So, a few weeks on after the mad decision to build a “luxury” bamboo camp in the middle of a rural Moroccan village, how are we doing?
Well, there is progress, which is very exciting. However, I’m not sure if there’s quite enough. With the plans drawn and the timetable set (3 weeks – 3 bamboo huts), there was no time to sit and ponder all the details, rather full steam ahead. Since the “Go! Go! Go!” command was made two weeks ago, the materials have been bought and delivered, the land smoothed out, an entrance constructed and the bamboo huts have stated to be erected.
The general (vague) strategy is:- shower-toilet block, kitchen-café block, hut 1, hut 2, hut 3…Done?! Well, that plus the procurement of furnishings, bedding, white goods, lighting, etc, as well as installing the water pump and connecting the electricity…But I’m confident that with the right combination of enthusiasm and planning we will get there, no problem.
Other exciting things to get on with include marketing and community relations. The marketing part is quite a challenge. I need to get our name out there asap to ensure that we can get some booking in for this summer. The majority of our publicity will be online, and after that we will just have to ensure that we provide an excellent service, create a great reputation and get people to recommend us to their friends. In terms of ‘online’ we will firstly be launching our website (simple, budget design for the first year) and using services like TripAdviser and Hostels.com to list us. This is how we have always publicised our other place and it has worked really well, you just have to make sure you ALWAYS get positive reviews!
Regarding community relations, I mean striking a deal with the locals. I am wholly aware that our presence in the area will have an impact on their lives and we have to make sure that this impact is positive. We have tried hard from the very beginning to build up good relationships with the villagers, however, as anyone from a small rural village would, they are apprehensive about our presence. There are families who believe that we could be a benefit to their village, and have welcomed us into their homes open armed, they have offered their services and given us plenty of advice. However, I am conscious that there is still a group watching us from a distance, trying to decide whether they like us or not. I know that without their support this business will not be a success, we need to create the right atmosphere for the visitors and we need their cooperation. For this reason I want to ensure that our lines of communication are always open. I would like them to be involved in the enterprise as much as possible, to play a part in this cultural exchange, to ensure that this is a rich experience for all involved. Therefore, I will take care to keep them up-to-date on our plans, give them an opportunity to raise their concerns and to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Basically, I am talking about respect.
Last but not least, I hope to create our responsible tourism policy (with the input from those in the industry). This policy will outline how, operationally, we intend to make sure that we do not damage the environment physically and culturally. Furthermore, this will include a charter requesting visitors to respect our norms and policy.