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Waterways Tourism around Europe,
Basic Activity Principles of our Tourist Study Stay At present, waterways tourism is booming. But how can one get closely in touch with local life ? Apart
from the varied landscapes and what have become the usual consumption
tourist programmes, most visits to urban and rural destinations are taking
on the same form and lack that of the unexpected. We thus plan to develop a “Tourist Survey Activity” comprising of two basic criteria :
Our very first goal is to enable you to study a given European area of your choice and to obtain a certain knowledge of the local habitat and to heighten your awareness of a whole of economic/ecological matters, such as :
Besides the
educational benefits, you will have the opportunity to visit historic
buildings/monuments, museums, unusual archaelogical sights, natural geographic
phenomena, folklore, etc…. All of the above is an integral part of what
we call the “waterway” experience. Where will we be visiting…. ? We plan to visit all Europeen countries having a network of navigable waterways….with the citizens of every European country being able to explore particular parts of the continent that up to now would not have been possible. considering that Europe is growing with the recent addition to the “family” of another 12 nations (europeans wishing to improve their intracontinental knowledge). Obviously visitors of other continents will be very wellcome indeed. Why
this choice? Presently, out of every 100 European tourists, at least 58 % do take vacations in only their own countries or in those of their nearest neighbours.
The appropriate tool, a Waterway Catamaran Our craft, which is designed for maximum living confort and autonomy ; (see craft design features) allow you access to almost anywhere to facilitate meetings with the local population without being confined to hotel accommodation very often not avaible over there and moreover does not create the ideal atmosphere for such. Individual research through a library and Internet will provide preliminary information on the places and populations that we will be visiting. After each excursion, a “health space” on board for physical relaxation allows you to fully wind down and refresh yourself for « soirees » of dance, music, conference, conversation or………to simply think back on the days events and experiences.
The Customers being concerned Regardless of the fact that “life on board” on this catamaran is very comfortable, it is important to emphasize that our group of 10 people (including 2 professional crew) will embark together on a fact-finding survey trip. All decisions on the excursions, the outings and daily planning will be taken by commun consent. There will be no preliminary program, except the initial data that we will visit over a period of either 10 or 14 days, such and such an area, including a comprehensive listing of the possibilities it offers. It is ultimately, up to the group to decide on their exact plan for their trip. We cater particularly for people who tend to be of a more enthusiastic / sporty nature and who would not shy away from participating in the daily running of the boat. Of course, and it does go without saying, we do recommend a modicum of sensitivity in terms of economic situation, demographic and political issues, cultural behaviour, etc… pertinent to the various countries that we plan to include in our curriculum. It will be together that we develop further thoughts on these various questions. Consequently, people wanting to be introduced into a country for commercial, cultural or others reasons will be able to make a very beneficial use of these survey trips because our first goal is to establish contacts with the local population and to approach their daily running. Our survey trip will be personalized because it will be adapted to the motivations of the people we are with.
The Life on board We
do not wish to put any effort on “Consumption Tourism” ; so our fundamental
choice is to have our passengers join in, for the daily running of the
boat. Simply put (rewarding point of view) : the passengers would
take part in the manoeuvring of the craft, steering through the river
currents, taking the helm in the locks, mooring on the embankments, etc…
The
daily tasks are distributed between every body involved: ie : keeping
dogwatch , cleaning cabins, being involved in decisions pertaining to
technical issues aboard, tidying up storage space, etc.......... everything
according to the possibilities of each one. This collective everyday living experience will create an ideal climate for a stimulating living environment and will make it possible for the group to be ready for straight forward discussions and to be objective, openminded and sensitive with regard to; populations met, local practices and customs. Through the use of different media, including DVD’s, a well stocked library and Internet access our passengers will be able to fully familiarize themselves with the multiple aspects of each country which we will be visiting (at the start of our trip several hours of water cruising will be quit sufficient to get a pretty good idea and awake a spirit of curiosity ) We will engage simultaneously group discussions on the contents discovered in the various aids, and before all, what do you expect to discover, to learn, to acquire during your journey........ ? Last but not least, if you feel you could do with a good workout ; we will have on board, a range of ‘health’ and relaxation facilities which our guests will be able to avail of, including : massage, sauna, air-baths, and weight-training…. The Expeditions Ashore The boat will also have an automobile on board (allowing us to pick up our waterway cruise’passengers at the airport or railway station) and several bicycles making it possible to take trips to places of interest not easily accessible (sometimes some places wil only be accessible on foot). Before all, these places show up to be very interesting from the point of view discovery of the local population and their way of living. As said before, these trips are decided according to the désirâtas of the group and the stroke of inspirations being raised by means of the preliminary research. It matters that each one manages to satisfy its targets, put forward at the beginning of the journey, or at least partially; if the whole of the group targets show up to be very divergent.
Rendezvous at points of anchor Before
starting an expedition in a country we will have carried out as a preliminary,
a certain number of contact in the vicinity of moorings allowing us to
select local people or associations expressing the desire to dialogue
with us:
* The agricultural world……
* Cultural meeting, music, dance, theatre…..
* And what of sporting events – which type, etc…? Many questions with as many answers which will allow us to understand the local context and start to apprehend an human environment not so well known.
Our commun reflexion and what we aim to attain: Will our type of society, exclusively based on financial profit, be the good choice for the years to come….? Which could be the economic and social options in the future, that this country should retain….? What would be the ecological effects….? What we propose to you is a “discovery journey” an exciting way to experience anywhere that you may or may not have ever visited before. You will be a valued member of a small group of people with diverse ideas, opinions and different goals (which will provide a wealth of fullfilment) Not forgetting the one goal of paramount importance :
Here after you will find a small questionnaire (see – your say). We would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete it. This will be invaluable to us in helping to finalize plans and itineraries for our journeys This also enables you to have your say in the running and organisation of these excursions.
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