry will continue to expand, given that it’s forecast by the WTTC to grow 8.3 percent year-on-year – but rather, whether this growth can be really sustained over time.
The great fall
The Great Wall of China is crumbling under the weight of tourist footfall, and the crowds – 10 million a year at last count – are threatening to wipe the site from existence should visitor numbers continue on up at the same rate. Granted, the midpoint of the 20th Century saw large sections of the wall dismantled to make way for agriculture, but in the years since visitors have shown little to no regard for the site’s preservation. The site is coated in graffiti, and lifting the barriers to foreign entry has given rise to a tradition where tourists inscribe their names into the ancient stone. As of today, a third of the 13,000 mile-long structure has been lost, and as sightseers continue to arrive in droves, more money must be spent to stop the rot.
Most disconcerting of all is the inability of the ruling regime in recent years to address known threats to the wall’s structural integrity, or even to impose the appropriate penalties for on-site misconduct. Indeed, the fact that the wall stretches 11 provinces in its entirety makes the UNESCO World Heritage Site particularly difficult to police, though at the points where authorities have made efforts to clamp down on the site’s deterioration, they have more often than not been ill-placed.
With minimal investment put towards the upkeep of the Great Wall, not to mention various other popular attractions, the gains in the immediate term are made to look greater than they are. And without a thought for the upkeep and expansion of popular tourist sites, one of the country’s leading contributors will fall by the wayside.
China’s Jiuzhaigou Valley
In the case of the Great Wall, it was only in 2002, when World Monuments included the wall on the world’s 100 Most Endangered Sites list, that policymakers were finally persuaded to take action and protect against further damage being done. Cultural Preservation Offices were set up to reside over the area, and new laws were brought in to stop encroaching construction works. Further out, the ‘wild wall’ (so-called for its distance from Beijing) has largely escaped the attention of public preservation efforts, with commercial entities quick to pounce on the loose touch regulations presiding over these areas.
Central to the solution, not just for the Great Wall but for the industry as a whole, is ensuring that the country’s infrastructure is capable of facilitating the influx of international and domestic tourists. It is in this department above all else that the country finds itself falling short. With many of China’s most popular sites folding under the weight of overcapacity and the surrounding environment suffering the effects of ill-conceived public planning, bigger and better managed investment is vital if the country is to make good on its rich potential.
Up the funding
A report released earlier in the year, written by Oxford Economics and commissioned by Amadeus, underlines the importance of the task at hand, showing that the lion’s share of growth in tourism will stem from emerging markets for at least the next ten years. “Forecasts predict a new golden era for travel, which will be welcome news for many segments of the industry that are only just beginning to emerge from recession,” said Holger Taubmann, SVP Distribution, Amadeus. China, therefore, is indicative of a much larger shift in the global travel and tourism business – yet its sheer size means that any opportunities and challenges are magnified, and that their solutions harder to find.
The number of inbound tourists suffered an annual 2.51 percent decline through 2013, and though revenue increased, the dip should serve as a warning for China’s government that, without investment, the country’s appeal among international tourists will begin to fade. The ruling regime, therefore, will be disappointed that the travel and tourism industry is posting sub-par results, though they will undoubtedly still take heart from the fact that China is only one of two G20 countries in the top 20 for travel and tourism. Nonetheless, without first focusing on infrastructure growth, the country’s tourism industry will find it hard to shake the immature market tag and reel in numbers from abroad.
China’s crumbling landmarks
Terracotta Army
After 2,000 years of slumber under the Xi’an Shaanxi province soil, the World Heritage Site is beginning to suffer the effects of exposure and, as a consequence, the world famous Terracotta Army is slowly sinking into disrepair.
Unearthed by local farmers four decades ago, the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the vast majority of its resident artifacts have been kept in a controlled indoor environment. However, studies undertaken by a team led by Professor Gu Zhaolin of Xi’an Jiaotong University show that the environment has exposed many of the figures to irreparable damage, showing that even this museum space has not been immune to China’s pollution problems.
Recommendations to protect against further damage include an ‘air curtain’, which, when installed, would keep pollutants away from the relics and prevent them from overheating. However, for as long as visitors continue to flood in, preserving the collection will be a major struggle.
Beijing’s Old City
Onwards of the 1990s saw the much-loved Old City of Beijing ravaged by the onslaught of modernisation, and many in the community believe the city’s heritage has been dealt a major blow. What some would call authentic Beijing has today been reduced to a handful of temples, the vast majority of which are open for tourist purposes only. The overdevelopment of the capital in the time since is also thought by many to be part responsible for the haze that hangs low over the city streets and the congestion on its roads and walkways.
At the development’s height tower blocks were being erected daily, and critics claim that the construction work has brought disastrous consequences for the city’s remaining sites of historical importance. In this instance, as in many others like it, the toss up between cultural heritage and economic growth leant heavily towards the latter.
Forbidden City
The six century-old palace ranks high on the list of major Chinese tourist attractions, and millions come every year to see it. Come holiday season, the site is plunged into disorder and dismay as overcrowding at times brings the entire palace to a complete standstill. The problem is so great that in 2010 the site was forced to introduce a new ticketing system and a cap on visitor numbers.
At peak times as many as 100,000 people pay the palace a visit, despite the site’s capacity stopping at 60,000. Aside from dampening the spirits of holidaymakers, the sheer number of people at the palace at any one time is significantly damaging the UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the hundreds of precious relics contained within its walls. Plans have, however, been sketched out to improve the site’s security and move many of the artifacts elsewhere for 2016.
Jiuzhaigou Valley
The idyllic Jiuzhaigou Valley was overrun by tourists in October 2013, to the extent that thousands of holiday-goers were forced to trek hours into the night to escape the UNESCO World Heritage Site and World Biosphere Reserve. The park’s management reportedly oversold entrance tickets and, when visitors were refused passage on the shuttle bus, many proceeded to block them from taking what few tourists they could fit inside.
Thousands of visitors filled the valley’s walkways and photo opportunities were few and far between, as many struggled to contend with mass overcrowding. For those caught up in the traffic, what should have been a relaxing National Day holiday turned into a constant struggle to see almost anything other than crowds of disgruntled tourists. The chaos did serve to highlight the need for better transport onsite, if only to protect against incidents of a similar sort in the future.
Recent steps taken by the Chinese government, however, show that they are finally beginning to recognise the importance of increased spending on tourism. As the country looks to reduce its dependence on foreign investment and exported goods, those in power are beginning to understand the influence of the tourism industry in raising domestic output. Having spent only $422.6bn on the sector through 2013, the government unveiled a plan in August to up domestic spending on tourism twofold: “Speeding up reform of the tourism industry… has important meaning for boosting employment, increasing incomes, pushing development in central and western China, helping poverty-struck areas get rich and promoting stable economic growth,” according to the plan.
Homegrown opportunity
Foreign tourists are certainly important for the purposes of building the country’s international reputation, but in terms of contribution to GDP, the money spent by foreign tourists pales in comparison to what’s spent by those already residing in the country. WTTC figures reveal that a mere 9.1 percent of travel and tourism’s overall contribution to GDP is attributable to foreigners, which highlights the dominant role of domestic spending in the industry’s ongoing development.
“The rapid escalation in social and economic mobility in China has brought a relatively rapid increase in discretionary income available for travel,” according to a Boston Consulting Group report entitled Taking Off: Travel and Tourism in China and Beyond. “Chinese travelers (including the affluent segment) are therefore more eager than Westerners to increase their spending on travel. But Chinese travelers differ from their Western counterparts in ways that are significant for the companies that serve them.”
In stark contrast to China’s lacklustre inbound tourist numbers, domestic tourism flows were up 12 percent in 2013, according to figures compiled by Euromonitor. The country’s budding middle-class population, increased disposable incomes and the modernisation of public transport in major cities are together driving the level of investment onward and upwards. However, overcapacity at major sites and on key transport links are proof, if ever it were needed, that there is some way to go yet before the country’s spending is sufficient enough to meet insatiable domestic appetite.
The fear for China is that its homegrown potential will be lost to more developed markets, and with such vast potential locked up in its emerging middle class and so much of the country’s development dependent on foreign sources, capitalising on domestic spending is imperative for growth. With better connections, security and accommodation overseas, domestic tourists with wealth to spare are no longer restricted to China’s choice sites, and for the first time have the means to travel abroad.
Beijing’s Forbidden City
What’s more, the reasons for domestic travel are shifting, and, as such, many in the industry are adjusting their strategic approach to acclimatise accordingly. Even today, most individuals travel only with the intention of visiting friends or family, though Boston Consulting Group anticipates that the number of people making leisure trips will quadruple in the decade leading up to 2020, and business travel, by all accounts, is expected to rise. Clearly, travelling for leisure or for business means that there is a tendency to spend more than you normally would. And with the leisure market on course to occupy over one half of the whole, and business travel set to increase 10 percent every year for the next decade, this changing demographic brings with it an opportunity for those in the industry to cash in.
“China’s speedy ascent in the world’s travel and tourism sector – from sixth place in 2008 to a projected second place in 2020 – presents an unprecedented opportunity for growth at a time when most mature markets remain sluggish,” according to the Boston Consulting Group report. And although the expectations shared by domestic tourists are not necessarily compatible with foreign ones, both segments are underserved by inadequate infrastructure and so, without first addressing known weaknesses in the travel and tourism market, China will continue to trail its developing counterparts. In short, the country must improve upon its present condition to boost its renown among international tourists and protect against wealthy domestic travellers looking to foreign markets.
Yas Island Rotana is becoming known as the ultimate business hotel for travellers visiting the magnificent man-made Yas Island, just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The four-star hotel is located only minutes away from the Yas Marina, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Links golf course, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, and the newly opened Yas Mall.
The hotel’s 308 rooms and suites have been designed with business travellers in mind, incorporating international flair and style to suit those guests demanding privacy, personalised service and unparalleled quality. Rooms have stunning views of either the Yas Marina Circuit or the scenic Yas Plaza. Spacious, modern and beautifully decorated, each and every room has been designed to ensure that every guest who is staying at Yas Island Rotana for business is able to relax and unwind at the end of a long day.
The hotel’s Club Rotana rooms ensure that business can also be a pleasure. Designed to meet the needs of even the most discerning traveller, executives staying in Club Rotana accommodation can take advantage of the exclusive Club Rotana Lounge; an elite service that includes private express check-in and check-out, complimentary breakfast and evening cocktails, and complimentary transportation to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport. In addition, Club Rotana members enjoy access to a dedicated meeting room with comprehensive facilities, unlimited Wi-Fi and a committed Club Rotana team.
The hotel’s Club Rotana rooms ensure that business can also be a pleasure
Business lunch
Yas Island Rotana offers exquisite dining venues, including the hotel’s signature restaurant Blue Grill; a fine-dining steakhouse serving prime steaks, grilled cuts and fine wines from across the globe. At Blue Grill intimate lighting and understated elegance ensure that the hotel’s guests can find themselves at ease after an intense day in the boardroom. The hotel is also home to Rangoli, a restaurant that serves a range of fine Indian foods that marry together contemporary cooking practices and philosophies with rich, traditional flavours.
Y bar, a chic New York-style bar, is also a mainstay at the hotel, renowned for its incomparable ‘Y burger’ and its exciting, lively atmosphere. The international all-day-dining restaurant Choices offers guests a unique culinary experience regardless of the meal time: Italian, Middle Eastern, British, Tex-Mex and Southeast Asian cuisines are all available throughout the week. Lastly the hotel’s Island Café and Aquarius Pool Bar both offer an exceptional selection of drinks, light lunch dishes and snacks, in addition to delicious homemade desserts, for travellers who are seeking out something simpler.
Exceptional facilities
In addition to this wide variety of cuisines and dining locations, Yas Island Rotana also offers an exceptional range of meeting and banqueting facilities that are sure to leave a lasting impression: the hotel boasts six flexible conference rooms, each of which comes equipped with the latest high-tech communication technology and a dedicated team who are able to assist with any conference or event. After a day of conferences and meetings, the hotel also gives guests the chance to relax and revitalise through the use of their advanced recreation facilities at Bodylines Health & Fitness Centre, which include a temperature controlled swimming pool, invigorating massage treatments, sauna and steam rooms, and a fully-equipped gym.
A destination like no other
Yas Island, one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, is home to some of the UAE’s newest and most unique and exciting attractions. Travellers will be spoilt for choice by the range of its entertainment culture and the boundlessly vibrant atmosphere: the Yas Marina Circuit hosts exciting motorsports events throughout the year, in addition to offering a variety of track day packages. The island’s 18-hole Yas Links golf course offers golfing fanatics practice facilities set against remarkable views of the Arabian Gulf and the neighbouring Yas Beach; a private beach club that offers a great spot to relax and enjoy the tranquil shores of the emirate.
Frequent flyers will be used to arriving in a city late at night, ready to sample some of the native delicacies, only to find that every local store is already closed. The Vikings, however, do things a little differently. At Keflavik International Airport travellers are given the opportunity to purchase local products, brands and designer lines within the arrivals lounge itself. Before their luggage has even arrived on the carousal passengers can begin their holiday shopping, enjoying huge discounts on wine, spirits and tobacco products only minutes after they have touched down on Icelandic soil.
Doing it differently
Duty Free Iceland’s arrival store was a huge success with passengers from the moment that it opened in 1970. Since then it has been enlarged as part of the airport’s expansion in 2008, allowing it to accommodate a much wider range of both Icelandic and international brands, and saw the introduction of branded gondolas and a much more visible wine and spirits display in 2013. Today the duty free shop has the largest range of wines, spirits and beers in the country, including a supply of the internationally celebrated Icelandic beer Egils Gull. Cosmetics, confectionary, tobacco products and toys are also available, all at discounted prices, giving travellers the opportunity to pick up any items that they may wish to use throughout the duration of their stay.
Travellers are given the opportunity to purchase local products, brands and designer lines… before their luggage has even arrived on the carousel
Iceland’s shop window
The country that was once known as Europe’s best kept secret has thrown open its doors to visitors in recent years, revealing an innovative culture and stunning, pollution-free landscapes to the rest of the world. Iceland’s musicians, artists and designers have won worldwide acclaim for their quality and style, and annual festivals on the island, such as Airwaves and Design March, draw sizeable crowds year upon year. This exponential growth in tourism has fuelled a demand for Icelandic products all over the world – a demand that Duty Free Iceland is more than happy to accommodate.
Hot shots and sweet teeth
Duty Free Iceland’s selection of Reyka and Katla vodka shots is always a popular attraction to arriving travellers. Customers can also find Brennivín to drink, perfect alongside the local delicacy of fermented shark meat, as well as a variety of beers and flavoured liqueurs that can’t be purchased anywhere else in the world.
In addition to the shop’s vast selection of stuffed animals and traditional toys, Duty Free Iceland also has a confectionary selection to satisfy even the sweetest of teeth. One of the most prominent displays, and one of the most popular, belongs to Haflidi Ragnarsson; Iceland’s master chocolatier. Having recently been listed as one of the 100 best chocolatiers in the world and named as an ambassador of Belgian chocolate, Haflidi Ragnarsson is known for using only the purest cocoa to make his ‘HR’ chocolate and truffles. HR has also created a chocolate phone that is greatly enjoyed by both children and adults – something that goes down perfectly after a long flight alongside chocolate puffin eggs and northern lights candy.
Haflidi Ragnarsson’s chocolate contemporaries Omnom have followed in the footsteps of their Viking predecessors, sourcing their organic cacao beans from the fields of the Caribbean, South America, Asia and Africa. Hand sorted and roasted, these beans are slowly ground to bring out their unique flavour, texture and aroma. Omnom then only add raw cane sugar and, for their milk chocolate, Icelandic milk, resulting in chocolate with a truly unique and wholly regional flavour.
A land of health and herbs
Iceland’s sparse population in the countryside means that, other than the occasional hiker, vegetation can grow without being disturbed or destroyed by human activity. Herbs of many varieties grow in abundance across the Icelandic landscape. A number of companies in different parts of the country have taken advantage of this plentiful supply by creating herbal oils and cosmetics, many of which can be found at Duty Free Iceland sitting alongside a number of well-known international brands. These products are known to offer significant herbal benefits straight from the Icelandic mountains and pristine valleys. Brands that can be found in the airport’s stores include Sóley Organic, Blue Lagoon, Dr Bragi, Zopure, Una and Purity Herbs.
Customers explore Duty Free Iceland
Purity Herbs was founded in 1994 in the northern Icelandic town of Akureyri. After witnessing the results of their first homemade lotion, the company went on to create over 50 natural skin care products for all ages and skin types. This first product, however, is still a bestseller across the country because of its surprising effectiveness: Purity Herbs’ ‘Wonder Cream’ can be purchased at Duty Free Iceland, ensuring that travellers receive a daily spa treatment throughout their stay and long afterwards.
Recent Icelandic scientific breakthroughs, built on 10 years of biotechnological research, have resulted in the creation of the company Bioeffect. Now a worldwide brand, the company’s most popular products can be picked up at the start of any traveller’s holiday upon arrival at Keflavik Airport. The technology behind the skin care range involves using the EGF cellular activator, a protein copied from human cells, which stimulates the skin and encourages it to speed up its renewal process. This has been hailed as a revolutionary creation of the world’s leading biochemistry and dermatology specialists.
No discrimination
Duty Free Iceland at Keflavik Airport is tax-free and open day and night, available to all arriving and departing passengers regardless of their destination. For passengers who are on their way out of the country, the wide range of products will be sure to provide inspiration for a selection of unique and memorable gifts for both family and friends. Travellers who have arrived on Iceland’s soil only minutes before will be welcomed, and intrigued, by the sight of all the local products that they can purchase and take along with them for the remainder of their trip. And, of course, Duty Free Iceland provides connecting travellers with the perfect opportunity to wile away the time before catching their next flight.
What’s more, passengers now have the chance to browse the Duty Free Iceland website and place an order for what items most appeal to them before they have even passed through Keflavik Airport’s doors. By placing the order only a day in advance, customers can arrive at the airport to find their items already waiting for them.
Whether starting a trip at Keflavik Airport or finishing one there, Duty Free Iceland is certain to give passengers a lasting impression of the Land of Fire and Ice.
Rwanda’s tourism industry, a key pillar in the country’s vision for the future, is one of its largest employers and foreign exchange earners. A remarkable tourism and convention destination, the country has hosted a number of high-level conferences in recent years, including the Transform Africa summit in October 2013, which accommodated 2,000 delegates, and the African Development Bank general assembly in May 2014, which accommodated 2,500. There have also been numerous other events on a slightly smaller scale, such as the Africa Insurance summit (800 delegates) in June 2014 and ITC’s World Export Development Forum (800 delegates) in September.
Growing tourism
The government of Rwanda has identified the MICE tourism sector as providing a sound, long-term opportunity to diversify and develop Rwanda’s export strategy. As such, Rwanda’s capital city is currently preparing to unveil the new $300m Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) that is due to open in late 2015. Positioned on a hilltop in the heart of Kigali and only minutes away from the Rwandan parliament, the development is set to become one of the most recognisable modern structures in Africa. Incorporating a translucent dome that has been modelled on traditional royal palaces, the KCC’s multi-functional hall, with a capacity of 2,600, will help to position Rwanda firmly as the leading MICE destination in east Africa. The KCC is perfectly positioned to offer an extensive range of pre- and post-convention tours of the city, giving visitors the chance to explore Rwanda’s remarkable natural and cultural attractions.
Rwanda’s tourism industry, a key pillar in the country’s vision for the future, is one of its largest employers and foreign exchange earners
In tandem with the construction of the KCC, a number of international four- and five-star hotels are currently under development in Rwanda, including Radisson Blu, Marriott, Park Inn, Sheraton, Kempinski, Protea and Golden Tulip. This series of projects will result in more than 1,000 high-end hotel rooms becoming available to travellers in the foreseeable future. Through recognition of the huge potential that lies in Rwanda’s tourism industry, the Rwandan government has invested in feasibility studies that will deliver a strong return on investment for potential stakeholders.
Just 10 minutes from the city centre, the ongoing expansion of the Kigali International Airport (KIA) is 90 percent complete. Upon the project’s completion the upgraded airport will be able to accommodate 1.5 million passengers annually, three times its previous capacity of 500,000. The nation’s lead carrier, RwandAir, is one of the quickest expanding airlines on the African continent, connecting the country to business hubs in east, west and south Africa, as well as the Middle East and Europe. These rapid developments are positioning the country as a strong contender for fastest growth in the MICE sector, as well as opening trade links and facilitating investment.
Natural splendor
Rwanda is also a place of staggering natural beauty. Known as ‘the land of a thousand hills’, Rwanda boasts undulating green landscapes, volcanoes, coffee and tea plantations, and Africa’s largest protected rainforest. It is home to one third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, 14 species of primates, one third of Africa’s genera of bird, and three national parks – one of which is a vast game safari park. Visitors can also experience the islands and resorts of the expansive Lake Kivu, traditional Rwandan dancers and artistic crafts, and some of the world’s friendliest people.
Rwanda has an extremely varied landscape and a rich culture that includes captivating music and dance, a growing contemporary art industry, and wonderful crafts including pottery, basketry, painting, jewellery, woodcarving and metalwork. A window into Rwanda’s history is provided by the many memorial sites and museums that are preserved around the country, while a number of community-based tourism experiences offer travellers the opportunity to witness the destination’s rich cultural life first-hand.
Growing up in the mountains of Switzerland, Sarah Marquis was, from a young age, consumed by wanderlust. Not content with settling in any one place, she has always expressed a desire to connect with nature and to adventure out into the great unknown. Having spent her formative years braving some of the world’s most challenging conditions, Marquis has earned herself the title of ‘extreme walker’ and has adopted a self-proclaimed ‘philosophy of movement’.
When, at age eight, Marquis left home with her dog and discovered a cave filled with bats, she had taken her first steps on a journey that would eventually see her travel to the farthest reaches of the globe. Later, at only 17 years of age, Marquis set out across the Central Anatolia region on horseback without even knowing how to ride. In 2000, she walked from the Canadian to the Mexican border in little over four months, and in 2002 took a 17-month, 8,700-mile walking expedition across Australia.
Her latest expedition marked the most ambitious of them all, however: when, on her 38th birthday in 2010, she started out south from Irkutsk in Siberia, Marquis would not see the end of her journey for another three years. “Alone with the elements; my only companion will be the rhythm of my own footsteps,” she wrote. “The strength of my legs and the quickness of my feet will carry me through this incredible epic. I have always found a second wind at the end of my personal limits. And so once again, I will set out alone on foot to reunite with a little tree I met a few years back.”
Marquis would not see the end of her journey for another three years
Even preparation for the trip proved difficult, as Marquis had tasked herself with taking on a 20-mile hike, while carrying 30kg of gear, every day for two years. What’s more, as no pre-plotted paths of her route existed, she was left with no option but to collect topographic maps and plot her own course, arranging resupply points along the way. Realising that water and food would be hard to come by throughout, it was only by way of her innovative survival techniques and expert resource management that she was able to not only survive, but to succeed.
Over the course of the expedition Marquis endured temperatures as low as minus 22°F and as high as 124°F, all the while carrying the equipment that she would need for these extreme conditions on either her own back or a trolley. At one point she was forced to endure dengue fever over three days while tied to a tree, and at another she was taken hostage and robbed by a group of armed men. Beginning in Siberia, Marquis made her way to the Gobi Desert, China, Laos, Thailand, and finally onto Australia, finishing her journey almost three years later.
Regenerating mid-trek in Mongolia
Despite the many challenges faced throughout her trek Marquis already plans to return to her beloved Australia next year, where she says it is her dream to survive with only a sarong and a knife for company. And with her undying love for exploration and adventure, there’s no doubting whatsoever that Marquis will continue to push herself on to greater things – time and time again achieving the seemingly impossible.
What inspired you to head out on your three-year walk from Siberia to southern Australia?
I’ve been doing expeditions much like it for the last 23 years, and every expedition starts with an inspiration moment. For this one, I was doing my shopping and passed a travel agency where on the window was a big picture of the steppes of Mongolia. It was a huge green picture, and my heart was really drawn in by it. From there, the idea of Asia grew on me and, in time, the project really grew on me. It took two years to actually plan the expedition before I started walking.
What is the most memorable place you’ve ever visited?
That is a question that is pretty hard to answer. I think the place that I keep coming back to is the Australian outback, although the Gobi Desert is also very memorable for me.
What is the most challenging place you’ve ever stayed?
The most challenging place I’ve ever come across is a difficult one. If you’re talking about the nature of a place and on this trip then it would definitely be the Gobi desert. The water was always scarce and often there was none whatsoever, which made for a really difficult climate.
What’s your idea of a perfect holiday?
The idea of a perfect holiday for me is difficult because I don’t really go on holiday. The last three months I‘ve spent in the Australian desert to study plants, trees and birds, and I’m always going into places to study nature.
Sarah would frequently wake to the sight of camels in the Gobi Desert
Are there any luxuries you can’t do without?
I really don’t have any luxuries. I don’t have books or any music. When I head out I usually don’t have anything beyond necessities.
Do you collect any souvenirs?
No I don’t. I have maybe two suitcases of stuff and I move around, although I do have a permanent address in Switzerland. I try to live with as few possessions as I can because it’s in keeping with my idea of being minimalist; to be able to live on this planet and consume as little as I can.
What is your favourite way to travel, and why?
On foot – mainly because it has been my life for the last 23 years.
What would you say is your all-time travelling highlight?
My encounter with wildlife in the Gobi Desert with a wolf, which I’d probably put up there on the scale. It was unbelievable.
All addicts, regardless of wealth or status, deserve quality treatment. However, while this fundamental philosophy of drug and alcohol treatment applies to addicts from all segments of the population, it is surprising how often the wealthiest addicts find themselves being overlooked. Paracelsus Recovery, a private, exclusive addiction recovery centre in Switzerland, is therefore determined to provide the best possible treatment for addicts from prosperous backgrounds.
The idea that rich addicts require specialised care gives reason for skepticism among those who believe that an unlimited bank account can buy happiness. However, such stereotypes about wealth and power may in fact be contributing to the shame and secrecy that can delay much-needed treatment. When money is no object, it becomes easier for people to deny problems and continue living life in the fast lane. While wealthy people are more likely to have built-in support systems that guard their privacy and safety around the clock, this can mean that well-meaning friends, family or business associates can look the other way as problems escalate and lives spiral out of control.
Although all treatment centres have an obligation to provide their clients with the best care possible, the needs of the wealthy and influential are often grossly misunderstood. This means that even the costliest treatment centres may in fact not be delivering the highly individualised care that their visitors require. Addressing the problems of affluent men and women with demanding lifestyles requires skilled clinicians who understand cultural differences, as well as the complications that come with wealth and power.
It is surprising how often the wealthiest addicts find themselves being overlooked
Specialised recovery
Like many treatment centres, Paracelsus Recovery implements a holistic, ‘one at a time’ approach that treats body, mind and soul. What makes its treatment unique, however, is an emphasis on restoring balance to brain chemistry that has been thrown off kilter by several years of addiction and poor self-care.
Paracelsus Recovery claims that the restoration of a healthy biochemistry can reduce or eliminate the cravings, depression and anxiety that often accompany withdrawal and can block the path to full recovery. As such the treatment, which is supervised by a molecular biologist, involves a personalised nutrition and intravenous detox plan and a tailor-made mix of vitamins, micronutrients and amino acids that set the route for improvements in cognitive skills and emotional and physical health. Special attention is paid to inflammatory processes, gut health and the immune system.
Claiming to be the world’s most exclusive addiction treatment provider, Paracelsus Recovery’s commitment to the absolute privacy and confidentiality of its international clientele begins from the moment of arrival. Each client is greeted at the airport and transported by limousine to a partner clinic for a comprehensive physical exam, biochemical testing and psychiatric assessment. For clients who require it, medically supervised detox minimises the intensity of withdrawal and eliminates the occurrence of any dangerous side effects.
Treatment, which generally lasts two to eight weeks, carries a price tag of €65,000 per week. For their money, clients are able to access a team of physicians and addiction professionals who provide care according to an individualised treatment schedule. To enhance traditional, evidence-based treatment, clients also have access to a variety of complementary therapies, including bio-resonance, EMDR, acupuncture, yoga, reflexology, massages and modern methods of brain and body scanning and stimulation.
Therapy takes place in discretely located, luxurious living quarters that are chosen by the client, with options including a modern penthouse, lakeside villa, or classical old-town manor. These specialist living arrangements ensure that Paracelsus’ clients are offered the luxuries and conveniences that they are used to and comfortable with. An addiction therapist lives in the residence and a butler, chef, limousine driver and housekeeper are always on hand to ensure that clients are at ease and can experience the smoothest recovery possible.
Sustainability very well may be the buzzword of the 21st century. As climate change cynics slowly dissipate in number, humanity’s impact upon mother earth has surfaced as the top priority of nation-states across the globe. In the next six years alone, European officials are hoping to have slashed 20 percent off of the continent’s 1990 carbon emission levels. That’s no simple task – and, unfortunately, it’s not merely a matter of thinning out the globe’s herd of gas-guzzling automobiles. Everyone has a part to play, and the architectural community is leading the charge.
In the last decade, sustainable design has evolved from corporate PR gimmick to highly sought-after economic driver. Overhead costs for SMEs, including energy consumption and resource distribution, are wreaking havoc on industries across the board and, in turn, the demand for energy-neutral premises has skyrocketed in recent years. Focus has shifted from waste disposal to waste reduction in line with the public’s newly acquired taste to hold businesses accountable for their role within the community.
Across the globe leaders are stepping up to the plate, in turn transforming entire cities into proverbial green havens. Those changes are not only improving the daily lives of mega-city residents, but are also enticing would-be visitors. Today nearly a fifth of travellers choose their destinations based solely upon a city’s green credentials, and so, in order to provide for that market, cities must call upon business leaders of every industry in order to attract custom. That means eco-hotels constructed from recyclable materials, leisure facilities that contribute more energy onto the grid than they consume, and imaginative urban spaces that seamlessly blend earth-shattering innovation with the untouched natural world.
Across the globe leaders are stepping up to the plate, in turn transforming entire cities into proverbial green havens
A warm welcome
Travel hubs have been among the greatest benefactors of the political class’s new global arms race for sustainability. As the first point of entry into a new city, railway stations and airports undeniably set the tone for any extended stay – and nowhere is sending a clearer message than Mexico City. For almost two decades the Mexican capital has fought to erase its notorious title as the globe’s most polluted city. But, thanks to a set of domestic and international initiatives, Mexico City’s green credentials have soared in recent years.
In 1992 the city recorded only eight days with good quality air throughout the whole year, but by 2012 this number was up to 248. Its new $9.2bn airport proves an undying testament to that transformation. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning British architect Norman Foster and Mexican architect Fernando Romero, the travel hub is already being hailed as the world’s greenest airport – and by the time it is completed, it will also be one of the busiest. More than 120 million passengers per year are expected to move through the city’s new travel hub, which is due to begin construction next year. With such a high turnover, one would expect Mexico City International to be an environmentalist’s worst nightmare – but it’s actually a revelation.
Sustainability is at the heart of every design aspect. When Norman Foster designed London’s Stansted Airport in the early nineties, he established a set of new ideals with which to challenge the convention of traditional, multi-concourse airports. Since then, his firm has broken plenty of new ground – most recently, designing Virgin Galactic’s new Spaceport in the New Mexico desert. His superstructure in the heart of Mexico City will draw on many of the tricks that he’s been applying to the prospect of space travel: first and foremost, its all-encompassing structure has completely eradicated the need for ancillary transportation – cutting both cost and emissions. The lightweight glass and steel structure and soaring vaulted roof have been specially designed for Mexico City’s challenging soil conditions, and the building’s unique pre-fabricated system will mean a rapid construction, with no scaffolding and little disruption to the surrounding environment.
Once the structure is in place, the entire building will be serviced from beneath, freeing the roof of ducts and pipes so that its open shell can harnesses the power of the sun, collect rainwater and provide shading all in one swift master stroke. The design actually capitalises on Mexico City’s dry climate in order to fill the airport’s terminals with fresh air using displacement ventilation principles, and as a result, the building should require no artificial heating or cooling whatsoever. By the time Mexico City International reaches its full expansion potential in the 2060s, the capital’s travel hub will have undeniably set a new platinum standard with which to judge the efficiency of the globe’s largest travel centres.
$9.2bn
The estimated cost of the new Mexico City International Airport
20%
The number of travellers who would choose a destination based on its green credentials
The grass is always greener
Last year, the global sports market hit a new high value of $133bn – and with a flurry of major international contests scattered throughout the year, analysts reckon that worth will have enjoyed a far more robust 2014. While international sporting bodies such as FIFA undeniably promote international tourism as a result of that spending, it largely boils down to the responsibility of domestic authorities to try and lure visitors to watch professional contests. The United States has a leg up in that department, as it plays home to a number of niche sports that have yet to spread across to other continents. The NFL proves a textbook example. The average professional American Football team is worth $1.43bn in merchandising, media rights and ticket sales – yet the league’s 32 franchises are anything but energy-efficient. Most NFL stadiums seat in excess of 50,000 fans, who thereby contribute to producing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste every season. But the US’s most innovative and trendy city has since proven that it’s possible for an NFL franchise to have its cake and eat it too.
Since opening its gates last year, the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium has set the stage for a new era of eco-friendly athletics. Not only was the $1.3bn stadium constructed largely from reclaimed building products, but its solar PV roof and 27,000sq. ft. suite tower completely neutralise all energy consumed by the lavish hullabaloo associated with a typical NFL match. More important still is the building’s impressive water recycling system. Internationally acclaimed designer HNTB has ensured that around 85 percent of the water used in the stadium is “grey”, or recycled from nearby plants. As such, the attention really is in the details at Levi’s Stadium: even the grass used on the pitch, Bermuda Bandera, demands 50 percent less water than the typical seed. Concession stand items are responsibly sourced from local farmers to cut down on food miles, and the stadium has set up an integrated cycling network surrounding the complex in a bid to reduce automotive congestion on game days. With all that in mind, it’s hardly surprising the stadium was the first in the US to be awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate. With its close proximity to local travel hubs and astonishing level of sustainability, thousands of tourists now file into the stadium just to tour its energy-efficient corridors – never mind game day.
Garden of vanity
London has always been considered a centre for innovative architecture, and so it is little wonder that the city is turning heads with its highly anticipated (if somewhat self-indulgent) Garden Bridge project. Having only been submitted for planning approval this autumn, the budget for London’s woodland bridge has already spiralled to £175m. However, local officials have continued to press for its completion on the grounds that it will improve the lives of commuters and attract an influx of tourists in one swift stroke.
[T]he romanticism of [London’s Garden Bridge] is difficult to resist – and what’s more, its innovative spirit is certainly due some credit
And they’re probably right: designed by the celebrated Thomas Heatherwick, creator of the Olympic cauldron, the garden is a similar concept to that of New York’s High Line. Running across the Thames from where Temple station meets the Southbank Centre, the typical grey commute for many city dwellers is to be spruced up under the shade of 270 full-grown trees sprinkled listlessly about a 1,200ft suspension bridge. Actress Joanna Lumley has been campaigning feverishly to see this garden bridge come to fruition for more than a decade – and with the joint backing of London Mayor Boris Johnson and the HM Treasury, the project should see completion by 2018 if it is given the green light.
The bridge will undeniably boost north-south pedestrian movement across the Thames, and will improve overall city connectivity by linking residents to nearby underground stations. Yet some critics have called into question whether the costly bridge is more of a vanity project – a throwback to the shameless corporate PR blanket that the realm of sustainable architecture is working so tirelessly to abandon. After all, where others are demolishing heavily-used, energy-inefficient monstrosities and replacing them with sustainable alternatives, London’s Garden Bridge is effectively manoeuvring hundreds of millions of pounds to generate a piece of infrastructure that is, generally speaking, unnecessary.
That being said, the romanticism of the bridge is difficult to resist – and what’s more, its innovative spirit is certainly due some credit. After all, this materialisation of green space is more or less the northern hemisphere’s answer to Dubai’s awe-inspiring manmade islands. Vanity project or no, this latest crop of sustainable design projects proves that sands of thought are shifting across the realm of global architecture. Whilst politicians pledge their nations to meet seemingly arbitrary (and in some cases, unattainable) emission reductions, it’s the greening of workspaces, living spaces and leisure centres that is helping to drive this new concept of eco-friendly living that so many travellers crave. As designs continue to grow in frequency and ambition, it’s safe to say that a new, greener era is well and truly on its way.
There is arguably no other climate worse suited to the human race than that of the Sahara Desert. However, aside from occupying 10 percent of the African continent’s landmass and ranking as the world’s largest and most unforgiving hot desert, the Sahara is also home to the start and finish line of the Marathon des Sables. With the distinction of being ‘the toughest footrace on earth’, every year thousands flock to the event, all for the privilege of putting themselves through untold measures of physical and mental exertion.
The popularity of the Marathon des Sables is – believe it or not – representative of greater participation in the so-called ultramarathon space; defined as any race longer than a traditional 26.219-mile marathon. Although the event at first glance appears fitting only for the uppermost bracket of elite runners, thousands of individuals across the globe – amateur and professional alike – are partaking in ultramarathons much like it.
“Ultra running to me is more than just racing against thousands of people – much like your big city marathons. Instead, most of the time the battle is against the elements, terrain and, the biggest factor, the mind,” says Nick Furlow, an experienced ultra runner and founder of Wrun.co.uk. “This journey and the fact that the competitive element of time is almost completely lost in the ultra running forum and geared more towards which races you have completed is why I think it is a big draw to people and is ever increasing in popularity.”
[S]ome consider ultramarathons to be easier… given that they take place on more varied terrain and that the challenge… is to merely complete the course
Surprisingly, some consider ultramarathons to be easier even than standard marathons, given that they take place on more varied terrain and that the challenge, rather than finishing in as fast a time as possible, is to merely complete the course. Whereas regular marathons demand that participants put themselves through 26 plus miles of unforgiving tarmac, a softer, more irregular ultramarathon track places less stress on your joints. What’s more, whereas walking in a marathon triggers encouragements from the watching crowd to ‘keep going’, walking in an ultramarathon is something everyone competing must come to terms with. Without going into any great depth, ultramarathons are an entirely different kind of beast.
Another of the key differences between ultramarathons and shorter distance events is the social aspect, and many competitors maintain that they’ve formed lifelong friendships with fellow runners over the course of a race. It’s an event that few get through without shedding a tear or two, and one that pushes your mental and physical strength to the limit – so what better way to take it on than with a companion at your side.
“The social aspect of ultra running seems to be a friendlier one because the competitive element isn’t really there, and you know fellow runners are out there for the sheer love of the sport. Having ticked off distances up to ultra, I find that the bigger the distance the bigger the social interaction before, during and after the event,” says Furlow. “Because of the lack of huge prize pots within the ultra running circuit you also know that the pros are there for the challenge as well, and not necessarily the big cheque at the end.”
The strong social aspect of an ultramarathon has attracted an increasing number of group participants, not least those in corporate teams choosing to represent their office on the racetrack. Increased interest from businesses has even prompted many events to put together corporate-specific packages, all in an effort to reel in bigger crowds and up the ante.
Below we take a look at some of the best events on the ultramarathon calendar, ranging from the icy peaks of Mont Blanc to the thick foliage of the Peruvian jungle.
Competitors during the third stage of the Marathon des Sables. Participants have to carry all their equipment and food, and cope with temperatures above 50 degrees centigrade
Marathon des Sables
The Marathon des Sables (MdS) is the go-to ultramarathon for those looking to make a name for themselves on the circuit. Demand for places is incredibly high and the waiting list can stretch well beyond a year. Founded in 1986 by Patrick Bauer, the race has run every year now for 28, and its renown has been on the rise ever since. The MdS even has its own foundation, Solidarite, through which participants have contributed to those living in local communities and improved their quality of life.
According to the race website: “You will experience something unique, something you will never forget. You will make lifelong friends. You will push your mind and body to the limit. You will find things out about yourself. And in all likelihood you’ll get kissed (twice!) by a Frenchman.”
However, despite its reputation as the “toughest footrace on earth”, the competition is considered by some in the ultramarathon community as undeserving of its reputation, with many maintaining that it is far from the toughest on the circuit. Nonetheless, the bragging rights that come with conquering the world’s largest desert through temperatures of over 50 degrees centigrade are more than enough to bring thousands to the site year after year.
Humidity levels can reach close to 100 percent, leaving competitors saturated for long periods of time
Jungle Ultra
The iconic Jungle Ultra takes place over five stages and covers 230km of winding jungle trails, lofty mountain paths and little-known village tracks. Competitors must descend on foot 10,500 feet from Peru’s Cloud Forest to the Amazon Jungle, with a time limit of six days to complete the course in its entirety. The event asks that participants carry everything they need for the duration of the race, including a hammock, sleeping bag, food and water.
The Jungle Ultra is only one of a long list of ultramarathons set in the jungle, however, according to the race site, “no other Jungle Ultra marathon comes close to the Jungle Ultra.” Humidity levels can reach close to 100 percent, leaving competitors saturated for long periods of time, whilst the unforgiving terrain gives participants little to no respite throughout.
The race is one of four ultramarathons put on by organisers Beyond the Ultimate, with the others – Nepal’s Mountain Ultra, Namibia’s Desert Ultra and Sweden’s Ice Ultra – representing similarly impressive challenges. The race site warns that “whether you are in it to win or finish, these footraces will test you in ways you never thought possible – expect the unexpected.”
Runners on the Skyline Divide in the North Cascades, part of the route of the Grand to Grand Ultra. The race starts from the north rim of the Grand Canyon and finishes on the summit of the Grand Staircase
Grand to Grand Ultra
The first and only self-supported footrace to grace America, the Grand to Grand Ultra (G2G) begins at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and takes competitors 167 miles onwards and 9,342ft upwards to the top of the Pink Cliffs of Utah’s Grand Staircase. Participants tackle the course over six stages, each taking them through red rock canyons and some of the more remote regions of continental America.
“The Grand to Grand Ultra is the culmination of our vision to create a world class stage event in North America,” says the race site. “We searched high and low for the most iconic course possible on a continent that offers a plethora of unsurpassed beauty. It was the unique opportunity to organize an event that would stretch from the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, to the relatively unknown but equally geologically iconic Grand Staircase, that settled the location.”
Run by a range of ultramarathon and event management talent, the team’s ambition is to create a world-class event, and, at the same time, contribute to those in the local community while also preserving the local environment.
Many will try to break the Spine but most will become race statistics – Mark Caldwell
Montane Spine Race
Britain’s toughest endurance race sees participants take on a non-stop 269-mile track at the height of winter and over the course of only seven days. First attempted in 2012, the race was completed by only three of 11 individuals. Beginning in Edale, Derbyshire, the route takes runners through the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park, eventually finishing up at the Scottish Borders.
Taking place in January, only the most courageous of competitors are capable of enduring the crippling mental and physical demands of the course. The current record of 110h 45m was set in 2014 by Pavel Paloncy as part of what is widely regarded as one of the most impressive feats of endurance yet witnessed in the UK.
Race finisher Mark Caldwell describes the event: “The Spine Race is easy, apart from it’s dark most of the time; your feet, then body, will fall apart; the compulsory baggage doesn’t get any lighter; sleep is a luxury; you experience extremes of weather and cold; and finally of course it’s 268 miles long. Many will try to break the Spine but most will become race statistics.”
The North Face of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). The Tour du Mon Blanc is made up of five ultramarathons, with the UTMB the biggest of them all
Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc
2,300 participants gather every year in August to complete a 168km course, throughout which they’ll climb 9,600 metres and pass through France, Italy and Switzerland. Since the inaugural race in 2003 it has been called the “race of all the superlatives”, with the competition open only to those with the requisite number of qualification points. Maximum race time is 46 hours, though the first finishers usually clock in at an impressive 20 hours.
Following the Tour du Mont Blanc hiking path, the route usually takes walkers seven to nine days to complete, although the exclusivity associated with the event means that participants are capable of completing the course in only a fraction of the time. Regarded by many as the single most challenging ultramarathon in Europe, the event, nonetheless, is filled to capacity every year, having expanded its quota from 700 to more than 2,000 to facilitate soaring demand.
The Tour du Mon Blanc is today made up of five ultramarathons, with the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) being the biggest of them all. The other four are either smaller in scale or encompass more technical challenges, not least the Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix, or “the little one”, which takes runners on a 101km track and a 6,100m climb.
