The coronary virus pandemic affected the whole world last year, but also this year. In addition to quarantine, wearing masks and social distance, the hardest thing for us was that in the previous period we could not travel, meet new cultures and cities, that we did not enjoy the sea, the sun and the sea waves. Tourism is, of course, a branch in every society that has been hit by the Covid 19 virus, and the pandemic has slowly begun to set new conditions and rules for travel. Tourist guides were in real trouble because there was no work for them. In the period when the crown was on fire, everything stopped, even travel. Natalia Vanevska, owner and director of the travel agency Perun Tours, located in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), described for Our Bureau what the current situation in tourism is, what the crown has changed, which destinations are now the most popular,

What do travel mean to you and are it your occupation or passion?

- For me, travel is an adventure, joy, passion, an opportunity to meet new countries, new cultures and upgrade. Whenever I come back from a trip, I feel richer, I feel upgraded, full and with recharged batteries.

 How long have you been in business and what is it like to have a travel agency in Dubai?

- I have been in this business for 5 years. My first profession was a pharmacist, but since we came to the Emirates with my family, that is. Dubai, somehow I spontaneously came up with the idea to turn to tourism. In order to achieve that goal, I had to get all the necessary licenses and pass a few courses, so that I could be more serious and professional in this business. First of all, I became a guide because I speak Serbian well, and Macedonian is my mother tongue (I certainly speak English), while in the meantime I completed an Arabic language course for foreigners here in Dubai. At the beginning, I worked as a guide and welcomed our tourists from the Balkans. We had various tours, excursions around Dubai and Abu Dhabi for several local agencies. After some time, I opened my own travel agency, which is an extremely big responsibility. It's a job that requires patience,

foto>Perun tuors

What do you need to prepare in order for a travel arrangement to be ready for clients?

In order to prepare a tourist arrangement, it is necessary to first check what is not allowed, what limits it, what are its virtues and how to present it to potential clients. As a tourism worker, I have to anticipate every question that will come from the client, so that I always have a ready answer. For example, why do we suggest a hotel located in the city center at a certain destination? Why is it not enough to stay for two days when traveling to a certain destination? Why is it necessary to go on a certain excursion in the afternoon? And a lot, a lot. Every arrangement we build, we build it according to the very peculiarity of that destination, in order to provide passengers with maximum pleasure and comfort, without having the feeling that everything has passed quickly. That is by no means the goal of one trip. Lately, after the world pandemic, making one arrangement requires paying more attention to even more detail than it was before the pandemic. Now, the first question that needs to be answered is: "Is a certain destination open for tourism?". Then on what the conditions are there now, what to expect when you arrive, whether the state really applies protective measures in terms of social distancing, whether it is safe and secure to travel, whether PCR is needed and how old it can be . Then there are questions about how to get a visa, what happens in case you are positive, and you need to return to your home country, whether insurance is included, what are the options in case of travel cancellation. All these questions must to get answers, before a particular arrangement is offered. Now, the first question that needs to be answered is: "Is a certain destination open for tourism?".Then on what the conditions are there now, what to expect when you arrive, whether the state really applies protective measures in terms of social distancing, whether it is safe and secure to travel, whether PCR is needed and how old it can be. 

foto>Perun tuors

Then there are questions about how to get a visa, what happens in case you are positive, and you need to return to your home country, whether insurance is included, what are the options in case of travel cancellation ... All these questions must to get answers, before a particular arrangement is offered. Now, the first question that needs to be answered is: "Is a certain destination open for tourism?". Then on what the conditions are there now, what to expect when you arrive, whether the state really applies protective measures in terms of social distancing, whether it is safe and secure to travel, whether PCR is needed and how old it can be . Then there are questions about how to get a visa, what happens in case you are positive, and you need to return to your home country, whether insurance is included, what are the options in case of travel cancellation ... All these questions must to get answers, before a particular arrangement is offered. whether the state really applies protective measures in terms of social distancing, whether it is safe and secure to travel, whether PCR is needed and how old it can be. Then there are questions about how to get a visa, what happens in case you are positive, and you need to return to your home country, whether insurance is included, what are the options in case of travel cancellation ... All these questions must to get answers, before a particular arrangement is offered. whether the state really applies protective measures in terms of social distancing, whether it is safe and secure to travel, whether PCR is needed and how old it can be. Then there are questions about how to get a visa, what happens in case you are positive, and you need to return to your home country, whether insurance is included, what are the options in case of travel cancellation ... All these questions must to get answers, before a particular arrangement is offered.

foto>Perun tuors

In addition to being the director of the agency, you are also a travel guide, and you do the job just like your colleagues. Would you say you have dedicated your life to travel?

At first, I didn't have the impression that my life was dedicated to travel, but as time goes by, I actually spend most of my time organizing trips for others. It’s a passion, I love that job and I do it with pleasure. It’s never hard or tiring for me to do that.

Why did you choose this particular job and what would you say - what are its virtues and does the job of a tour guide have any flaws?

In fact, I didn’t choose this job at first. It came somehow spontaneously, without notice, but I feel like I have always worked in tourism. Being a guide means that you are in closer contact with the passengers who have paid for that particular arrangement. It actually means that you can see which parts of that arrangement work and which don't, so that gives me a chance to fix something that doesn't work. The virtues of this invitation are that I always meet new people, new views of the world, I like to talk to my tourists when we visit Dubai or Abu Dhabi (I especially like tours to Abu Dhabi). Then we hang out, talk and after each tour, I come back with new friends. It makes me very happy and positive, and when you are positive, you spread positive energy around you and it all comes that way. When you do what makes you happy, every problem seems easy.

What have you learned about yourself and what about people while practicing this profession?

I learned about myself that I can be patient, smiling, positive and a good listener. I learned about people, that everyone needs a little attention, to give their best. When this is done, then you have a group that is satisfied and that follows your instructions, pays attention to what you say and your advice or recommendation is authoritative and relevant. This is what we, as guides, as travel workers, as travel agents, want to achieve. When we have a group that meets for the first time and that needs to spend together, say, a week, it should be organized in a subtle way, at first glance unobtrusive, but still powerful, in order to achieve the harmony we need to do our job successfully. satisfaction to all participants in that process. This way of communication is the key to successful business in any profession.

What does a day, week or month at work look like in general, when do you go on vacation and how long does it last, considering that you work when people are resting?

There are actually no working hours in this business. However, mostly, the day starts with at least 5-6 messages that I receive via whatsapp, messenger, viber, a few emails ... We always work for future reservations, the beginning of the month for us is the middle or the middle of the month is actually the end of that month . We always plan for future holidays, what to offer. We have no planned free time, free weekend, especially when it is travel season. We rest out of season.

The corona virus also affected travel. How did that affect you personally, and how did your profession in general?

The corona virus has hit tourism the hardest. Tourism is a branch that in every society is highly dependent on the common good, security and safety of one country, and the whole world. For example, when a natural disaster occurs in a country, the first endangered branch of agriculture is tourism, and the last to recover. It is the same with the corona pandemic. Tourism is the branch that was the first to be affected and, unfortunately, the last to recover. Perun Tours is a small agency that was not much affected because of that. Small companies like Perun Tours, in such conditions, do not have such large costs that they have to reimburse, which is why they manage successfully. Perun Tours, which was mainly oriented towards bringing tourists to the Emirates, realized during the pandemic that it needed to reorient itself towards the local market, so we did that.

foto>Perun tuors

What is the situation now when it comes to tourism, from your point of view?

At the moment, tourism is still recovering from the terrible blow it received. 2021 is a year that will not be much different from 2020. In my opinion, tourism will return completely to its feet in 2023 at the earliest. Until then, there will be a lot of ups and downs. That is why I think that in this period, things should be considered with a lot of caution and without excessive costs.

Which destinations do you take tourists to and when would you have to, which destinations would you single out as the ones that remained in your particularly dear memory, and which fascinated you?

After the pandemic, the most popular destinations are the Maldives, followed by the Seychelles, as exotic destinations. The next most visited destination is Georgia. Georgia and the Emirates have had mutual cooperation in the field of tourism for several years. Residents of the Emirates, regardless of the passport they have, can stay in Georgia without a visa, vaccinated travelers do not have to do a PCR test, and that is the main reason why it is a hit destination at the moment. Staying in Georgia suits every budget, which also affects the choice of where to travel after the world quarantine.

related topics - https://www.nasbiro.com/biro-story/international-p...

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