TRAVERSE Issue 18 - June 2020 | Page 28

With country’s firmly locking the borders to international travel many companies have started to look inward and have found that home is often unexplored. It’s an interesting concept that has seen benefits for some and looks like opening new tours and experiences. “Russian riders can’t go to Europe this year,” says Nikonov. “They have to stay in Russia, at least for now. So, the obvious replacement to our international travellers are locals. “The good news is that Russians don’t know Russia,” Nikonov went on to explain that Rusmoto’s focus is now on the local market. “It’s a good chance to develop our presence here.” Moto Tours Asia is moving towards a similar market. Vietnam is believed to have handled the ‘lockdown’ better than most countries with the benefit being that the country is already opening however, outside countries aren’t allowing travel, so business must come from within. “We’ve been discussing about the local tourist market,” confirmed Anh. “We may have to find some products that suite the local market and hope that we can get some Vietnamese tourists to keep our business running.” Anh’s business is also busy scouting new tours and working with local people to provide new experiences when business starts getting back to normal. TRAVERS