My Odyssey Tours 2016: Year in Review

Each and every day, we have been racking our brains to find out what can be done to improve the experience of our customers. As 2016 enters its homestretch, it is high time that we stepped back to look at the bigger picture and asked ourselves these very questions: How was our service this year? What did customers say about us? What did we do to benefit society as responsible tour operators?

Our Customers in 2016

Couples, as always, accounted for the lion's share (55%) of our customers. Lovers, newlyweds, and long-married partners traveling with us were entitled to a peculiar, personalized experience. On their anniversaries, they could ask for romantic settings to be set up in their hotel rooms. If they had hotel coupons, a double SPA could also be added to the schedule, which made the experience even sweeter.

Romantic settings in hotel rooms for couple travellers

Families with kids came in second, representing about 20%. A wide range of family-bonding activities like kayaking and tandem bicycle or tricycle riding were thoughtfully chosen; educational itineraries were also taken into account: nursing and bathing cubs helped younger participants develop a sense of responsibility, while pottery and cooking classes sharpened their artistic and life skills.

Scenic Cycling Arranged for Family with Kids

As for senior clients, a lighter schedule had been arranged to ensure a less strenuous experience; we had also skipped those physically demanding attractions and walked extra miles to attend to their age-related needs.

Customer Feedback in 2016

Detail-oriented services paid off in the end, with thousands of positive reviews on Facebook and TripAdvisor, two of the most popular social media sites. Deeply impressed by our staff and services, customers spoke rather highly of us in these virtual communities, among which 97.5% rated our consultants as responsive and helpful; 94.3 % considered our travel guides as knowledgeable and friendly, and high proportions remarked they had a well-organized and stress-free itinerary (92.7%) and that experience with us had been both enjoyable and educational (91.8%).

CSR Commitment in 2016

2016 has witnessed the founding of My Odyssey Tours Cares (MOTC), our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) brand, which featured "Education and Life" this year. We had been to schools in Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan to make in-person donations and interactions. The students in these schools not only benefited from the food, basic supplies, and school supplies we brought with us, but they also learned more about the world through conversations with our knowledgeable staff.

Besides, we had been rather supportive of guests who had intentions of doing charity during their trips. We did everything we could to help Jill, an Australian photographer who gives money to poor people in different countries every year. For example, we gave medical equipment to hospitals in Cambodia that needed it while we were there with Elliott Brender, an American retired surgeon and regular customer.

Jill and Children, Sri Lanka

In the coming year, MOTC aims to strengthen support for the local communities of our destinations by combining social benefit programs into our tour packages.

Our Achievements in 2016

2016 has seen a home run for My Odyssey Tours, in terms of being recognized or awarded: We have become China's first supporter of ChildSafe, a nominee for Asia's Leading Tour Operator, and the winner of TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence.

Launched by Friends-International, a social enterprise, ChildSafe is a movement aimed at helping marginalized urban children and their families become more independent and productive, based on an effective network of internationally recognized organizations. My Odyssey Tours is the first company in China to support Childsafe. It is committed to helping Childsafe protect children, especially from the effects of making money off of tourism.

World Travel Awards is the travel industry's most prestigious awards program that rewards leaders in the tourism, airline, hotel, and hospitality sectors around the world. And My Odyssey Tours got its nomination for Asia's Leading Tour Operator 2016, competing with the other 10 elite peers like Cox & Kings and EXO Travel.

First issued in 2010, TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence honors hospitality businesses that have consistently achieved great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year. And 2016 is the fifth consecutive year that My Odyssey Tours (one of the sub-brands of Odynovo) wins this award, which means we have maintained a high level of outstanding services for years.

Itchy feet could serve as a passport to true knowledge because destinations are never about places, but new ways of seeing things. In the new year, why not customize a trip with us and get yourself a fresh perspective?