Uttara Sarkar Crees runs journeys that are as unplugged as they come. Her company, Gyalthang Eco Travel, takes people to remote regions of the Tibetan Plateau and places that are off the beaten track. She talks to WIT about how technology is changing traveller behaviour and how a boutique agency like hers is faring in today’s world of commoditised travel.
Q: You were born in Uganda, educated in India, started Tiger Tops in Nepal and as if that weren’t remote enough, you chose to move to Zhongdian (Shangri-La, China) to set up Gyalthang Eco Travel. What’s this connection you have with remote locations? Is it harder for women to work in and travel to remote locations?

A: I have always wanted to explore remote regions ever since I was a little girl and perhaps since my first journey to Belgian Congo with my father and first encounter with a mountain gorilla. I have always been drawn to the chance to explore frontier regions and experience the challenges of remote region travel and learn from the experience. It is definitely harder for women to work in remote regions but these challenges make you learn and grow and see things in new and different ways. One gets a new perspective on life.


Q: Does it thus bother you all this obsession travellers have with devices – how has it changed the behaviour of customers on your trips? Because I presume that people who travel with you are looking to really escape to remote places?

A: Yes sometimes this obsession with devices bothers me – the need to always be in contact means the present moment and experience can escape people. Devices present a problem and are intrusive when the richness of the present moment is sacrificed. Devices should be used to really capture the moment and make life and work simple. They should not be used to while away time in inane chat. Guests sometimes get more preoccupied with the devices than experiencing people and experiences during their journey.

On the other hand I have seen some wonderful blogs and stories that people have written on the spot as they happen. A journey though can be a personal pilgrimage, of getting away from one’s daily life and having a chunk of time to just think and experience without any devices to pull you back to your usual life.

Q: Does it also bother you how technology-driven the travel industry has become – Expedia, 10 years, changed travel and how it’s booked; TripAdvisor changed the way people choose hotels; Google, well, that’s completely changed the way people search for stuff, especially travel; and Facebook – that’s brought social networking to a whole new level. How do all these mega trends impact a company like yours?

A: Yes it does sometimes bother me how travel has changed. Some of the mystery has gone. Some of the excitement of research over weeks and months has gone. Everything is instantly available.

One cannot open many websites here in Zhongdian and Facebook does not work, so it is different. But it is always a surprise when people tell you of travel information that they have accessed. It is good that people can find us. A good portion of our business comes by word of mouth recommendation. We need to find a simple way of taking advantage of these mega trends without being tech-driven where we are.

Q: What new customer trends are you seeing – more travellers from Asia willing to be more adventurous and travelling independently? Or is your market still the intrepid Americans, Europeans and Australians?

A: The bulk of our business is still intrepid Americans, Australians and Europeans but we are seeing a steady growth of Asian visitors, really equal numbers of men and women but women once hooked on a remote area or special interest journey, we find, are likely to return and bring more like-minded friends – active, open minded, adventurous women.

Q: You are a traveller at heart. So if you were a destination, what would you be? And why?

A: If I were a destination, I would like to be a remote, pristine and natural destination that has a chance to exist for a long time, like Qinghai plateau. Why – perhaps because a remote destination can expect less impact and survive longer and the beauty of these remote regions is so pure.

Q: Finally, in 5 years time, what would you want people to say about you – that her greatest achievement is ….

A: I would like to be known for producing some extraordinary journeys and experiences, living the extraordinary journeys, and to be known for having contributed towards the understanding and practice of sustainable tourism and sustainable cultural conservation.