Incentive Travel In Morocco
Discover Ltd
Summary Of Information
  1. Name of Company:
  2. Location of Offices/Study Centres:
  3. Languages Skills:
  4. Number of years in Business:
  5. Samples of Trips run in Morocco: See attachment A

  6. Contacts with Moroccan Government: See attachment B

  7. Description of how we can address the concept of Eco-Challenge and Discovery Communications mission statement: See attachment C

  8. Sample lists of Clients for whom we have run trips for in Morocco: Can be provided

  9. Staff support provided for each group and description of on-the-ground personnel services that we provide to each group.See attachment E

  10. Recommendations and plans to independently manage two trips - US and International See attachment F

  11. Unique services and properties that we can provide: See attachment G

  12. Timeline for planning and executing the trip not included for WEB

  13. The type of activities/visits that we would propose to offer for these trips - to be discussed.: See attachment I

  14. Other information to consider : See attachment J

Attachment A
Samples of Trips run in Morocco:

Discover Ltd. have worked in Southern Morocco and The High Atlas for 20 years. We specialise in taking groups to the remoter areas of this fascinating country. We have developed deep links with the local Berber community. In 1989 we started the process which led to the development of our Study Centre "The Kasbah du Toubkal" in the High Atlas near Marrakech. It was the former base of a Glaoui Caid. Our contacts, resources and specialised knowledge enable us to organise a range of tours that will allow you to achieve your objectives. The range of our services include:

Discover offers a personal friendly service dedicated to arranging tailor made trips which meet your objectives.

The following are samples of the tours that we have/are running :

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Attachment B
Contacts with Moroccan Government:

The purchase of our centre "The Kasbah du Toubkal" in the Toubkal National Park necessitated substantial dealings with the Moroccan administration as it required changing the use of the Land from Agricultural use to Tourism. This is viewed as something very difficult indeed to achieve and necessitated prolonged dealings with the Moroccan administration including several meetings with The Minister of Tourism and the Director for Foreign Investments plus liasing with the Minister of Agriculture.

In the Imlil area in the Toubkal Massif we have excellent contacts with the local Governor, Super Caid and Caid. These have arisen both as a result of our own investment in the area and because we have tried to ensure that the local community in general gains from our involvement. The following projects have been achieved since the completion of the initial renovation of the Kasbah du Toubkal in 1995:

We not only have excellent contacts with the Government appointed officials - Governor, Super Caid and Caid but also with the local representatives the Sheikh and Muquadum and the whole of the local community in general. Our operation of The Kasbah du Toubkal is managed by our local Manager Omar Ait Bahmed - a local mountain guide. Mike McHugo's relationship with Omar and the local village community has been built up slowly over the last 20 years.

In summary we consider ourselves to have excellent contacts both with the administration at Rabat and the local representatives of the Government - Governor, Super Caid and Caid. As importantly or perhaps more so as far as making local things happen we have the confidence of the whole local community and it was this that allowed the filming of "Kundun" to pass off so smoothly. Imlil is a remote area and was considered a very difficult location to film in. The fact that it worked so smoothly was in no small way due to the goodwill and trust that we have built up. Omar our manager was employed to look after all the local logistics and transportation by mule etc both during the 4 weeks preparation and on the day of the shoot hiring in approx. 100 local Berbers and Mules. In short the rebuilding of the Kasbah and the smooth running of a major shoot in Imlil means that we are capable of arranging most things to happen in this spectacular area.

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Attachment C
Description of how we can address the concept of Eco-Challenge and Discovery Communications mission statement:

The Eco-Challenge is a major undertaking. By choosing Morocco, Discovery Communications has shown that it is prepared to expose itself to a certain level of uncertainty and move out of the comfort zone. Such undertakings will be difficult to organise in any location. The infrastructure and culture of Morocco will be a challenge. The very choice of Morocco underlines "Explore Your World"

With 20 years of experience of running trips in this exceptionally varied country we will take your clients off the beaten track in an adventurous but secure environment. The Imperial City of Marrakech, Camel riding, a night in a Nomadic tent, The magnificent splendour of the decaying Kasbah of Telouet, and the magnificent people of Morocco will leave indelible memories with your clients. The visit to the Kasbah du Toubkal Discover's Study Centre in Imlil near Marrakech will show your clients a culture little chanaged for centuries. The warmth of the locals is tangible. Discover Ltd has just been awarded a Green Globe Achievement Award for its work in Imlil and we are sure your clients will value the opportunity of visiting this exceptional location.

The choice of Morocco as the destination for the 1998 Eco-Challenge will be rewarded as its variety of scenery and peoples is truely exceptional and we will help your clients have that experience of a lifetime.

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Attachment E
Staff support provided for each group and description of on-the-ground personnel services that we provide to each group.

One of the strengths of the Discover team is the completly different but complementary skills that are brought to bear by the McHugo brothers and the exceptional personnel that we have on the ground to organise that unique experience.

The exact arrangement of staff attached to each group would depend on the final program that is decided but key members of our staff that are likely to be involved in the planning and execution of your trips are likely to include:

Chris McHugo is non-executive Chaiman of Discover Ltd and former Arthur Andersens consultant and is now an independent consultant working in the financial sector on strategic IT projects. Chris first visited Morocco back in 1969 and has visited the country on a regular basis since the purchase of the Kasbah back in 1989. His skills, background and vision allow him to see the "large picture" and is an expert in seeing things ahead. This provides Discover Ltd with a forward vision and planning possibilities rarely found in an Organisation of our size.

Mike McHugo is the full time Managing Director of Discover Ltd. and brings a completely different set of skills to the team and is very much a hands on manager. Mike is a Moroccan expert having travelled extensively running the majority of Discovers tour in the early years - there are not many places in southern Morocco that Mike has not visited. It was Mike's friendship and professional relationship with Omar Ait Bahmed, built up over many years, that led to Discover purchasing The Kasbah du Toubkal and rebuilding it.

This relationship is well expressed in a report to the Board of Management of PGL, a major player in the UK leisure industry, following a reconaisance visit to the Kasbah du Toubkal towards the completion of the renovation in August 1995.

The company is effectively run by Mike McHugo who lives in the French centre. He has the detailed knowledge of the operation and has built up personal relationships around Imlil which are impressively deep. As you walk through the villages people constantly come up to you and ask when Mike will next be coming. The project (rebuilding of the Kasbah) has been supported by the Governor of the Province and the locals , throughout my stay local village elders were wandering into the Kasbah to see the work and to drink tea. His brother Chris is a management consultant and is company chairman. They are therefore an usual mix of the quixotic and the practical. The company are members of ABTA holds an ATOL licence and PSV operators licence. They have very firm views about their relationship with the country with sustainable tourism and approprate operating methods. They are very caring and personable but extremely business like and practical.

Omar Ait Bahmed is the day to day manager of our Centre The Kasbah du Toubkal. He is a fully qualified mountain guide, Ski instructor and an inhabitant of Imlil. He is an amazingly resourceful individual and well respected in the local area - a memeber of the village association. Omar was sent by the Moroccan Government to France to gain the French ski qualifications. He was employed as the local MR FIX IT during the filming of Martin Scorsese's film "Kundun". The location and production managers were very impressed with his services.

Olivier Deseez is Discover's Operations Manager and is based out of Marrakech. A French national also speaking fluent English/Spanish and reasonable German, Arabic and Berber. Olivier joined the full time staff of Discover Ltd in 1997 and has already led many of Discover's trips concentrating on Marrakech/High Atlas and the desert. Prior to this he had worked in Morocco for 2 years seconded by the French government to work at Agadir University where one of his achievements was to organise a cultural/musical event with other countries from Africa. He has recently completed an M.A. from London in Mediterranean Studies and his first degree majored in "British Policy in Vichy Morocco" so he has great practical and academic knowledge of Morocco.

Lionel Le Loguiec is a French national also speaking fluent English, Spanish and Arabic. He was formerly trained in France in the Hotel and Catering Industry. He spent 12 years in Algeria before moving to Morocco 5 years ago where he has lived in Marrakech and has been working in the tourist industry since then. He is a keen artist and has recently had his own exhibition in Marrakech. Some of his paintings decorate the Kasbah walls.

Jim Thorpe a former director of PGL has 30 years experience in the leisure and activity industry , the holder of a commercial pilots licence owning his own aircraft and airstrip. He is a fluent French speaker and now acts as a consultant in the leisure industry. He would be used as necessary to help co-ordinate the operation and in particular making use of his extensive knowledge, contacts and practical experience in transport by light aircraft. He would co-ordinate the bringing in from Europe of the hot air balloon and light aircrafts as required.

Other key members of our team who regularly run tours in Morocco Include our academic advisers who are all University graduates and include : Julian Hodgson, Jeremy Hackney, Julia Harrison, Catharine Chadwick, Daryoush Keramatian, Anne and Andy Johnstone.

Local guides and other operators

Over the 20 years we have been operating in Morocco we have built up excellent contacts with local guides and service providers in southern Morocco and these would be used to provide the "local flavour" so important to the overall success and that special experience provided to the participants. Specific activity instructors would be brought in from our many contacts.

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Attachment F
Recommendations and plans to independently manage two trips, US and International:

Since your client base is to be treated as 2 separate groups we propose to create two separate itineraries only sharing the Eco-Challenge events. The experience open to each group will be broadly similar but delivered in a different order. Due to timetables and travel time it may not be possible to give both groups all the same experiences.

Within each group options will be offered to allow for the differing personal wishes and physical ability and energy levels on that particular day of the varying members. This will ensure that participants can choose an experience that they will enjoy without ever feeling that they have got on a rollercoaster and can not get off.

International travellers do not like to travel like mass tourists and the methods of transport need to be small enough to allow for this and to cater as much as possible for the individuals wishes - be it taking photographs, purchasing souvenirs from a road side vendor or stopping for a coffee. This means that we would suggest Land Rovers - they can take 6pax but we would recommend 4pax per vehicle and/or minibuses which can take 14 but would suggest 8 per vehicle. These smaller vehicles will allow the greater flexibility required.

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Attachment G
Unique services and properties that we can provide:

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Attachment I
Sample Trip Details International VIP Itinerary: