The previous 20 years have been accumulation . Now it ’ s time to develop . I hope Songtsam can become a company that will truly drive the Tibetan villages and even the villages in western China in the future to become a world-class brand connecting the remote villages and hidden land . Songtsam is doing local culture , not only promoting local culture , we don ’ t limit us in Tibetan culture , so we will definitely go to more suitable places where Songtsam is needed .
H : What you want to accomplish not yet done ( new goals )?
BD : There are too many . As mentioned earlier , Songtsam will go to the places in western China that suit and need us . I will go to Northwest China and go to the Silk Road . I also want to develop the hotel from Chang ’ an , China , to Samarkand , Uzbekistan , all the way .
Don ’ t worry , let ’ s be firmly and go steady .
H : How were your hotels performing pre-pandemic , during the pandemic and today ? How are bookings looking going forward ?
BD : Last year was a very special year . All industries have been more or less affected by the pandemic , especially tourism industry . According to incomplete statistics , more than 30,000 travel agencies across China closed down in 2020 . But in every cold winter , there will always be flowers that are still blooming . In 2020 , Songtsam achieved the best sales performance in history . At the beginning of the pandemic , Songtsam also encountered difficulties . Its 11 hotels and travel agencies were fully closed since January . During the two peak seasons , which were originally fully booked , the bookings for Spring Festival holiday and the Peach Blossom Festival were all canceled until gradually resuming business in May . However , starting from the end of May , Songtsam soon reached its peak season . Many hotels continued to be fully booked , with the longest full room cycle for 118 days . As of the end of September , with four months total income , it exceeded that of the year of 2019 . At the level of the whole year , the total revenue increased by 68 % compared with 2019 , and the revenue for the seven months of operation increased by 164 % compared with the same period last year , reaching the highest in history .
One of Songtsam ’ s larger properties in Llasa
H : Who are your investment partners ?
BD : Songtsam has not formally raised foreign capital . My current investors are all individuals , and they are all Songtsam guests . After they stayed with Songtsam , they liked it very much and they took the initiative to invest some money with us . I am still an absolute majority shareholder . For better development last year , we introduced Qiongyou travel team lead by former Lonely Planet Chinese market representatives and the Le travel team , China ’ s one of the best outbound highend travel team . This year , there should be plans to formally raise funds for the market .
H : Can you explain how your operating model ( hotel staff , sales staff , development team ) is unique and what has most helped it succeed ?
BD : The uniqueness of Songtsam comes from Songtsam ’ s mission : Pursuing Shambhala , inner peace and tranquility . Songtsam ’ s corporate mission is to pursue the source of happiness . The corporate culture emphasizes altruism .
Our employees recognize from the heart that ‘ the best and most direct way to get happiness is to give others happiness ’ and wish to work hard for the common mission . We emphasized the atmosphere of home , and employees and guests also felt it .
H : What do you love about being a hotelier ?
BD : I traveled to all kinds of beautiful places to select locations , and each hotel I cre-