 Khiri Travel aims to open new markets for Spanish speaking B2B tour operators who wish to discover authentic local travel in Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Maldives.
Multiple award-winning Khiri Travel is bringing 23 years of Southeast Asian DMC experience to Madrid for FITUR, 18-22 January.
At the event, Khiri will be represented at booth 6A35 by innovative managers, Gonzalo Gil Lavedra, General Manager of Khiri Travel Sri Lanka & Maldives, and Florencia Allo Moreno, Country Manager of Khiri Travel Vietnam. They have extensive DMC management experience in Southeast Asia combined with in-depth knowledge of their current destinations, Sri Lanka and Vietnam (read more about Gonzalo and Florencia below).
Florencia says that Khiri Travel distinguishes itself from other DMCs in Asia by focusing on in-depth local knowledge, highly informative local guides and showing natural community life in inspirational settings.
For example, in Hanoi, Florencia has introduced a back lane tour of the Old Quarter where guests see Tai Chi being practised and discover amazing Hanoi street food snacks such as baguettes, grilled pork and noodles and ‘egg coffee’ in hidden cafes.
In Sri Lanka, Gonzalo has introduced informal six-a-side cricket for guests in the 500-year-old heritage city of Galle in the south coast followed by a gin and tonic and a tour of the ancient ramparts overlooking the Indian Ocean.
When Khiri does visit iconic locations, they do it right. In popular places such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Myanmar and the Grand Palace in Bangkok Khiri guides take an alternative approach.
“For example, we enter Shwe Dagon Pagoda by a back entrance and talk to fortune tellers,” says Florencia. “In Angkor we discover the quieter temples away from the crowds early in the morning. In Bangkok, as well as the Grand Palace, we take guests on a back street walking tour through the historic Rattanakosin heritage district nearby.”
Says Gonzalo: “It’s about doing the major highlights right then moving on to surprising local discoveries where we get close to people and their traditional customs in a respectful way. There is always surprise and delight just around the corner.”
To date, Khiri Travel’s main B2B markets have been Netherlands, UK, Germany and the USA. “We feel it’s the right time to show Spanish and Portuguese speaking markets the amazing cultural diversity of Asia,” said Gonzalo.
In the last five years, Khiri Travel has won awards such as “Best DMC Worldwide”, “Best Travel Agency – Indochina”, “Best Responsible Tourism Website”, “Inbound Travel Operator of the Year”, and the Pacific Asia Travel Association Grand Award for Heritage and Culture -- for a tented camp project in Cambodia. A list of recent Khiri Travel awards can be inspected here.
For an appointment to meet Khiri Travel’s Gonzalo or Florencia at FITUR, email travel.trade@khiri.com. |
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 About Gonzalo Gil Lavedra
Since joining Khiri Travel in 2013, Argentinian national Gonzalo has been Khiri Travel branch manager in Phuket, Thailand and in Bali, Indonesia, where he was responsible for opening the Khiri Bali office and adding signature travel experiences in Flores, Java, Sulawesi and Bali. Since May 2016 he has been General Manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Gonzalo has previously lived and worked in Laos, Thailand, and Indonesia. He is renowned for his passionate commitment to going local. Nearly all of his travel  discoveries are made with his wife Orana and their 5-year old son, Astor, and 3-year daughter, Antigona. Some of the things he loves about Sri Lanka: dining on a special dish of sumptuous curry crab in a modest family home in a Colombo suburb; feasting on a wide range of Sinhalese dishes on a mat in the grounds of a 1,800-year old temple in Anaradhapura; elephant spotting from a stilt house in Habarana; and taking a heritage bicycle ride and picnic with a local family in Kandy. “I’m diving deep into Sri Lankan and Maldivian culture and travel,” he says. “I love the discovery. I want to take fellow travellers along for the ride with me through Khiri Travel.” |
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 About Florencia Allo Morena
A native of Argentina, Florencia joined Khiri Travel in early 2014 as sales manager and quickly rose to become country manager. She formerly worked for Vueling Airlines in Barcelona in sales. Based in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Florencia is passionate about going local in Vietnam. Says Florencia: “Vietnam has it all, and spending some days in the land of dragons and limestone mountains is always an experience and an unforgettable journey. I love islands and beach stays. Phu Quoc is without question one of my favorite places in the world.”
An online webinar of some of Florencia’s Vietnam travel recommendations for tour operators can be seen here.
Discover Southeast Asia on Khiri Travel’s YouTube channel here. |
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