Winner gets chance to realise one of his dreams |05 December 2016
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), in partnership with Triip.meand with the support of Gobi Partners, FWD Hong Kong and the Seychelles Tourism Board, launched the Global Travel Entrepreneur Challenge 2016 (GTEC 2016) to nurture entrepreneurship and to celebrate the beauty of local experiences while travelling.
The GTEC is a competition for millennials and young professionals that have an interest in building and operating their own successful travel startup. Young entrepreneurs and students between the ages of 18 and 35 are encouraged to join GTEC 2016 from August 29 to November 15. They had to create tours on Triip.me that showcase their local experience and knowledge. Then get booked and review their tours and compete with other teams from around the world. The competition had $10,000 worth of cash prizes; it got more than 6,000 participants from 98 countries. The grand prize was $5,000 and a round trip to Seychelles. It was Emre Kanik of the Netherlands but living in South Korea who was the grand winner. Mr Kanik was at the Seychelles Ocean Festival Gala to collect his prize.
He tells Seychelles NATION how he did it. First he tells us how he heard about the competition.
“I signed up for being a tour guide on the Triip.me site, a special site where you could give your own personal tour. It was running a competition where it says you can win a trip to the Seychelles and some money. Going to the Seychelles has always been one of my dreams. And I was like ‘oh ok’. I didn't expect anything because I never win anything. So I just said ‘ah let me try’. You had to have a tour booked to be able to participate. And I made a tour to a very old part of Seoul where it is not so well known. It's like a sanctuary. And as I am very passionate about photography, I made it some kind of photography tour. Picked up people in the traditional Korean dress, traditional Korean place. I would take that picture to some Korean team to have a look. People liked it and booked the tour a couple of times, so I was eligible to participate in the competition. Then I won to my big surprise," said a smiling Mr Kanik.
He said he won a trip to Seychelles for four days plus $5,000. He said he always dreamed of going to the Seychelles but life's demands always got in first and as he now has a family, it became more difficult for him to realise his dream.
"I didn't think I would get the chance to come much earlier that I was thinking. I was invited by STB and PATA to come collect my prize but I have combined my winning holiday together," said Mr Kanik.
He said as much as he would love to, he could not bring his wife along as she is pregnant.
“I also have a young daughter, wish I could. But it is too far for her at this moment,” he said.
Mr Kanik finds Seychelles hot, very beautiful and unique but he says he is enjoying this weather as he is not really a fan of the cold dry winter back home. He is going back home today.