The FINANCIAL interviewed Maia Ramishvili, Director of Vanilla Sky. Vanilla Sky is an international tour operator which owns a private airfield, a couple of planes and helicopter. What the company offers is certainly worth your interest.
Q. Your company offers many different tourist packages. Which ones are the most demanded?
A. The most demanded destination is Turkey. We offer the lowest prices for 2 star hotels and the highest prices for 7 star hotels. Not many tour operators can make this kind of offer, but we can because we have many reliable and strong partners.
As I’ve already mentioned we try to offer exotic destinations, which we call Vanilla Holidays-DreamTours. Vanilla Holidays include such destinations as Goa, Cuba, Sao Paolo,Nepal…
Also we recommend our special product Vanilla Moments. It’s an unforgettable journey. You experience sunrise in the mountainous village Ushguli in Svaneti, ‘the highest permanently inhabited point in Europe,’ which gives a stunning view of Mt. Shkhara (5,068m) the highest peak in Georgia and end the perfect day watching the sunset on a Black Sea beach following a luxurious restaurant dinner with a view of the famous dancing fountains. We call these “Vanilla Moments” – the inspiring occasions that distinguish Vanilla Sky from all other travel companies.
Vanilla Sky offers unforgettable weekends and short tours for those who wish to discover Georgia in all its beauty but are limited in time. Our weekend tours cost round EUR 470, which is a low price if we compare it with prices abroad. With our private aircraft means, we give clients the opportunity to visit any part of Georgia by spending just one hour of flight to reach any point of destination within the country.
Q. When was Vanilla Sky established, what experience did you have in the tourism sector prior to it?
A. The company was established in November, but we actively started working in January. From January we took part in different tourism exhibitions in Georgia and abroad. Some were in Berlin, Istanbul, Riga,Kiev, etc. It was necessary to build a business network which is extremely important. We tried to reach exotic destinations that are not usually visited by Georgians. Today we have reliable partners in Argentina, Mexico, Malaysia, Brazil, Seychelles, Goa, Cuba and other exotic places. With all these destinations Vanilla Sky can do what others can’t do. It depends on your budget and the level of exclusivity you are looking for. Your dreams, our wings!
And this is said in our slogan: Dreams have wings!
Plus we are the only tourism company in Georgia which has its own airfield, private planes and helicopters.
Q. Vanilla Sky has its own airfield and avia taxis. How big is the demand for avia taxis? Who are the major clients here?
A. Avia-Taxi was established in the summer of 2004 at Natakhtari airdrome and has since been a very efficient air commuter service flying throughout Georgia. We’ve been flying passengers and cargo to Telavi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Kobuleti, Poti, Mestia, Zugdidi, Senaki, etc.
Due to the complex geography and large variations in seasonal weather conditions an air taxi might often be the only way to get to some locations. These charters are serviced with the exceptional Cessna aircraft (Cessna 172 and 182) and a helicopter MI8. The average time of a typical one way flight to a destination within Georgia is 1 hour. This gives us additional flexibility and makes our offers uniquely different. We can take tourists anywhere they want.
Q. What are the main advantages of Vanilla sky compared with other international tour operators in Georgia?
A. First of all it’s the fact that we have our own planes and helicopter. They are needed for taking tourists to the destinations where getting by car is very difficult. Georgia is a mountainous country and there are many places which tourists are willing to see, but they don’t even know about them. Plus travelling by car is too tiresome. But Vanilla Sky has it all. With us you can get to Svaneti in an hour and 20 minutes, instead of 12 hours. Of course helicopters are more expensive, but those who want to pay more for better service and a comfortable tour normally don’t hesitate.
Q. You also have an avia school. How many pilots have undergone trainings at your school and is that training enough to fly a plane?
A. Vanilla Sky together with Service Air gives people the opportunity to learn how to fly and operate various aircrafts and receive a pilot certificate, allowing you to fly anywhere, anytime. The price of the training course is from EUR 7,000 to EUR 8,000. This is very low price if we compare it with Europe where each course costs EUR 27,000.
The minimum time you need to have spent flying to receive your certificate is 40 hours. Later on you can decide if you want to upgrade your certificate to instrument and multiengine ratings, or the commercial grading, as well as receive high performance and complex airplane endorsements.
There were 50 military pilots from the Ministry of Defence who underwent trainings at our centre and 24 persons took private pilot’s license.
Our programmes and courses are tailored to meet our clients’ needs and make their training enjoyable. The more frequently you fly, the sooner you get your license, and the less it costs. Another important thing is that while undergoing this training, people have the option to take part in planning their own flight course.
The price of the course depends on the aircraft you choose, and the time you spend flying it. The minimum hours are defined by the Civil Aviation Administration of Georgia in accordance with ICAO recommendations, and our standards meet the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA). You can fly the very first day you visit the avia school.
You will study flight characteristics of different aircraft makers and models, aeronautical operations and procedures, communication with air traffic control, and proficient use of today’s advanced navigation technology including Global Positioning System. In the future you can enrol in our club and use our aircraft for your pleasure. Plus, Club membership has a long list of advantages.
Q. How safe is it to fly private planes within the territory of Georgia, isn’t there a risk from foreign air forces?
A. It’s very safe first of all because of the fact that there is less traffic in Georgian air space than in other countries. The risk of being hit by Russian air forces is close to zero if you’re not on what they consider their territory.
This conflict situation with Russia has brought about many difficulties for our company. The biggest problem is that because of not being able to fly over Tskhinvali we have to use alternative routes. This increases the time needed to get to the final destination, for example flying from Natakhtari to Svaneti should take 45 minutes, but at the moment can take up to an hour and 20 minutes. The only good thing about using alternative routes is that we are being sure to be on the safe side.
Q. Do you think that tourism in Georgia is a good sector to invest in?
A. What I can honestly say is that our business hasn’t returned the total amount of investment that was put into it. Maybe this is just because we are young company. The main thing here is that we are doing what we enjoy. People who work at Vanilla Sky are themselves fond of travelling. This is great because we have more potential for idea generation than other companies do. And the best ideas are then fitted to customers’ needs. So I think that this sector has potential and we should invest in it.
Q. What kind of marketing strategy does Vanilla Sky have?
A. We are working on it. Up till now everything we did was connected with making links with as many possible partners. Now we are ready for more aggressive marketing campaigns. Whatever it is, we at Vanilla Sky highlight the exclusivity which is the core of our business. This is reflected in both our foreign and local tours.
Q. Which regions of Georgia are most often visited by foreign tourists?
A. Obviously the mountains of Georgia are most often chosen by foreign tourists. Tusheti,Svaneti,Khevsureti is very popular. It’s true that Georgia has a wonderful seaside, but other countries have seasides too. For this reason foreigners are more interested in seeing the contrast of the Georgian mountains.
Q. Do you have any discounts for your loyal customers?
A. We have a Vanilla Club. The membership of this club gives a lot of benefits to its clients: Invitational Programmes, journeys created by Vanilla Sky travel experts exclusively for our members, 5% savings off the cost of land arrangements on most Vanilla Sky offers, applicable after the first trip, priority waitlist on sold-out journeys acknowledgement and gifts while travelling. In addition to all that you as a member of our club have an opportunity to share your photographs with the world and win future travel credit through our annual photo contest. Exclusive email announcements and online offers are also available only to members.
Q. Georgia is an ancient country with rich cultural heritage and traditions. This is the country where Europe started. But do you think that this is the only thing that tourists want to see in Georgia? What are key directions for Georgia to focus on in terms of being popular as a tourist destination and what are its current advantages?
A. The climate of Georgia is extremely diverse, considering the country’s small size. Here we have a subtropical zone, humid subtropical to continental zone, semi-desserts, mountains, sea. In one hour you can ski in the highest mountains in Europe and the next hour be swimming in the black sea. Our traditions and historic monuments are just part of this unique mixture and combined this is what should make Georgia a dream destination.
Written By Levan Lomtadze
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