Where not to go

[Azbuceadora]

I am just back from Fiji (Taveuni) and was pretty disappointed. I had envisioned spectacular reefs but perhaps I was on the wrong island. There were some spectacular dives, for sure, but I was expecting better reefs overall. It was a long flight and expensive trip and I've had better overall trips in Hawaii and Roatan.

I also won't patronize Riding Rock again as they once cancelled the diving for the week I was to be there as there were no other divers booked.

 

[drrich2]

Whatever- potential buyers like to have heard of the destination in some manner, at lest be able to pronounce it. This last issue may cause some problem with Maldives, much as Saba stirred up in the 1970's. If I can't pronounce it, I aint going.

Lot of truth in this. When I research the Philippines online, too many strange words throw me off. It interferes with reading comprehension, making getting & retaining a 'read' on the destination harder to do, and the name of a destination is part of the 1st impression it makes with potential visitors.

One of the 1st issues I face with an exotic destination is, will I be comfortable and able to fit in there? Will most everybody speak English? Will there be air-conditioning? Will there be proper toilets, or do people crap in a hole in the floor? Will there be plenty of toilet paper? Or an outhouse or something? Can you drink the water? If you get sick, is hospital treatment readily available? If I forget tooth paste, mouth waste, deodorant or some other 'sundries' is an all-purpose store readily available? Do people bathe often & wear deodorant or are they 'nose-blind' to B.O.? And we want to know it's 'safe.'

If my mind is derailed half-way through the 1st paragraph by strange words, that's a problem.

The Bahamas and Grand Cayman, on the other hand, have such strong brand name familiarity they at least get a look/consideration.

Richard.

P.S.: After repeated readings, I'm getting a vague idea of what Puerto Galera is. But as for contrasting it with Moalboal, Anilao, Duma-whatever and that island that starts with a T. (I think), nuh-uh.

 

[Scubagolf]

I wouldn't go back to the Society Islands. It's a combination of being a long trip, very expensive, and me not being thrilled with the environmental problems and the relatively unexciting diving. I can't think of anyplace else I've been that I absolutely would not go back to. Cozumel wasn't my favorite type of diving, but the viz was fabulous and the service from Aldora was fantastic.

We will go back to the Society Islands aka French Polynesia. We been there three times, the last two times since my wife certified. One trip was on the Paul Gauguin, the other two times we stayed on a variety of the islands. Topside stuff is fantastic, possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been. Lots of big animal diving, and the Rangiroa "rocket dive" remains my wife's favorite dive of all time. It is very expensive, that is for sure, but it was relatively easy to get to from the West Coast, only eight hours or so from LA to Papeete nonstop on Air Tahiti Nui.

OTOH, we will not go back to Roatan. Very depressed local population and the diving was just not good enough.

 

[Azbuceadora]

Lot of truth in this. When I research the Philippines online, too many strange words throw me off. It interferes with reading comprehension, making getting & retaining a 'read' on the destination harder to do, and the name of a destination is part of the 1st impression it makes with potential visitors.

Having a map handy that I can mark on helps me put a "face" to the name. Then, listing the places I'm interested in and what I can expect to see/do there helps me narrow it down further. Being a visual/kinesthetic learner, these methods work well for me.

 

[mjrob]

So, again, considering your past and current destination list on your website....

Retail buyers who are just beginning to do dive travel are influenced to specific travel destinations by familiarity. This name recognition is a huge factor in selling a trip. This familiarity can come from multiple sources: from cruise ship accounts to unbiased Dive Magazine advertorials; internet research (equally unbiased); pay-for dive review newsletters of bar-sinister heritage; or accounts from past visitors who are quite eager to validate their last vacation. Whatever- potential buyers like to have heard of the destination in some manner, at lest be able to pronounce it. This last issue may cause some problem with Maldives, much as Saba stirred up in the 1970's. If I can't pronounce it, I aint going.

You say you had a negative experience in the Maldives. Since most real deal diving is done liveaboard, I would posit either you were land based or had an idiot for a boat captain. For US based travelers, the Maldives is pretty well on the opposite side of the Earth, not a lot of direct connections, although we have done the route through London, then stopped in the UAE and done some indoor skiing (just to say we did that).

I also see that your one Caribbean offering on a liveaboard is the cheapest option, and at my level of finely aged sensibilities- you couldn't get me on that barge with a gun. I suggest you offer a more upscale choice of Caribbean liveaboard. I do like that option of the out-islands of the Bahamas, which I put in the medium-hard-to-sell category.

All the rage? Wakatobi. And Raging Armpit, whadyacallit. SCUBABoard's Invasion trip to Philippines (Atlantis Puerto Galera)? Finally SB has hit it on the head. This is what the audience knows about and wants today.

I would look to an outfit with your trip spread to take me to places that I can't or won't do myself. The Galapagos is passe at this juncture, although you can really lure smart travelers with a land based offering at 1/2 the price of a confined ship board experience.

I would say that the big seller for US Divers would be Red Sea (Sharm). It is a survivable air flight, you can tie it in with an overnight+ in London (or pyramids?) and give them a whole lot of what any diver has the ability to see : Wrecks. Shallow ones.

Palau, Yap yap yap.

But again, much as I found in skiing- we would find new design and current technology ski resorts in Europe, yet all the customers wanted were the names that they had heard, like innsbruck. There is so much more. Thus continues the ongoing marketability of Cayman, Nassau, Grand Bahama and even Jamaica. Momentum goes a long way in creating perceived value and desirability. You gotta sell what sells.

Ever heard of Cuba? Boy, that's going to be a daisy-chain.

Here: Travel - Houston's Premier Scuba and Dive Shop Oceanic Ventures Inc. is what I point to as an industry model. They run lots of interesting trips, they do not overcharge participants to pay for their full staff, they do polite and interesting emails to market their trips and monthly hosted Club meetings.

They have marketing nailed, trip destination selection easily followed. When they go to a well-trodden destination, it's usually a heavy metal excursion for those tech types.

Whew.

I was on a liveaboard in the Maldives. There are nearly as many of them as there are those "cabana-over-the-water" resorts, from what I can tell. It's a long way over there, but so is PNG (waaaay better than the Maldives, and on a liveaboard there), Australian Coral Sea and GBR (on a live aboard there, too and really expected more from the locale) and the Philippines, where we'll be doing our fourth trip next Feb.

We've done multiple Aqua Cat trips and have two trips with them upcoming--and that's a hard boat to beat--but Blackbeard's has a certain appeal and that trip sold out in two weeks. I've done it and I agree, not really my cup of meat, but there are some who love that experience (and price point).

Let's see...looked at Galapagos but kind of have your impression. We have Guadalupe and Cocos Island trips upcoming that address that style and preference.

Wakatobi? Maybe. Just haven't been to check it out yet. I do like PNG. We'll be on Arenui in '16 to check out Raja Ampat. That's one tough boat to score.

We should probably do a Red Sea trip and just haven't yet. It gets rave reviews when I ask around.

Palau, Chuuk, Yap. Yep. Just haven't worked them in the schedule but need to.

Cuba? Yes. I went last year and we're finalizing the contract for a group of 18 in early December. You can read my fairly lengthy trip report on our website's travel page in our 2013 reports.

Obviously, not everything makes it to our internet site and, if you want complete information there is a lot of reading to do.

But thanks for your input. We really do appreciate it and our list of places to go is long and varied. I'm really just looking for impressions that might help us anticipate issues and make better decisions for our customers. It's all about them, after all, and we plan and conduct trips for more and more of them every year.

Thanks to all who have contributed; keep them coming. We're always anxious to learn more.