Ever fantasized about going
on a safari in Tanzania?
How about horseback riding
across the Atlas Mountain range in
Morocco? You may be able to make
your dreams come true.
Sports Evasion, the exclusive agent
for a French government-funded
organization called UCPA (union of
centers for outdoors sports activities),
is organizing some exotic
excursions to far-off destinations.
“If you like hiking, and you’d like to
visit Nepal, you can go hiking in
Nepal. It’s a different way to discover
a country. It’s sports tourism,” says Eva
Aouad, manager of Sports Evasion.
Every year more than 250,000 people
and 350 school groups partake in
UCPA tours. The excursions, says
Bassam Turk, owner of Sports Evasion,
are priced affordably for
young people. They allow individuals
to express their personality
through sports and experience living in multi-cultural communities. “It’s a very social goal – it’s
very French,” says Turk.
UCPA publishes two catalogues annually, each offering
about 5,000 different tours. More than 60 outdoor activities
in over 40 countries are available.
Clients can pick itineraries that best suit their level of expertise.
Multi-sport programs, such as mountain biking, hiking,
kayaking and windsurfing, are also available. Turkey, Crete,
and the Canary Islands are popular destinations for these
activities. Packages include airline tickets, accommodation,
three meals a day, sporting equipment and insurance. Prices
range from $650 for a one-week excursion to nearby
Greece, Crete or Turkey, all the way up to $3,500 for a 21-
day hiking trip in Peru.
Since Sports Evasion opened in November 1998, it has
booked 150 UCPA trips. Last summer business was bad
because of the earthquakes in Turkey and Greece, the two
most popular summer destinations for the Lebanese. But it
has picked up since winter, with organized ski trips to such
exotic European resorts as Chamonix Aiguilles, Les Deux
Alpes Venosc proving very popular.
Turk and Aouad opened Sports Evasion to offer the
Lebanese UCPA’s diverse selection of tours. But now the two
are on a related mission to give people living in foreign countries
the chance to explore Lebanon. “Our main aim is to
make Lebanon a destination in the 2001 summer catalogue,”
says Aouad. UCPA is keen to offer a 12-day trek
through the mountains. Hikers would start in the Chouf,
move to Tannourine, and finish their adventure in the
North. Eventually, the company hopes to add rafting along
the Awali River to the program.
“We have a very good rafting season, especially when there
is a lot of snow,” says Turk. Meanwhile he has been trying
to raise the profile of his new travel company. Last month,
Sports Evasion organized the Lipton Snowblast, an aerobatics
ski and snowboard show in Faraya. The event
attracted 18 foreign athletes and will be broadcast on European
sports channels and LBC.
“It gives us exposure and people get to know what kind of
notoriety we have,” says Turk.
The company also distributes leaflets at popular health
clubs and at Crepaway restaurants as well as providing information
by direct mail. Turk also believes that most people hear about Sports Evasion by word of mouth.
While Sports Evasion receives a commission
from the UCPA for the business it generates, the
company has been looking for additional ways to
generate revenue.
“It takes about two years to be on the right track and
at least five years to have a healthy sales volume,
that’s why we created our other products,” says Turk.
Besides UCPA tours, the company offers trips to
international sporting events, such as Formula 1 racing
and Wimbledon.
It is also diversifying into other
areas, such as tours for senior citizens
and Christian pilgrimages.
But whatever the challenges,
Turk remains very enthusiastic
about the potential of sports
tourism in this country.
“It’s a new product,” he says
enthusiastically, “and there’s not
much competition yet.”
21 days in Nepal
Suha Naimy, a young geography teacher,
dreamed of trekking in the Himalayas.
She spent nearly a year inquiring at
countless local travel agencies, but to no
avail. Finally, she discovered Sports Evasion,
which booked her on a UCPA (union
of centers for outdoors sports activities) trip
to Nepal. When Naimy arrived in Katmandu,
she met up with 13 other adventurers
from France. “I was the only person
from Lebanon,” she says.
Led by two guides – one Swiss and the
other Nepalese – the group spent 11
days in the Himalayas, camping, trekking,
and rafting.
“I still remember the feeling – it’s fresh in
me and gives me energy,” she says.
The expedition gave her the chance to
mingle with people from different cultures
and the group still keeps in contact
via e-mail. Besides the trekking, Naimy
spent a week sightseeing in Katmandu.
The 21-days trip cost $1,700, including
airfare, the all-inclusive UCPA tour, and a
two-night stay in a hotel. “I couldn’t
believe it – I was expecting something
like $3,000,” she says. Naimy is already
planning another adventure. “I want to
go on a safari in Kenya and trek and
camp in Kilimanjaro,” she says.
Free riding in France
A lawyer by profession, Karim Eid is passionate about skiing. He
has twice gone on UCPA skiing trips to the French resorts of Argentiere
and Val d’Isere. But Eid prefers the more daring form of skiing
called free riding in which skiers challenge uncharted and often
dangerous slopes. Free riders climb to areas where chair lifts don’t
go in search of powdery slopes with 40 to 60 degree inclines. “You
have to walk a lot,” says Eid. “But it’s a great sensation skiing on
that snow.” Because of the risks involved in free riding, expert
guides accompany the groups and skiers are equipped with safety gear in case of emergencies. “The
trips I like to go on are specialties, so
they are more expensive,” says Eid. But
at $1,150 each, the one-week all-
inclusive
packages are reasonably
priced. “Everything was included – the
airline ticket, equipment, hotel accommodation,
meals. If I did these trips independent of UCPA, it would
cost four to five times more.” Both trips gave Eid the chance to
meet other free riding zealots, and he enjoyed it so much that he
is heading for the slopes again next month.
