Arriving early for things is not a trait I am known for, nor is it something I generally strive to do – least of all for a series of tedious security checks alongside the types of people you forget exist until they surround you at major transport hubs. Queueing at checkpoints, only to spend hours in an atrium of bland retail outlets, soundtracked by jaunty panpipes, is not my ideal prelude to several more hours trapped inside a metal tube thousands of feet in the sky. But this time was different. This time, I had good reason.
What could possibly make a long-haul flight bearable? Luxury, of course. The sort of luxury only available to those with budgets a lowly business journalist like myself can only dream of. For years, I’ve fantasised about first class life. Sat in cattle class, I look longingly forward, desperate to catch a glimpse beyond the curtain that divides riff-raff like myself from godlike high-flyers in first/business/club/upper/whatever-other-sneering-name.
I’ve started to feel like my 10-year-old self, overlooked as teams are chosen for impromptu games of football
While I don’t know anyone who pays for the absurdly costly privilege of flying first class, the list of friends who claim to have been plucked from obscurity to sit among the great and good is so long I’ve started to feel like my 10-year-old self, overlooked as teams are chosen for impromptu games of football. The tales of opulence enjoyed by said friends had sent my usually sickly face even greener with envy. I swore an oath to move beyond the class curtain on an imminent flight to New York.
While borrowing or stealing were out of the question (journalists really shouldn’t commit to long-term loans, and I certainly wouldn’t fair well in prison) begging is a forte of mine.
First chance
Turning up at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 four hours before departure, I had enough time to refine my usually shambolic look. I checked my mostly ironed shirt, carefully creased jeans (emphasising that I am smart-but-casual, slick-yet-relaxed), and blister-inducing loafers. I dragged an actual comb through my hair. Such sacrifices seemed considerable, yet necessary.
Tentatively approaching the desk, standing very straight, I handed over my ticket. Applying the previously untested charm my mother assures me I have, I asked the stewardess if she was having a nice day. “Yes,” she grunted.
“Window or aisle?” she asked. Panic. If I committed to her choice of seat, the logistics of being moved to another might prove too much for this nameless airline to manage. Here was my moment. “Um, well I wanted to ask you about that. I don’t suppose there’s any possibility of an upgrade?” She looked blankly at me. Undeterred, I decided to go nuclear. “Sorry, I probably should’ve mentioned before. I’m actually a journalist, and I’m writing an article about first class travel and I thought I’d give your airline some publicity.” I thrust my press card in her face. She rolled her eyes. “You really should’ve spoken to a member of our press department if that’s what you were after. Let me ring my manager.”
She proceeded to dial a number and mutter into the phone, not once convincing me that she was actually having a conversation with a real person. Upon hanging up, she contorted her face in a poor imitation of sympathy. “I’m sorry sir, but there’s really nothing we can do. Now – window or aisle?”
And thus it was over. I accepted my fate as a commoner and sat in the drab departure lounge – no servants and no complimentary champagne in sight. While I waited, I watched the flow of scruffily dressed people, seemingly unappreciative of how much I had wanted to be among them. There they were, casually walking into the first class cabin as though they did it every day. It was then I decided that, perhaps, first class travel wasn’t worth it.
Nice to be normal
Now, it’s all very well travelling in your own luxury pod with Veuve Clicquot ‘La Grande Dame’ 2004 on tap and finely cooked parmesan-crumbed fillet of beef with a side of dauphinoise potato, glazed carrot and red wine jus. But is it really worth paying 10 times more? Surely a traveller’s money is better spent enjoying their eventual destination?
Granted, travelling economy class may result in being rhythmically kicked by a spoilt child. Or surrounded by Liverpudlian teenagers so overjoyed at the prospect of arriving in a city they’ve only seen on the TV that they burst into Sinatra’s New York, New York a full hour before landing, causing this journalist to blush redder than his travel socks and stress to his American neighbour that not all British people are like that.
But still, I wouldn’t pay to go first class. I’d much rather sit in comradely solidarity with my fellow normal people, with my microwaved pasta bake, acidic red wine, itchy blanket, straight-to-DVD films, and a soundtrack of screams and yelps to drown out my crushed, mournful sobbing.
From its Victorian townhouses in Earl’s Court, to the impressively restored 19th-century building in Clerkenwell, Supercity Aparthotels has established itself as the accommodation of choice for London’s incoming business travellers. Its vision to create comfortable yet luxurious aparthotels has come to life with three properties that are highly functional and competitively priced. With a fourth venue planned for 2015, it seems Supercity has the winning formula.
Although a relatively new concept in the UK, aparthotels have been growing in popularity in the last decade, particularly among business travellers. ASAP, the industry trade body, reports healthy growth figures for the industry at 10 percent year-on-year, with an average occupancy of 80 percent – higher than that of hotels. Key to this success has been an understanding of the sector; business travellers are regularly looking for longer stays in suites that have the benefits of a hotel, and the facilities of an apartment.
Unlike hotel rooms, they offer luxurious living spaces to make time away from home more comfortable
Comfort and choice
Supercity Aparthotels’ studio, one-bedroom and larger two-bedroom suites combine the warmth of home with carefully curated modern artwork and bespoke furnishings. Unlike hotel rooms, they offer luxurious living spaces to make time away from home more comfortable.
Alexis Burton, MD at Supercity Aparthotels, says: “We aim to provide a unique offering that is not as business-orientated as you might expect; just because you work in a corporate environment doesn’t mean you want to live in one. We’re very focused on the little details from the artwork that brings our properties to life, to providing a professional and personable service, and, most importantly, complimentary wi-fi. Aparthotels are extremely popular overseas, the UK is now witnessing rapid growth in this sector and we’re busy securing our share of the market.”
A one-bedroom suite at The Rosebery
Ideal locations
Supercity has three properties: Nevern Place and Templeton Place in quiet streets, just a three-minute walk from Earl’s Court tube station, and The Rosebery in the heart of Clerkenwell. Location is a key selling point for all three properties; each is close to local and national transport, business districts bars and restaurants. Guests can also enjoy on-site facilities, such as the gardens in the Earl’s Court properties and the gym and stylish wine bar at The Rosebery.
Currently, demand for aparthotels far outstrips supply in the UK. Noting this, Supercity Aparthotels is opening its fourth property in the City next year. As this niche sector is better understood, price-conscious business travellers with tight budgets are increasingly looking to aparthotels such as Supercity to fulfil their accommodation needs.
Carved into the sides of a boulder in the middle of the desert in southeastern Algeria is one of the most unusual sights on earth. At first glance the rounded outlines appear to be natural patterns on the side of a boulder, but when the light casts the right shadows, a much more intricate shape is disclosed. Taking a couple of steps back will reveal the uneven stones are not that at all, but the figure of a life-size giraffe, carved by hand onto the rocky surface. One main figure dominates what is evidently a landscape image, but the side of Big Cow Rock is entirely covered in these etchings, some larger than life and clear, some smaller and almost faded.
“The biggest giraffe measured 27ft from its muzzle to its rear hoof, the single biggest rock art image on the continent, if not in the world. It was absolutely staggering, the scale of it and how beautifully it was done. Probably eight or nine thousand years old,” says David Coulson, the photographer and African rock art specialist behind the discovery.
Engravings of caprids etched onto a boulder in north eastern Niger perhaps 2,000 years ago
He describes the epic journey across the desert as casually as if he were recounting lunch plans. “This Tuareg friend got in touch and said I might be interested to know that there were even bigger giraffes in southeastern Algeria and we were a bit incredulous. Knowing him as well as I do, I also knew that he wasn’t a bullshitter, so when we went to Niger in 2000 we saw an opportunity. ‘Okay, well we’ve got two weeks,’ and this Tuareg friend came down with his vehicle, and on this occasion exceptionally we only used one vehicle and we just did a 2,000-mile dash, a thousand miles there and a thousand miles back across the desert. When we got to these mountains we continued by camel and went and found this remote place where there was an 1,100sq ft panel with nine running giraffes.”
Coulson is the founder of Africa-based Trust for African Rock Art (TARA), a self-funded organisation that works to find, document and – where possible – preserve the many types of rock art that survive up and down the African continent. Since its inception in 1996, Coulson and his team of African and international professionals have worked tirelessly across 20 countries to make this ancient art form more accessible and better known. It is not a job for the faint-hearted; part explorer, part academic and full-time photographer, Coulson has a rambunctious enthusiasm for his role – and good thing, too, as most people would balk at the prospect of a 2,000 mile off-road journey through the Sahara.
Richly decorated panel of paintings in northern Chad from the pastoral period of Saharan rock art. Images include decorated cattle, mounted camels, horses and warriors
“In one famous case in Kenya, in about 1999 or 2000, I had seen a very early report that talked about rock art on an island on Lake Victoria in Kenya waters, but the island was huge, and there was just this spot on the island where it said, ‘Rock art reported here,’ and that was all. I literally went in a boat around the island, stopping at villages, drawing on the back of an envelope the sort of art that I expected to see. Eventually some younger guy came out and said, ‘Yes, I’ve seen something like that,’ and that’s how it all began.”
Mounting challenges
TARA is a labour of love. Since 1996, Coulson has worked on the project full-time, travelling hundreds of thousands of miles, camping out in the desert and watching the sky for the perfect light to capture the most important images. “It’s a challenge but it’s something I love to do, and it’s something that before I came along, not many people had really done or knew how to do it, to actually record these wonderful images in context,” he explains. “Because before, only scientists and academics had recorded these sites and had just done close-ups of the art, not showing the fact that they are in some of the most spectacular landscapes. Again, it’s not just because they’re spectacular, it’s because rock art is part of the landscape. Landscapes are very important and so recording the art within the context of the landscape is very, very important. The whole context also includes local people, and includes all the archaeological context, i.e. whatever has been left there and so on.”
Looking out of a low cave in southern Algeria over a riverbed whose waters may not have flowed for several thousand years. Its roof is decorated with pastoral paintings made when the Sahara was green
Though TARA has partnered with National Geographic and the Smithsonian Museum before, it has recently announced a joint project with the British Museum that will see many of the organisation’s aims met. With the Arcadia Fund, a charity that works to protect endangered culture and nature, the museum will digitise and store copies of all of Coulson’s archive. The 25,000 images will be made available to the general public for free for the first time ever, through an open-source website. “Right from the get go, one of the most important things we all recognised was awareness, because we could see clearly – and it’s still the case in many areas – that ignorance is one of the greatest threats. People simply were not aware that this art existed, what it was, what it signified, how old it was, how it was threatened and how serious that perhaps was. All of that was very much part of our mission – it still is.”
Common history
TARA’s and Coulson’s collection is of vital anthropological and scientific importance. Not only is it vast, but it also covers a variety of regions, cultures and different types of art – from engravings to paintings. And no one has more background knowledge and information than Coulson, who has been personally involved with finding and documenting of all the sites. For example, in Uganda a few years ago, Coulson remembers: “We found something so totally different, that we’ve never seen anything else [like it]. I know that there must be – you never find something in isolation, so there must be more sites like that, but they haven’t been found yet.”
Detail from a large Ennedi panel featuring a running horse whose warrior rider holds a long lance
Though the preservation aspect of TARA and Coulson’s work is vitally important, it is also a matter of discovering the roots of humanity. Coulson is thoughtful as he points out that all of humankind originated there, in Africa, and there is the distinct impression in the air that his work is as much about finding a place in the endless string of history as it is about preserving those ideas for the future. In many ways, the rocks that Coulson has dedicated his life to preserving and documenting are the evidence of our common history, the starting point of this unifying thread that links every human on earth: art.
Social dining apps offer a new take on eating in foreign cities. Instead of dining alone or paying for overpriced, under-flavoured food, these tech start-ups bring strangers together to share communal meals. Menus cater to all palates and there is something for everyone – from six-course gourmet cuisine to cheap and cheerful mac ‘n’ cheese. The market is full of useful apps, but EatWith offers the most for business travellers looking to shake up bland trips abroad.
Social dining is eating into an app industry worth over $50bn. And it’s an industry with huge growth potential – app analyst Vision Mobile suggests its worth could rise to $143bn by 2016. Apps benefit from the fact that nearly six billion people own mobile phones – only one billion less than the total population – and growth is phenomenal. In The Wall Street Journal Simon Khalaf of Flurry compared the app industry to cars at the turn of the last century: “You see the growth of roads and know they’re going to be big. But it is still early days.”
Lost in translation
Supper clubs around the world
Sushi making: Tokyo, Japan
Not content with sitting back and being cooked for? Join Shinto to buy fresh fish and learn how to make three types of sushi: gunkan, makizushi and nigiri. £66pp
Outdoor happy dinner: Tel Aviv, Israel
Artistic couple Habanot and Yael stir up a Middle Eastern feast by the Mediterranean coast. Alcohol dominates an ever-changing menu of fresh fish and filo pastry. £32pp
Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
Dinner with strangers can be overbearing – drinks and tapas in Guillermo and Cristina’s garden less so. “Forget about stress, we’ll help you relax in our oasis,” say the Catalonian hosts. £7pp
The social dining phenomenon is a digital revolution in reverse as people use apps and websites to connect in the physical world. High-speed internet and media platforms have made the world an interconnected global village, but this is a paradox; social media produces feelings of loneliness too, according to the University of Michigan psychologist Ethan Kross. This is where EatWith comes in. It’s a social dining website that has broken the shackles of digital solitude by combining two things that are loved and loathed: technology and communal dining.
The peer-to-peer site allows users to eat in locals’ homes, bringing together people from all around the world for supper clubs, where they share cultural insights over home-cooked cuisine. Brunch, lunch or dinner is enjoyed from Buenos Aires to Barcelona. There are thousands of hosts, with tens of thousands of users and a supper club can be found most nights in over 30 countries, across five continents.
The site was launched in 2012 by Israeli duo Guy Michlin and Shemer Schwarz, who both still use their product avidly. Business travellers can use social dining as a way to shake up trips abroad. Networking opportunities, sampling local cuisine and getting cultural insights are some of the many benefits social dining offers. This was Business Destinations’ hypothesis, but we had to test it, at an all-vegan supper club.
Unique selling points
From the window of a quaint terraced house in north-west London wafts the inviting smell of onions and mixed herbs. Sweaty, tentative and typically late, it was a relief to find out I was still the first guest to arrive for the night’s supper club. The host Sara, a thirty-something self-taught chef, was incredibly friendly and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her guests. Since 2012 she has hosted over 50 supper clubs.
The evening started with homemade elderflower lemonade – zesty and refreshing. Freshly baked sourdough followed, with beetroot crackers full of chia and flaxseed, cashew nut cream cheese and a rocket and watercress pesto lavished on top. Everything was made that day except the sourdough, which was proofed for 18 hours before baking. The starters were attractively presented and flavoursome.
Guests select pizza toppings from fresh ingredients arranged in clay bowls on the table. Among standard ingredients like mixed peppers, mushrooms and olives were unorthodox options: roasted carrots with rosemary, caramelised beetroot and fluffy squares of butternut squash all seasoned with Himalayan pink salt. Lambrusco Rosa – a vegan wine – was the alcohol on offer as conversation revolved around two topics: food and travel. I was the only guest that was neither a foodie nor a foreigner.
Over 40 percent of adults eat alone every day and this can have serious health effects in later life. In fact people who feel lonely most of the time have a life expectancy equivalent to a 15-a-day smoker
Elise from Montreal, Canada worked 16 hours a day as a chef on luxury yachts for stars including Pete Townsend of The Who. The Italian opposite me ran a vegan food blog, and the Swiss couple spoke enthusiastically about a website called Happy Cow – a directory of vegan-friendly restaurants in every major city in the world.
Two guests were regulars on EatWith and at Sara’s supper clubs. They keep returning because vegans in London are underserved, they say. The guests made it clear that vegan dining is still a niche market in London, but vegan is not the theme of all supper clubs. Underpinning EatWith is the ethos that all hosts should have a USP. This could be anything from pasta-making tutorials to artisan chocolate-tasting.
Shared meals have an ability to bring people together – my group was most loquacious when pesto was being liberally spread on bits of bread. Talking to strangers while you eat is something that would rarely happen in a restaurant. I had to ask – why do users prefer supper clubs to eating out?
“People prefer social dining because they can meet new people and experience real food made by home cooks. If you go to a restaurant the menu can be bland and boring, but at somebody’s kitchen, you will have on your plate a meal that is fun and delicious,” said Sara.
The disparity in price between social and restaurant dining is not that significant. It’s good value but little more. They tend to cost £20-£60 and EatWith pockets a 15 percent fee. Fortunately the hosts are not in it for the money and cooking is usually just a hobby. Some do aspire to be full-time chefs. Sara regards EatWith as a cost-effective platform for promoting her cooking and hopes it can help her open a café in the Mediterranean – “perhaps in Sicily or Greece”.
Coincidentally, social dining has its roots in ancient Greece, where wine and olives were used to bring plebeians together. Food was the catalyst for galvanising disengaged communities. Today, the internet has made social dining a digital, shareable experience. Real-time updates, reviews and easily disseminated photos give supper clubs a global reach. “Meeting new people in the real world is almost a thing of the past. There is a yearning for real life interactions [and this] explains the rise of social dining,” says Joel Serra-Bevin, Global Community Manager at EatWith.
Serra-Bevin believes the site is perfect for people who work abroad: “Business is all about relationships, which is why conferences are really about networking. Everybody knows that handing someone a business card will probably get you nowhere near the person you need to connect to. The EatWith setting is very authentic and it really shows someone’s true colours, which in some cases can be more important in business relationships than in casual ones.”
Social dining entrées
EatWith is the best option for business travellers hungry for cultural enlightenment, but there are lots of other social dining apps on the market. Grouper has gained the most mainstream popularity for two reasons: it emphasises the importance of having fun and, crucially, users have to bring one or two friends along to form blind-date brigades. This eradicates the awkward atmosphere that sometimes occurs when meeting strangers alone. Grouper is technically a drinking app, verging on a dating one. “Play vodka roulette, ice someone, dance on a table, crash a warehouse party or take a selfie with a stranger” is their description of a standard social. A tad reckless for those with morning meetings, but Grouper is a fun way of getting to know the locals.
EatWith founders Guy Michlin and Shemer Schwarz. Image courtesy of EatWith
The social dining phenomenon doesn’t mean food or drink has to be communal. LeftoverSwap lets people experience social dining without the hassle of being social. Its purpose is self-explanatory: users swap leftover food. For example if there is a remaining slice of pizza from a takeaway, get a photo of it, upload it to the app and someone nearby might claim it. Overcoming the ‘yuck’ factor is an issue, but the app could be revolutionary – currently, one third of food is thrown away every year.
As tech firms shift their attention to profitable hook-up and dating apps, experimenting with social dining can be beneficial in more ways than one. Over 40 percent of adults eat alone every day and this can have serious health effects in later life. In fact people who feel lonely most of the time have a life expectancy equivalent to a 15-a-day smoker, according to the Campaign to End Loneliness. Trying something new, like eating with strangers, helps to improve a positive disposition. This, in turn, can increase income by up to $314,000 – employees with flexible personalities are more likely to be promoted, claims Psychology Today.
Start-ups such as EatWith offer an exciting way to try local food abroad, but whether more people dare to eat with strangers remains to be seen. For those that do, a world of culture, good food and new friends is a click away.
Long-haul flights aren’t a thing travellers typically relish. With the prospect of hours and hours spent up in the air, before the slow and tedious process of disembarking halfway to a destination in a country they have no plan on actually visiting, it’s enough to make some think twice about flying at all. However, until the day when super-planes rocket us non-stop across the world, travellers are going to have to get used to spending a few hours in the departure lounges of random airports.
Thankfully, many of these airports realise that people passing through them will likely spend money while they do, and even have the potential to be future tourists. They’ve therefore spent huge sums of money ensuring each of their airports is stocked with the latest luxuries, as well as a taster of what’s on offer were travellers to actually visit the countries they’ve paused in. Below are Business Destinations’ top five airports that all long-haul flyers should hope to change flights in.
Hailed as the most lavish airport in the world, Dubai has invested vast quantities of money into constructing a hub that bridges east and west. Much as the city is the playground of the Middle East, the airport reflects the modern luxury the emirate is known for. Constructed initially in 1960, the airport grew rapidly during the 1990s, sprouting three terminals that serve many of the world’s leading airlines. The most prominent of these is Dubai’s Emirates airline, which accounts for 64 percent of all the airport’s passenger traffic. The various features catering to health and fitness nerds include a pool and jacuzzi at the luxury 24/7 G-Force Gym. Then there is the staggering amount of shops, with 58,000sq ft of retail space representing the world’s largest duty free. As well as all these stores, there are high-end restaurants in which to while away the hours, including the Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar. For weary travellers in need of rest before another flight, try the tree-lined outdoor Zen gardens, or the SnoozeCubes in Terminal 1 that have a full-sized bed, touchscreen TV and free wi-fi.
Despite the frequent tales of horrendous queues, overcrowding and cancelled flights, Heathrow has been modernising its terminals for a number of years now. While the launch of Terminal 5 in 2008 was beset by problems, it has ushered in a new wave of modern luxuries previously unknown to those passing through Britain’s airports. Terminal 5 is now renowned for its many boutique shops, including an 11,000sq ft Harrods, as well as outlets of Gucci, Burberry, Paul Smith, Tiffany, Dior and Bvlgari. World-famous chef Gordon Ramsay has even opened a restaurant there – Plane Food – and there are plenty of other options to choose from. The newly refurbished Terminal 2 has built on Terminal 5’s reputation for high-end services, with restaurants that include sushi and a traditional French brasserie. There are also the innovative Yotels, from the founders of Yo! Sushi, giving travellers a hotel experience within the terminal. With Heathrow pushing for a third – and maybe fourth – runway, further capacity at the terminals is expected, and with it a whole range of modern services designed to ensure travellers no longer think of the airport as an irritating stop-off on their way to somewhere better.
Asian airports have led the way in extravagant luxury, with many newly built hubs providing a wide array of unique experiences. Hong Kong, one of the region’s most important business destinations and the gateway for much of Asia’s international trade, is a prime example. Hong Kong International Airport has been in operation since 1998 and has since become the world’s biggest cargo gateway, as well as serving a huge number of passengers each year. In operation 24 hours a day, the airport has 100 airlines using it and flies to more than 180 cities. But it isn’t merely a stop-off, it’s a destination in itself. Remarkably, it boasts its own nine-hole golf course for those desperate for a quick swing between flights. For younger travellers, there is the PlayStation Gateway, where Sony’s consoles are available to gaming enthusiasts. Film buffs can treat themselves to the stunning 4D extreme cinema that not only provides crystal clear 3D films, but also physical effects that immerse the viewer in the movie. Foodies can even enjoy the taste of traditional Chinese street food at the Tian Xia Dumpling bar.
Another example of Asia’s innovative approach to air travel is found in Singapore. Singapore Changi Airport has repeatedly been voted one of the world’s best airports since it began operations in 1981. The airport is hugely important to Singapore’s economy – it employs more than 28,000 people and accounts for around $3.6bn in economic output. One of the busiest airports in the world – it saw 53.1 million passengers pass through in 2013 – Singapore Changi has dedicated considerable resources towards ensuring visitors’ stays are as enjoyable as possible. While most airports litter their terminals with shops and disappointing food outlets, Singapore Changi believes travellers would rather experience a more natural environment. It houses an Enchanted Garden, where lights and sounds respond to people as they move through it, as well as a breathtaking 27-foot waterfall, a live butterfly garden, a koi pond and lots of carnivorous plants (thankfully sectioned off from humans). Alongside these environmental delights are the traditional shopping arcades, but also a luxury spa and cinema. Hungry and thirsty travellers can enjoy Singaporean-themed restaurants, Cantonese-style cooking and many drinking establishments.
While it’s not the biggest airport in the world, Las Vegas’ principal airport – McCarran International Airport – is one of the most individual. Located just five miles outside America’s ‘Sin City’, McCarran International has tried to capture some Las Vegas notoriety. The airport has more than 1,234 slot machines throughout its terminals, offering those lucky enough not to have lost their fortunes at the city’s casinos a chance to do so just before they fly home. People passing through can enjoy a brief sense of what it’s like to gamble away their holiday money without actually setting foot in Las Vegas. The different lounges available include a VIP lounge for first class customers, and standard lounges that offer complimentary food and drink to paying guests. In 2013, American Express opened its Centurion Lounge, which is exclusive to its customers. While it certainly features many of the gambling opportunities that Vegas has to offer, the airport has also acted as a platform for a good deal of public art – including murals, and steel and glass sculptures, some of which were made by locals.
We’re with new Chairman Colin Tenwick at Addison Lee’s main control room near Euston Station, standing opposite a 20ft-tall digital road map of London. On the map are several thousand coloured blobs, representing the live fleet position. The blobs track gently along the roads, occasionally changing colour to show their operational status. Blue indicates ‘on way to passenger’, red means ‘passenger on board’, green is for an empty car, and cyan shows ‘driver going home’.
Surrounding the giant map are banks of workstations manned by controllers who monitor the allocation of bookings. The process is automated but occasionally, smart monitoring systems will prompt a controller to intervene and rectify an anomaly – or even call a driver if they are having difficulty making contact at the pick-up address. Considering the control room handles over 19 million passengers, it’s a surprisingly tranquil place.
A history of firsts
Addison Lee has been a pioneer in minicab technology for over two decades now, staying ahead of its competitors with time-saving, mile-reducing and customer-friendly innovations
1992
The company becomes the first taxi firm to supply job details to minicab drivers via pagers
2001
First to track its fleet of minicabs by GPS
2002
Created the first dedicated minicab booking website
2004
Two firsts: built a minicab auto-allocator, which instantly selects the best vehicle for each journey; became first to send text alerts to customers, confirming bookings
2008
Installed wi-fi in private hire vehicles
2009
Developed the ‘going home’ button, allocating drivers bookings that take them closer and closer to home, saving thousands of miles of unecessary travel every day
2010
Launched the first minicab booking app
Technology for growth
“Addison Lee has always seen technology as a pillar for growth and its investment in booking and fleet management technology is a major contributor to the business growing year-on-year by an average of 20 percent,” says Tenwick. “In 2013, the private equity company Carlyle became the majority shareholder in Addison Lee and I joined as a director in April 2014 and became Chairman in June 2014.”
Colin Tenwick has a background in technology with a career that has included senior executive roles at Sybase, serving as the CEO of StepStone ASA, and the Chairman of Bookatable, as well as non-executive roles at AVG and Chairman of Control Circle and Picsolve International.
“Taking stock of the technology history we rediscovered quite a few ‘technology’ firsts. For instance, in 2001 Addison Lee was the first private hire company in the world to track cars via GPS. It was also the first to send booking confirmation via SMS, to offer booking online, to create a booking app, and to install wi-fi into private hire cars,” says Tenwick.
“But the most significant piece of technology is the auto-allocator which was built in-house. The allocator considers up to 100 vehicles, then plots the route of the nine closest cars to the pick-up point and calculates which can get there the fastest. There is a whole team of programmers and controllers working on the allocator and small tweaks to the algorithms can make a big difference when scaled up. For example, a few years ago a ‘going home’ function was introduced. When a driver chooses to go home the allocator offers bookings that will take them progressively closer to their home address. This function, scaled up, has saved 4,000 miles of wasted travel every day across the fleet.”
Exciting expansion
So what’s the next step for Addison Lee? “Well I’m here to assist in the development and growth of strategic hubs in major global cities,” says Tenwick. “Over the years Addison Lee has established a well-deserved reputation as best in class for corporate travel and what we’re seeing now is our London-based multi-national clients looking to us to provide the same service in other major cities.
The company’s driver training school in London
“We’ll do this through a combination of technology-led service provision and strategic partnerships with other providers abroad. Right now, we already offer ground transport in 350 cities worldwide using carefully selected affiliates. We’ll be increasing our affiliate network significantly. We’re even managing bookings for a fleet in New York taking local bookings from New Yorkers as well as bookings from those in London who require a car in New York on their business trip. This is our first strategic hub where we are providing technology-led solutions for both corporate clients and fleet operators.
“In July, Addison Lee announced a strategic partnership with Concur, the leading provider of spend management solutions in the world. Concur manages 120,000 bookings a day through its Travel platform, and travellers can use it to book with Addison Lee. Bookings will automatically generate an e-receipt so travellers won’t need to collect a written receipt after their journey. This integration provides finance teams with real-time visibility into their ground transportation costs.
“Addison Lee is also in the process of providing several international companies with bespoke platforms to give their employees a full, truly global, ground transport service.”
Nicaragua, once a hotbed for revolutionary turmoil, has turned into an emerging tourism hot spot. And while the country’s policymakers appear intent on promoting development in the traditional tourism sector, the real irony is that one of the industry’s biggest constituents – ecotourism – is, by its very nature, undeveloped.
Ravaged by the spoils of civil war, the rule of dictatorship and any number of natural disasters, Nicaragua as a country has seen its fair share of social and political strife. And having endured decades of civil unrest, Central America’s largest country is now beginning to realise its true economic potential, led in large part by a tourism industry reborn.
Nicaragua’s credentials as an ecotourism hot spot are consolidated by the sheer range and mass of biodiversity on offer
Road to recovery
Nicaragua’s economy took a huge hit in the 1980s, when much of the country’s infrastructure was devastated by civil war. And it wasn’t until the Sandinista’s defeat and a general election in 1990 that policymakers introduced key free market reforms and led the privatisation of some 350 formerly state-run firms. Now the country is, even by Central American standards, still very poor, but a measure of stability has returned, while wayward inflation and unemployment have been brought back to an acceptable level.
Owing to the political and social upheaval, Nicaragua has long been considered an undesirable location for holidaymakers – and to some extent, this reputation still exists. However, the return of stability to Nicaragua’s shores has seen the travel and tourism space pick up speed, to such an extent that the industry today is one of the country’s largest economic constituents, second only to agriculture.
In 2010 the country reached a major milestone, welcoming one million tourists in the space of a year; it was clear that Nicaragua’s fortunes were looking up. Where the country’s textiles and agricultural sectors are subject to spats of volatility, the travel and tourism market represents a source of relative stability.
One Euromonitor report, entitled Travel and Tourism in Nicaragua and published in 2012, shows the industry is on a consistent upwards curve. The report explains the number of arrivals increased by an annual rate of nine percent through 2009, 2010 and 2011, and that the figure is expected to continue increasing as the government works to push through much-needed reforms and improve stability further still.
Beginning in 1999, Nicaragua’s government attempted to introduce reforms to promote development in the travel and tourism industry and boost a lacklustre economy. Efforts had been unsuccessful until very recently, as a number of tax incentives mean those setting up tourism-related businesses worth a minimum of $10,000 are exempt from certain liabilities.
Green gains
Although the principal focus for policymakers lies with developing tourism via infrastructure and services in major cities, the country’s ecotourism sector is one of the most attractive prospects of its kind worldwide. This type of tourism entails ecologically and socially conscious tourism, and is defined by the International Ecotourism Society as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people”.
As hotels begin to take shape in some of the country’s larger cities, non-intrusive woodland huts and discreet dining spots are emerging in much greener locales. Whether in among the foliage of Nicaragua’s forests or high up in the mountains, the country’s eco sleeps and eats promise an unparalleled experience for those with a penchant for adventure and a love of nature.
The concept of ecotourism first came to be during the 1970s’ environmental movement, consisting of wilderness exploration and later encompassing visits to impoverished areas that might benefit from tourism. Ecotourism constitutes responsible tourism, and Nicaragua has emerged as a responsible tourist’s paradise.
Ironically, one of the principal reasons for ecotourism’s success in the region is the air of instability that still surrounds Nicaragua in many tourists’ minds. A long history of turmoil, in this particular instance, has actually benefitted ecotourism as major hospitality players have been unwilling to set up shop and, as a result, much of the country’s natural beauty has been unspoiled.
Nicaragua’s credentials as an ecotourism hot spot are consolidated by the sheer range and mass of biodiversity on offer. The country is the host to some 78 protected areas, which together make up 20 percent of the national landmass, and an estimated seven percent of the world’s biodiversity can be found here. This is even greater than in Costa Rica.
It remains to be seen to what extent government reforms will boost the country’s tourism numbers. However, the most pressing question is whether the development of the tourism industry might detract from Nicaragua’s status as a must-visit destination for eco-enthusiasts across the globe.
Must-see sights
Granada
This north-western city enjoys annual warm weather and is home to some more impressive examples of colonial architecture. It is in close proximity to the now-extinct Mombacho stratovolcano and bordered by Lake Cocibolca. There are countless things for tourists to see and do in and around Granada.
Bosawás Biosphere Reserve
The Bosawás is among the largest rainforests in the Western Hemisphere, second only to the Amazon, and constitutes approximately 15 percent of Nicaragua’s landmass. Much of the rainforest remains largely unexplored, and indigenous peoples occupy a small portion
of the land.
San Cristóbal Volcano
Nicaragua’s highest volcano, at 5,725ft, is also among the most active, and frequently expels gas and sometimes ash onto nearby communities. The volcano also stands as an iconic backdrop to the city of Chichigalpa, and is perhaps the single most distinguishing physical feature of Nicaragua’s landscape.
Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve
Formed 23,000 years ago after a volcanic eruption exposed a crater measuring six kilometres wide, the Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve spans 8,648 acres and plays host to a range of tropical flora and fauna. It is still active in certain places, and tourists often venture out to enjoy the hot springs as a result.
Corn Islands
The Corn Islands sit approximately 70km offshore and feature a tropical climate and a booming fishing industry. Perhaps the islands’ most notable draw, however, is the surrounding coral reef and diverse marine life, which attracts scuba divers and snorkelers from across the globe.
León
Nicaragua’s second largest city, beaten only by the somewhat unsightly capital of Managua, is best characterised by colonial architecture and its university. Bursting at the seams with beautiful churches and streetscapes, the city is not often visited by travellers beyond the odd backpacker.
With commercial prices on the rise and corporate travellers looking for specific, efficient and comfortable ways to travel, major firms are seeking out private options, forgoing typical commercial flights. Helicopters, commercial jets and private planes are becoming a popular investment for corporations wishing to avoid the hassle of flying commercial. However, luxuries aside, private travel options are not easy to acquire and often require solid backing from an asset finance firm. This is why asset financiers are now specialising in aviation finance, to accommodate the growing need for private means of travel.
But starting out as a new business in the wake of the economic downturn is not an easy feat, and even less so when the business relies on other assets and their acquisition for growth. Whether it’s a plane, helicopter or boat needed for business trips, such investments could be necessary to promote the business and handle deals, trades and sales. For other firms, a plane or helicopter at their beck and call may reduce time and resources spent on travel booking and navigating the sometimes-tricky world of commercial flights. With cross-continental corporate journeys often necessitating several flights, overlay time and luggage waits, more firms find that owning or leasing a plane is cheaper and less time-consuming. What’s more, with a broad asset financing industry across the globe and more firms specialising in aviation, it’s become easier to find the necessary cash.
The aviation financing sector has seen a surge in sales, driven by emerging markets such as China, and sectors including oil and gas. Google currently has four planes: two Gulfstream Vs, a Boeing 767 and a Boeing 757. The latter two are large-scale commercial planes, which have been used to transport Google employees from all over the world to a yearly conference at the Silicon Valley headquarters, rather than coordinating thousands of people on commercial flights. Google said the Boeings carry large groups for the firm – previously it rented out entire commercial flights for its annual event, at a huge cost.
[P]rivate travel options are not easy to acquire and often require solid backing from an asset finance firm
Asian demand
In recent years, China has been the main driver of private jet sales, as the wealth of its population and the need for international corporate travel has risen along with its GDP. Chinese customers may buy over 40 private jets this year, up from 27 ordered in 2012, according to Germany-based WINGX Advance, a business-aviation data company. China may become the world’s third-largest private jet market as early as 2022 – it currently ranks below 25th.
But while China is an extremely important market, the 11 South East Asian countries, with an estimated population of 610 million, are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in private jet sales. The growing wealth in economies such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand has sent sales surging, despite relatively low growth only a few years ago.
All 11 countries in the region have shown huge fleet growth over a five-year period – Malaysia is the only country with a private jet fleet that did not double between 2009 and 2013. Nevertheless, Malaysia’s fleet growth of 28 percent is still impressive, and in Thailand 12 private aircraft sales in 2009 jumped to 28 in 2013. With jet sales closely linked to GDP growth and the overall health of the economy, the industry is betting on a strong year in South East Asia, where dragon economies such as Indonesia are set for a surge in wealth and business revenues.
Financing a plane
Oil and gas firms are increasingly ditching commercial flights in favour of corporate jets to jump to the newest isolated drilling hotspot. The shale boom and a growing need for new energy sources has brought increased activity to remote areas such as Karnes County in Texas, Angola’s offshore locations, and the oil fields in the North Sea. To secure billion-dollar drilling contracts, industry players often have to travel to far-flung locations that aren’t easily accessed via commercial flights. Getting flights to Luanda in Angola, for example, is considered a “nightmare” for any travel booker, according to one travel manager from a major European drilling firm. Commercial tickets are often obscenely expensive and the connecting flights are usually time-consuming and by no means efficient.
More and more firms are looking to aviation financers to buy or lease their own planes, and ease the costs and time spent on crucial business trips, said Brian Proctor, a partner and co-founder of aviation consulting firm Mente Group. Companies have a lot of options when they think about buying their first aircraft or fleet of aircraft and that’s where firms such as Mente
Group come in.
“We have a lot of clients for whom the airplane is the single most expensive asset that they own,” Proctor said. This is why it’s important for those interested in private business jets to ensure their aviation financier does feasibility studies on whether the firm should buy an airplane or a fleet of airplanes, what type to buy, or whether chartering an aircraft or buying a fractional ownership in a plane is a better option.
Asset finance provides the option for business growth through a flexible loan, which allows firms to obtain the required assets to develop, while protecting their cash flow, earn tax benefits and profits too. Such financing options allow loans to be secured against the asset being financed and ensure a plane cannot be withdrawn during the contracted period. With asset finance figures for aviation already 10 percent higher than last year, the contemporary market suggests private jets and helicopters are becoming a growing phenomenon that matches current needs for easy and affordable travel options in an increasingly globalised world.
The World Cup in Brazil was an exciting affair. Despite months of tension and violence in the lead-up to the first whistle, the event has been declared a success. Brazilians called the games the ‘Cup of Cups’ on social media, thanks to the level of football and the sense that disaster had been avoided. Before the ball had started rolling on the perfectly manicured green pitches, debate on international media had focused on whether or not Brazil was ready to host such a momentous event, and many questioned whether the hefty $14bn price tag was reasonable and worth it.
The 2014 World Cup has been one of the most expensive global events ever put on. While it is difficult to say exactly how much it cost – estimates range between $11bn and $15bn – it is clear that this edition of the event cost considerably more than any other. It is also difficult to pinpoint exactly where all that money went. Brazil invested heavily in infrastructure development that was not strictly related to the games, but was fundamental to their smooth running, and many of the stadiums had to be built from scratch. But as soon as the games were underway, videos started appearing online of wobbly railings and unfinished work in the arenas.
The Brazilian Ministry for Tourism suggested the World Cup and upcoming Olympic Games will bring over $3bn to the economy, and potentially more in investments; but with a price tag at least three times higher than potential returns, suddenly a month of fun seems harder to justify. But is this discrepancy in returns unique to the Brazil World Cup, or final irrefutable proof that hosting big events is simply not worth it?
The Barcelona Olympic Games of 1992 have been credited with regenerating a struggling city and putting it in the spotlight of international tourism. On the other hand, the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and their exorbitant cost have been linked to the later collapse of the Greek economy. Mauro Guillen, Professor of International Management at the University of Pennsylvania told Forbes that “rarely, if ever” do Olympic Games generate a profit for the host nation.
It is hard to calculate exactly how much revenue a mega event brings in because host countries’ economies are affected indirectly, and it’s impossible to put a value on publicity and media scrutiny. However, Moody’s estimated that despite the fanfare, the Brazilian economy will still underperform the global economy by as much as four percent this year, and it is unlikely that any positive economic impact will be felt by the lower echelons of the population.
It appears the tide is changing; where once cities and countries were falling over themselves to host these events, now they are turning their backs. Stockholm and Krakow have tactically removed themselves from the bidding to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, and only four cities have stepped up to the plate.
New York and Philadelphia also withdrew bids to hold global events; this trend is gathering pace. In times of tight budgets, it’s hard to justify spending billions on largely superfluous infrastructure. It is a worrying prospect for the future of mega events. If no one is prepared to make the investment, then the whole model must be readdressed.
Here, Business Destinations looks back at some of the most successful global events in recent history – and some of the biggest failures.
London Olympics 2012
Verdict: success
British Prime Minister David Cameron started his address at a business conference in Glasgow in July by suggesting the Olympic Games held in London two years ago boosted the UK’s coffers by a staggering $23.8bn. According to the UK Trade and Investment department, the internal target of generating $18.7bn by 2016 has already been surpassed, making the British Olympics a raging economic success. While this is clearly good news, the total cost of the games – reported as $15.2bn – is still enormous, although fractionally less than the predicted final cost.
The 2012 Olympics took place during a severe recession, with the population reeling from the effects of strict austerity measures imposed by the Government. London was using the occasion to rejuvenate its image, and re-emerge as an ‘Olympic Capital’ and more – a modern, cosmopolitan capital, always ready for business. Beyond that, the British capital was hoping to show itself as a new city of daring architecture, cutting-edge business and an urban centre that’s a tourist attraction in its own right.
The Olympic Games were particularly successful in London as they not only ran smoothly, but the city has been able to harness the enthusiasm that reverberated that summer into a lasting legacy of modernity. Though not all of the venues have been successfully converted or reused yet, the sense of euphoria and optimism that spread across the capital during the summer helped speed up the recovery of the British economy.
Athens Olympics 2013
Verdict: failure
The spiritual home of the Olympiad was denied the honour of hosting the centennial Modern Olympiad games in 1996 after the International Olympic Committee expressed concern about Greece’s ability to cope with the demanding preparations. Athens was instead given a further eight years to get into shape for the Olympics, and Atlanta was chosen for the centennial celebrations in its place.
Though no official figures have been released, Athens appears to have spent more than double its original budget preparing for the 2004 games, bringing the sum to $11bn – one of the most expensive games ever at that point. Sporting venues were scarce in Greece, so most of the Olympic facilities were built from scratch. However, where Barcelona had a considered legacy plan, Athens didn’t seem to have given it any thought at all.
Since 2004 as many as 21 of the 22 venues have been completely abandoned. Those numbers are staggering considering the Greek government claims to have spent around $672m in the upkeep of the arenas. But some stadiums have even had piping and windows removed by looters hunting for scrap. It has been suggested that the venues would be sold, but there has been very little interest from potential buyers. As the Greek economy fell into a bottomless pit of recession and austerity, the Olympic extravagance was once again brought into question. The games were supposed to launch Athens as a worthy European capital, a good place to do business and a modern city.
However, as the chronic mismanagement of the economy was exposed during the crisis, the exact opposite happened. The large amount spent preparing for the games has raised suspicion of corruption, and the glib attitude towards the Olympic legacy did more harm than good to Athens’ image.
Sochi Winter Olympics 2014
Verdict: jury’s out
By the time the Sochi Winter Olympics opening ceremony began in February 2014, the games had been trending on Twitter for days – and for all the wrong reasons. The international press had arrived at the site in Russia to find sections unfinished. Images of half-built hotel rooms, brown drinking water and incomplete arenas soon made it onto millions of computer screens. Though amusing at first glance, bafflement followed when it transpired that the games cost Russia around $50bn – by far the costliest sporting event ever.
“If costs are the benchmark for a ‘successful’ Games,” Janice Forsyth, Director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario, in Canada, told Forbes, “Sochi is the most unsuccessful games in history, bar none.”
That said, it is too soon to tell the future of Sochi’s Olympic venues and whether or not they will be put to good use. Although Sochi only has a permanent population of 350,000, the Russian Government has already secured six years of Formula One Grand Prix to be held here. Persuading other big sporting and business events to utilise the winter games infrastructure could tip that balance in favour of success. Sochi was at a disadvantage as a completely unknown entity, but millions of people around the world now know its name.
Barcelona Olympics 1992
Verdict: success
The 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona have since been labelled the ‘model Olympics’ and can be credited with the wave of enthusiasm for hosting such events. The Games themselves ran smoothly, but the real triumph was the reinvention of Barcelona’s image. Before 1992, the area that is now Port Olympic was a degraded industrial zone and, despite Antoni Gaudi’s striking modernist buildings, and the lush parks adorning the turn-of-the-century boulevards, the Spanish city did not rank as a desirable business or tourism travel destination.
Between winning the bid in 1986 and the opening of the Games in July 1992, Barcelona spent $11.4bn, the majority of which went into the construction of Olympic venues, the Olympic Village, and supporting infrastructure such as new roads. But the real coup was to use this initial work as a way to boost interest in the city as an investment opportunity. Barcelona had a well-thought-out image development strategy and all construction was envisioned with this rebranding in mind.
The city was the first to set out a clear ‘legacy’ plan, and it made no secret of the fact that the Olympic Games were a vehicle for self-promotion. The city’s entire Olympic preparation process was carefully designed over two years before the bid was won to ensure their goals were achieved. Every new piece of infrastructure had a future role in Barcelona’s daily life. Turisme de Barcelona, the local tourism board, capitalised on the city’s new image and promoted it relentlessly. It worked: Barcelona is now the fourth most popular tourism destination in Europe. In 2007 the Catalan capital was voted fourth best European city to do business in by estate agency Cushman & Wakefield in a report for Bloomberg Businessweek; the city only ranked 11th in the same survey in 1990.
Colombo is a very special city indeed. Part burgeoning business centre, part colonial capital, the city is dotted with skyscrapers and ancient Hindu temples. It is a city still struggling to find its place in the world after a long and bloody civil war scarred the face of Sri Lanka – but it is a hopeful place. Since the peace agreement half a decade ago, the local government has invested in modernising the country’s infrastructure and attracting foreign business.
The island’s capital has been a vital trading port for over two millennia. Because of its strategic Indian Ocean location and its natural geography, Colombo has always been a bustling hub of activity. The fortress that gave rise to the settlement that is Colombo today was built on a plateau between three mountain peaks known as the Trikuta Mountains, according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The city, then known as Lankapura, was at the centre of a vicious battle between Indian kings in the twelfth century, before being claimed by Rama. These battles are depicted in the murals of the Khmer temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Where to eat
Ministry of Crab Old Dutch Hospital, Colombo
+94 11 2 342722 ministryofcrab.com
Located in The Old Dutch Hospital – one of the oldest buildings in the Colombo Ford – Ministy of Crab is a celebration of all things crustacean. Founders Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakarra are highly decorated international cricketers, and they’ve seamlessly moved from trying not to shell catches, to shelling crabs. With an emphasis on ‘export quality’ monsters – no one-clawed shufflers around leg off here – the menu offers ‘crabzillas’ of up to 2kg . Known for its role in the spice trade, Sri Lanka’s black peppercorns are put to great work in The Ministry’s pepper crab – highly recommended, unless of course you’re not out, in which case you should just order room service.
HvN 231 Galle Road, Colombo 4
+94 114 520 130 casacolombo.com
For dinner in style head to HVN at Casa Colombo, a boutique hotel that’s an oasis of quiet just off busy Galle Road. HVN is found in the grand hall – replete with carved ceilings – of a beautifully restored 200-year-old Moorish mansion. In the past it was owned by one of the wealthiest Indian trading families in Sri Lanka. Boasting a menu heavily influenced by the spices and cooking traditions of the island, HVN offers a blend of local flavours and contemporary south east Asian fusions. Seafood, well-spiced meats and Sri Lankan influenced international dishes make up the majority of the options, but if you fancy just one more thing, the soft godamba roti rolls are our pick of the desserts.
The Lagoon 77 Galle Road, Colombo 3
+94112497371 cinnamonhotels.com
This is for those after something a little more formal: that means no shorts, chaps, no matter how hot the evening, although emergency sarongs are available. With views of a man-made lagoon from which its name derives, The Lagoon at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo offers some of the finest seafood available on the island. The restaurant uses a market-style concept: fresh fish, caught that day, is laid out for you to chose from, before picking a sauce, cooking method and culinary style. Given Sri Lanka’s multicultural background it should come as no surprise that Thai, Chinese and Indian culinary influences can be found here. The lobster and the tamarind fish both came highly recommended to us.
Portuguese colonisers arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505, drawn to the island for its strategic location and convenient natural harbour. They concluded the first of a series of treaties made between Sri Lankan kings and European rulers looking for a foothold in the West Indies. These deals, though centuries old, have defined modern Sri Lanka in many ways: it is a country welcoming of foreigners, and eager to trade and do business. Though the trade agreements between Sri Lanka and the Portuguese quickly soured, King Rajasinghe II of the central Kingdom of Kandy was able to broker deals with the Dutch. In exchange for protection against Portuguese Goans, the Dutch were granted access to the island’s main trading goods, such as cinnamon and teak.
Sri Lanka became a vital trading hub for the Dutch East India Company, until 1796, when the British moved in. The colonial architecture from this period is a defining aesthetic feature of Colombo. The city is dotted with grand Portuguese forts, Dutch houses and British administrative offices, making it one of the most visually diverse Asian capitals. When the British finally granted Ceylon – as it was then known – independence in 1948, they left behind some of the urban infrastructure that makes Colombo so unique today. Tramlines and cars crisscross the city and past the Khan Clock Tower.
Colonial roots
The centuries of different colonial rulers have made Sri Lanka unique in Asia. Though the country retains its Hindu and Tamil roots, the Europeans that roamed the island for so long have indubitably influenced it. Places are named using Portuguese, Dutch and English words, people have European names and Colombo remains a multi-ethnic, multicultural hub despite losing its status as capital in the 1980s. However, like many other former colonies in Asia, the country was left in disarray when the British withdrew in the late forties. No representative administrative structures were established and tensions started to mount between the Sinhalese population and the minority Tamils. Historic conflicts between these two ethnic groups have always existed but peaked under British rule in the 1920s and were then left to fester when they withdrew.
Where to stay
Hilton Colombo 2 Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner MW
+94 11 249 2492 hilton.com
A sure sign that money and business are moving into Sri Lanka, Hilton Hotels and Resorts now boasts two high-end properties in the city of Colombo. The Hilton Colombo Residence consists entirely of luxury suites – perfect for those staying in the city for a while or looking to entertain clients and establish business in the area. For those desiring a more traditional hotel, the Hilton Colombo is perfect. In the centre of the main business district, a stay here ensures you’re never far from your next meeting. Or, thanks to a range of meeting and conferencing facilities, including a specialised business centre, you can bring your business to the hotel.
The Hilton Colombo’s gym, pool, tennis court and shopping arcade should provide enough fun to fill up your down time, but if not, the National Zoological Gardens, the Dutch Museum and some stunning Sri Lankan temples are all within walking distance. An impressive selection of nine restaurants and bars allows guests to select the perfect place to take a business partner or unwind with friends in the evening. And if you’re staying in for the evening, be sure to sample some traditional Sri Lankan cuisine at the Curry Leaf restaurant.
As economies in Asia continue to offer good growth rates and investment opportunities, Colombo is gearing up to become a go-to destination for global MICE. The Galle Face Hotel, which claims to be the oldest hotel east of Suez, is situated on the Indian Ocean seafront opposite the Galle Face Green, and is hoping to take advantage of Sri Lanka’s rising profile with a recent refurbishment and expansion of its MICE facilities. With just under 100 well-appointed rooms, restaurant and café facilities, and a newly opened meeting centre replete with cultural attaché, planning teams and your own personal concierge, it might just be the perfect business-district location for international meetings.
By the early 1980s the situation was unsustainable and the Sri Lankan Tamil youth and their militant factions including the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), started operating a parallel government, independent from the ruling Sinhalese government in Colombo. In 1981 the incumbent government attacked Jaffna Library, burning over 90,000 books, including palm scrolls of high historic importance for the Tamils. Two years later, 13 soldiers were killed in a Tamil ambush, sparking riots and what came to be known as the ‘First Eelam War’. The Tamil government decided to demand secession.
What followed were 26 years of terror and violence; the Tamil Tigers used guerrilla techniques to target members of Prime Minister Jayawardene’s ruling United National Party, who retaliated with bloody massacres and ethnic cleansing policies. Atrocities were committed almost daily by both sides.
International forces got involved and sanctions were approved but nothing calmed the violence. However, in 2001, the Tamil leaders announced they were once again ready to negotiate a ceasefire. By then the Sri Lankan economy was in tatters and the south of the country was a wasteland after two and half decades of near-constant shelling. A new political party, the United National Front, won the 2001 elections with an overwhelming majority, campaigning on a platform of peace and unity.
By 2002 the Tamils and the new government had reached an ‘understanding’. Though by no means a straightforward process, the ceasefire meant international flights could be re-established between Colombo and other capitals, and the process of slowly rebuilding the economy could begin. Though many regions, particularly in the poverty-stricken south, were still under Tamil control, the ceasefire held.
Where to meet
Sri Lanka Exhibition & Convention Centre 12 D R Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo 10
+94 112 343 239 pico.lk
Pico, launched in 1994 as a joint venture between the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and the Ministry of Tourism, currently runs and operates the Sri Lanka Exhibition & Convention Centre. It is the largest purpose-built exhibition space in Sri Lanka. Boasting 4,000sq m of air-conditioned exhibition space, and a central Colombo location, it’s readily accessible by rail and is a short walk to many of the area’s key hotels. With 20 years of experience, hosting, managing and supporting events, the team at Pico have been a boon for Sri Lanka’s burgeoning global status as a key Indian Ocean destination for MICE.
Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo 115 Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner Mawatha
+94 112 491 000
Back in 2012, Business Destinations recognised the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo in its annual Travel Awards. At the time we were taken with its great location overlooking the gorgeous Beira Lake and luxurious facilities. It’s fair to say that not a lot has changed. The Cinnamon Lakeside is well located for the Sri Lanka Exhibition & Convention Centre, the port, business district and hotels along the Indian Ocean coast. Facilities include a sixth-floor business centre, meeting rooms, ample guest bedrooms, and when it’s time to relax, a sumptuous outdoor pool, spa and restaurants.
As 2008 approached, tensions mounted. Terrorist action plagued Sri Lanka once more. It seemed that the dream of peace was dead when the Foreign Minister, a Tamil, was assassinated. The government was terminated and accused of war crimes, and combat resumed on the embattled island.
Though this period was the bloodiest in Sri Lanka’s recent history, government forces finally crushed the Tamil resistance, amid cries of human rights violations and the slaughter of civilians. According to Human Rights Watch, the Sri Lankan army was responsible for indiscriminate artillery attacks, while the Tamil Tigers refused to grant safe passage for fleeing civilians.
An estimated 200,000 people were killed in a narrow 14km strip of land near the coast at Vanni – a supposed no-fire zone. But by 2009, the Tamil Tigers had been beaten down, and President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the world from a summit in Jordan that his government, “with the total commitment of our armed forces, has in an unprecedented humanitarian operation, finally defeated the LTTE militarily.”
Rebuilding and healing
Throughout the civil war, Sri Lanka maintained some enviably high socio-economic indicators; according to Colombo Fort, the Sri Lankan board for business, in 2009 the country already boasted one of the highest literacy rates in Southeast Asia, with 91.4 percent of the population being able to read and write. Overall, 50 percent of university graduates have studied technical or business disciplines, making the Sri Lankan workforce one of the most competitive in market terms.
The Sri Lankan government has been diligently ensuring the rest of the world knows that not only are the hard civil war days over, but that the island is open for business too. It is a slow process – at the moment, the fastest-growing industries are tourism and regional banking. But there is a lot of potential. Foreign direct investment rose nearly four percent in 2013, from $1.34bn to $1.39bn. The figures are significantly short of the $2bn target set out by the government, but the economy did grow. Over the last four years, as much of the world endured sluggish growth and emerging markets cooled off, Sri Lanka grew by an average of 7.4 percent annually – albeit thanks in part to huge state-led infrastructure schemes.
The signs are looking very positive for 2014. Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, the Investment Promotion Minister, told Reuters that in the four months to May 2014 the island had already attracted 100 percent more investment than during the same period in 2013. “This year, we will be able to get at $2bn,” he said. He is probably right.
Sri Lanka is revered for its great beauty. Conflict over the years has held the country’s tourism industry back, but – now the civil war is over – Sri Lanka’s fortunes are set to rise
When the US announced it would be tapering its asset purchase programmes in October last year, most emerging economies rose rates in order to stop fund outflows. Sri Lankan authorities did the exact opposite and lowered their rates. “We have seen inflation at the lower levels,” Ajit Nivard Cabraal, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, told CNBC. “We have been seeing the growth rates at the right levels. We have seen the external sector coming back to fairly robust levels. So all those gave us the confidence that we were on track to having inflation at lower levels in the future.”
Cabraal suggests the economy could grow by eight percent in 2014. And while that is probably true, much of this is driven by state-owned infrastructure development, funded by foreign commercial loans, and according to Abeywardena, around $4bn in FDI will be required to sustain these levels of growth. Investors are also concerned by government nationalisation of key private ventures and the takeover of nearly 40 private companies. But while this wave of nationalisation, which mainly affected private transport companies, may have been a misstep, the local economy remains strong.
“We have developed our infrastructure, particularly the ports and airports, which means our services have now improved quite dramatically,” said Cabraal. “And we are seeing the services sector, particularly the hubs we are looking at – maritime, aviation, knowledge, activities as well as the commercial and energy – all now contributing a lot more to our economy than they did in the past.”
The performance of the Colombo Stock Exchange proves the country’s economy remains resilient. Stocks here gained an average of five percent in 2013, and did even better during the first quarter of this year. The exchange is now working to attract a greater number of international investors. With government support initiatives – such as requiring companies to make more shares available, and developing a strong brokering infrastructure and regulation – have been introduced. “It’s the growth story,” Rajeeva Bankaranaike, CEO of the Colombo Stock Exchange told CNBC. “Some of these sectors are trading at deep discounts. Particularly in the Sri Lankan economy, we have some of the growth sectors very well represented and these are trading at deep discounts to the market price-to-earnings ratio.”
So while the outlook remains positive, and there is certainly growth potential, the international investment community remains sceptical. The failure to attract much-coveted FDI is worrying, and consumer spending remains slow, but development of the local market and industry is promising. It is still too early to declare the Sri Lankan recovery an out-and-out success story, but five years clear of war, and with robust growth, the island’s future is looking good.
City diary
Annual Vintage Car Rally Colombo
September 1-30
Every September, visitors to Colombo are delighted by a daily parading of classic vehicles. Orchestrated by The Vintage Car Owner’s Club of Sri Lanka, a line-up of nearly 200 cars features everything from old Edwardian gems and early MGs, to romantic mid-century convertibles.
Colombo Book Fair BMICH
September 10-17
Sri Lanka’s biggest book fair draws in a diverse crowd looking to explore and buy books and journals from an impressive selection of 500 stalls. Now in its 16th year, the fair managed to attract around 150 publishing companies in 2013, and hopes to showcase even more this year.
Hotel, Hospitality & Food SLECC
October 3-5
With Sri Lanka’s tourism scene booming and the economy riding high on the success of the hospitality industry, this is the perfect time to explore what Colombo has to offer – from architecture and audiovisual equipment to franchising opportunities and furnishings.
Techno Exhibition BMICH
October 10-12
No, not that kind of techno, although certainly just as exciting. Technology and engineering are vital to the growth of most industries, and with Sri Lanka at such an electrifying crossroad, this convention hooks up technological advances with the right businesses.
Deepavali Festival Colombo
October 22
With a large Hindu population, Sri Lanka, and especially southwest Colombo, widely observes the festival of light, with community gatherings and candle-lighting. Seek out a local kovil (Hindu temple), to enjoy one of the annual firework displays that conclude festivities.
Saree Festival SLECC
October 22-26
Gain an intimate knowledge of sarees at this colourful, fun-filled, but business-minded festival. Industry experts and designers will guide you through the latest trends and investment opportunities. Enjoy the displays of handloom sarees, embroidery, batik and more.
Image Today 2014 BMICH
Oct 31 – Nov 2
The international photography and video festival comes back to Sri Lanka with a host of product launches, new technology, live demonstrations, discussions and debates with influential industry professionals, networking events, and plenty of business opportunities.
Elephant Gathering Minneriya National Park
Until October
Every year, around 300 Asian elephants descend on the banks of the Minneriya Lake, looking for food and water after the dry summer. Take the opportunity to watch the creatures roam, in what is the largest gathering of elephants that occurs anywhere
in the world.
This year has been hailed as super-gedenkjahr – the year of commemoration. It’s 100 years since the outbreak of World War One, 75 since the second conflict began, and a quarter of a century since the fall of the Berlin Wall. With the anniversary of its toppling on November 9, 2014, Germany’s wall has not been forgotten by a once-divided nation.
Reunited in 1990, the city stands at the centre of European politics, business and culture. Its liberal outlook, healthy economy and plethora of attractions make it an enticing destination for business jaunts and weekend getaways. Among its top attractions are memorials, museums and Soviet-era sites honouring a fractured past. These dwindle as the country’s rapid growth demands they are duly replaced with housing and infrastructure. Yet some survive to echo the regimes of the past. To paraphrase author Clive Barker: it takes a nation with real heart to make beauty of that which makes us weep.
Confronting the past has enabled Berlin to attract millions of tourists
Rewind the clock 69 years and the capital was in ruins. Allied bombings and the Battle of Berlin had reduced it to a wasteland of brick, steel and concrete. These hardships did not end with Hitler’s fall either. For the next 44 years Germany was unstable, physically divided by ideological conflict.
The division happened in August 1961. It was a profound shock to Germans when borders were finally sealed, with armed soldiers patrolling land they used to walk freely. Rumours hinted at a separation of the state but this was discarded as hearsay. But as the relationship between the Allied Forces and the Soviet Union began to sour, Germany was divided. It began to represent two polarised political beliefs: East versus West was democracy against communism.
It was clear which side was better off as living conditions quickly polarised. West Germany – with the help of the Allied Forces – experienced huge financial growth dubbed the ‘economic miracle’. Citizens could buy luxury goods, took holidays and reaped the benefits of a fruitful society. The opposite was true for the east. The Soviet Union, viewing it as a spoil of war, pilfered industrial equipment and other valuable assets. The economy stagnated and personal freedoms were restricted. The oppressive concrete wall stretched 140km across the face of Germany, protruding 12ft into the air. It cut Berlin in half, encircling western city provinces and separating family and friends without warning. For 28 years Germans in the east were effectively trapped.
Autumn events
To mark the historic super-gedenkjahr, Berlin has organised a number of dynamic exhibitions, concerts and performances
1914-1918. The First World War Deutches Historisches Museum, until November 30
The First World War was a tragedy, resulting in a harrowing loss of life as it swept through Europe and beyond. This exhibition, at the German Historical Museum, explores the war and its wide-ranging consequences. Focusing on 14 important locations, from the battlefields of Verdun and Galipoli, to the political centres of Petrograd and Berlin, each place helps weave the story of the war. Images and artefacts are complemented by letters and biographies of those that lived through the conflict.
Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra Berliner Philharmonie
Renowned for its acoustics and striking architecture, The Berliner Philharmonie is the best music venue in the city. It is home to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and in November it will host a three-date concert to honour the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, the concert will features works by György Kurtág, Helmut Lacjenmann and Ludvig van Beethoven. Tickets to the show cost between €33 and €94 and go on sale in September.
West: Berlin, an island in search of mainland Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin
West Berlin’s history is often neglected in favour of the GDR’s darker past. This show details the lifestyle of Berliners on the democratic side of the wall. West Berlin was an enclave surrounded by East Germany and this dynamic exhibition uses photography and anecdotes to explain life in what became known as the ‘Island of Freedom’. Visitors are invited to form an opinion on the city’s culture, economy and power struggles. Ephraim-Palais, a 1760s rococo building, will host the exhibition.
Berlin Art Week Galleries across the city
Kulturprojekte Berlin brings together the Art Berlin Contemporary and Positions Berlin to create an exciting schedule of exhibitions, performances, artistic discussions, film screenings and show openings, celebrating Berlin as a centre of avant-garde creative expression. A panel of respected figures in the art world – Mathilde Ter Heijne, Kolja Reichert and Anna-Catharina Gebbers – have organised a selection of temporary projects to delight guests during the week. Buy advance tickets online at visitBerlin.de.
Better together
The fall of the wall came almost as unexpectedly as its erection had done. Communism had failed in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and back in East Germany the end was near. On November 9, 1989, the Socialist Unity Party spokesman Günter Schabowski made this announcement: “Permanent relocations can be done through all border checkpoints between the GDR (East Germany) into the FRG (West Germany) or West Berlin.”
The East was free. The wall was battered down. Westerners greeted Eastern compatriots with flowers and champagne as they danced together to celebrate a reclaimed freedom and a country reborn. On October 3, 1990, less than 12 months after the fall of the wall, East and West officially merged. A modern, unified Germany stood independently for the first time since the fall of the Third Reich.
Skateboarders by the Berlin Wall
Germany has thrived since reunification. It’s an undisputed world power and plays an instrumental role in EU politics. It also has the happiest people in Europe, according to a survey by the German Economic Institute. Still, it has not forgotten the tumultuous path preceding it and commemorating its history has had economic perks. According to Visit Berlin nearly 30 million tourists flocked to the capital spending over $10.8bn in 2013. And millions of them visited the wall.
What remains of it is at the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse. Sections of the wall run for a kilometre along the border strip and vertical iron poles, jutting out like prison bars, replace missing sections. The artistic transformation is stirring and complemented by a 60m section of no man’s land. Kohlhoff & Kohlhoff, the architects behind the impressive memorial, wanted to integrate as much of the remaining evidence as possible to create an accurate, yet artistic, representation. The revamped no man’s land and old guard tower add to the sense of oppression that border fortifications brought about in East-West Berlin.
One of the most iconic pieces of art on the Berlin Wall
Learning from the past
Behind the oppression lurked the Stasi. Officially known as the Ministry of State Security, the secret police were among the most feared and hated in Germany. Their huge 1.1 million sq ft HQ in Lichtenberg, now the Stasi Museum, is worth a visit. It was stormed in 1990 by critics of the regime but the offices of senior ministers, including Stasi chief Erich Mielke, were hermetically sealed soon after. As a result much of the decor is unchanged. Mielke’s office retains its original desk and blue-cushioned chairs. The three-storey museum also has a huge collection of espionage gear used to gather information from enemies of the Soviet bloc. Look out for the spy camera disguised as a tree.
These headquarters are not the only former Stasi site with a new use. The Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial is intrinsically linked to political oppression in East Germany and, unlike the Stasi Museum, was never stormed after the wall came down. The secret police took control of the former prison in 1951, using it as a base for operations suppressing political and artistic expression. The list of atrocities that reportedly happened inside its ‘tiger cages’ is long. Rumour and eyewitness accounts tell of prisoners being used for labour and subjected to psychological intimidation. Unfortunately, the Stasi allegedly burnt evidence of many atrocities. Former inmates founded the Hohenschönhausen Memorial in 1990, had it listed as a historical site in 1992, and opened its secretive doors to the world in 1994.
Did you know?
Chancellor Angela Merkel was at the sauna when thousands of her countrymen breached the Berlin Wall. In a recent interview, the German leader claimed she missed the historic day after refusing to change her schedule.
Another site that illuminates oppression is the Topographie des Terrors, a wartime museum documenting the rise and rule of the Third Reich. From 1933 to 1945 the site was the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, representing the iron fist of Nazi repression. Hitler had 39 prison cells built underneath so he could detain inmates of special interest to the Gestapo. On the Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse, the prison became synonymous with cruelty and torture. For many, the only option was suicide.
Left uninhabited and edging into dereliction until after the wall came down, the grey, rectangular building became a permanent museum in 1987. Indoor and outdoor galleries provide colourful detail of a turbulent history in a concise and informative way. It is open 361 days a year and offers an unparalleled understanding of modern German history.
The Reichstag and Bundestag Parliament Buildings on the Spree river
From here it’s a four-minute walk to Checkpoint Charlie, the infamous border crossing in Berlin. A major tourist attraction today, the tiny checkpoint became an icon of the Cold War after a tense standoff between Soviet and US tanks. Since then, the checkpoint has appeared in numerous spy movies, including the James Bond escapade Octopussy. An open-air exhibition was opened along the adjacent streets of Friedrichstrasse and Zimmerstrasse in 2006. Plaques on the walls describe escape attempts and the checkpoint’s significance. It resembles more of a garden shed today, but Checkpoint Charlie – or Grenzübergangsstelle, as East Germans called it – continues to thrill. Actors in military dress stand guard at the sentry position and tourists can pose for photos with them. It’s a little tacky, but an uplifting experience after the sobering Topography of Terror.
Another lighter, but very informative, offering is the riverside DDR Museum, just a bridge away from Berlin’s Museum Island. Focusing on the material culture of East Berlin, interactive exhibitions invite visitors to get behind the wheel of a GDR car, rummage in the wardrobe of a GDR worker, and settle down on a sofa to watch some GDR television. And when you’ve worked up an appetite, the museum’s restaurant Domklause serves authentic GDR cuisine – from ‘broiler’ to jägerschnitzel.
Tourists will find it easy to get around on the VBB
November remembrance
It is always a good time to visit Berlin, but November 2014 will be particularly interesting. To mark the 25th anniversary of the wall’s destruction, Berliners have planned a number of commemorative events during the first week of the month. Photographic and film screenings, talks, tours and exhibitions are also scheduled for the weekend to offer a retrospective on life in the GDR.
As a symbol of ‘hope to worlds without walls’, a 19km stretch of illuminated helium balloons will run through Berlin as a poignant reminder of what used to stand there. The dazzling installation will be visible from space, providing the sky is clear, claims Visit Berlin. German authorities may secretly hope these commemorative events will unite a country still questioning the success of its reunification. The nation can certainly take pride in facing its history head-on. Confronting the past has enabled Berlin to attract millions of tourists. More importantly, Germany has created insight and beauty from something sinister. It’s a lesson the world can learn from.
Retracing your cultural roots is something many people feel a strong desire to do at some point in their lives. However, for some, discovering more about where they come from can be made all the more difficult if their family has uprooted and moved to another country – the course taken by many families in Iran over 30 years ago.
The Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979 overthrew the ruling Pahlavi dynasty and displaced millions of Iranian citizens from their homes, scattering them across the world. For many Iranian children of the displaced, the idea of Iran was perhaps an alien concept – a distant, faraway land. Portrayed as full of flag-burning enemies of the West, Iran could not seem more different from some of the countries that its exiled citizens moved to after the revolution.
I was taken aback by the amount of goodwill and support for my efforts to try and connect with my country of origin
One such exile was author Cyrus Massoudi, whose family left Iran after the revolution and settled in Britain. Raised in London during the 1980s, Massoudi experienced a traditional British education, but never quite felt fully British, describing himself as “British, but of Iranian origin”. It wasn’t until he reached his 20s that the urge to explore his heritage led to him packing his bags and journeying to a country he had heard much about, but never actually been to. It was a trip that would result in four years of travel across the country, uncovering the many different facets of Iranian culture, including its rich artistic and intellectual contributions to the world, as well as a very different country to the one that is often portrayed in the Western media.
A country long out in the geo-political cold, Iran has been a troublesome thorn in the side of Western diplomacy in the Middle East for more than 30 years. However, with a supposedly moderate new President and a softening stance towards the West, the attention of the world has turned towards a country with both huge economic potential and rich cultural history, which has not seen the sort of attention it deserves. Business Destinations spoke to Massoudi about his debut book Land of the Turquoise Mountains, published in September, and about his experiences as an Iranian born in exile, returning home to his roots, and what role the country will play in an ever-changing world.
As an English-born Iranian, did you always feel a desire to retrace your family steps back to Iran?
Even though I was brought up speaking Persian with my family and celebrating Iranian New Year instead of Christmas, I considered Iran to be where my parents were from and all of the customs that accompany Nowrouz (Iranian New Year) to be the bizarre rituals they brought with them from some kind of distant, mythical land. It was only in my student days that I became curious about the endless news reports and controversies surrounding Iran. The discordant voices of the Iranian diaspora, the Western media and those coming out of the country itself just seemed confusing and contradictory. I soon realised that the only way to answer all the questions I had, to try and make sense of these contradictions was to go and see the place for myself.
Qashqai women dance during a wedding ceremony
How were you treated when you got there? Did people mistrust you as an outsider or welcome you as one of their own?
The mistrust was predominantly from the authorities, unsure what to make of a British-Iranian writer with a questionable grasp of Persian turning up at checkpoints in politically sensitive parts of the country very few tourists ever go to. The people themselves were amazingly welcoming. The hospitality culture can sometimes seem a touch cumbersome but it is guaranteed to make a lasting impression on any visitor to Iran. As a gharbzadeh – or Westernised – Iranian, I was expecting a certain amount of suspicion and hostility. Instead, I was taken aback by the amount of goodwill and support for my efforts to try and connect with my country of origin and help build trust and understanding between our two estranged cultures.
What were the most interesting parts of your travels to Iran?
The antiquity and scale of sites like Persepolis and Chogha Zanbil were incredible to witness first hand, but discovering all the different ethnicities that make up Iran was probably the most intriguing part of my travels. From Azeri Turks in the north-west to Baluchis in the south-east, each ethnic group is clearly defined by their own distinctive cultural traits. It was also great to see the nomadic existence of the Qashqai and Bakhtiari tribes still enduring against all the odds. Iran’s natural diversity also came as a great surprise, boasting everything from snow-capped mountains and jungles to deserts and salt plains.
Do people in the West tend to neglect the cultural contributions Iran/Persia have made to the world throughout history? What are they?
Iran’s contributions are too many to list – entire books have been written on the subject – and they have definitely been overlooked until very recently. For centuries Iran’s age-old adversaries, the Greeks, wrote the accepted version of the world’s ancient history. Iranians were more often than not portrayed as ruthless barbarians hell-bent on the destruction of the Western world. Recently much has been made of The Cyrus Cylinder being the supposed ‘first charter of human rights’, but this is just one celebrated example of the tolerance and social justice with which the Achaemenian dynasty ruled the first great world empire.
How has the country changed in the years since you did your trip?
The disquiet that followed the disputed 2009 re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brought out the fractious divisions within the country and the subsequent 2013 election of the reformist President Rouhani demonstrated the strong desire of a majority – though not as large as some would have you believe – for a more progressive outlook, one that takes a more pragmatic approach to foreign relations and encourages stability and economic growth.
The ruins of Persepolis in Iran’s Fars Province
Do you think Iran’s seemingly better relations with the West will continue, and can the country play an important role on the international stage in the future?
They need to. Recent developments in Syria, Iraq and Palestine have all increased the need for Iran to take an active role in the region. For the first time in decades, Iran and the West share a similar objective in stopping the spread of ISIS. This has given the Shi’i regime the perfect opportunity to prove their genuine intentions in rebuilding bridges, resolving the nuclear issue and being brought in from the cold. A responsible Iran acting in conjunction with Western governments is a fundamental first step in working towards stabilising the Middle East.
The spiritual home of the Olympiad was denied the honour of hosting the centennial Modern Olympiad games in 1996 after the International Olympic Committee expressed concern about Greece’s ability to cope with the demanding preparations. Athens was instead given a further eight years to get into shape for the Olympics, and Atlanta was chosen for the centennial celebrations in its place.
