TOURISM AS A BUSINESS VENTURE

Tourists are people who travel outside of their home-base environments in order to spend time visiting a different environment in either a business or leisure capacity. Both vacationers and those on business trips are considered tourists, and they may be touring either domestically (within their home country) or internationally. A tourism business is any business that centers on catering to tourists' needs. Follow these steps for how to develop a tourism business.

A. Decide which sector of tourism you would like to focus your business on. You have several options to choose from when it comes to developing a business in tourism:

1. Transportation services. This sector involves transporting tourists to, from and around the tourist destination.
2. Travel agencies. Travel agencies are the 1 stop shop for everything involved with visiting a place, including transportation, accommodations and attractions.
3. Accommodations. These include hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, rental houses, condos and any other place tourists may stay while traveling.
4. Guided tours and tour guides. A guided tour service or professional tour guide is a tourism business that specializes in providing informative and entertaining tours through an area's local attractions.
5. Hospitality. A hospitality business pertains to any food or beverage establishment that tourists may frequent.

 
B. Take your geographical location into account. Your local tourist attractions are good indicators of what would and would not make a successful tourism business venture. For example, if your area is secluded from the populace and dense with wineries, then guided winery tours, local bed and break-fasts, and airport transportation services are all viable business options

.

C. Size up the competition. Thoroughly research the tourism businesses in your area before you decide which business in tourism is right for you. You will want to choose a tourism sector that is not overly congested, and one that you can contribute something unique as well.

D. Write a business plan. Your business plan is the blueprint for your tourism business, and should include the following sections:

·        Executive summary. Describe your business's purpose, name, location, personnel needs, tourism business management staff, market sector, competition, marketing plan and financial projections.

·        Tourism business summary. This should detail how the business's ownership will be distributed and the start up requirements (funding, assets and location).

·        Products and/or services. You need to outline the products and/or services your business will be providing for tourists.

·        Analysis of the market. Provide information about your target market and your competition.

·        Tourism business strategy. Describe how you plan on running your business, marketing your business and pricing your product or service.

·        Financial summary. State your projections for your business's expenses and income.

E. Procure the necessary funds. Present your business plan to potential lenders and/or business partners in order to obtain the start up and operating capital you will need to run your business in tourism.

F. Select a business location.

G. Obtain all applicable business licenses. Get the necessary business licensing through your local government's business regulatory agency.

H. Market your tourism business.

·        Use social networking sites. Set up accounts/pages on free social networking sites.

·        Create a website for your tourism business. Be sure to hire a specialist for search engine optimization (SEO) in order to maximize your site's on-line presence.

·        List your business on all applicable on-line directories and review websites.

·        Advertise in print mediums. Take out ad space in newspapers, magazines and trade/lifestyle publications.

THE CONSCIOUS MASTER: Thought And Character Are One

Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruit; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry. Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.

 By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection. By the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grade of character and man is their maker and master.

As the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and conditions he find himself. Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this- that man are the master of thought, the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, he may make himself what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state. But in his weakness and degradation he is foolish master who misgoverns his “household”. When he begins to reflect upon his condition and search diligently for the law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues.

 Such is the conscious master, and man can only become this, by discovering within himself the law of thought. This discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis and experience.

“He that seeks shall find; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.” For only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the door of the temple of knowledge. Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained; and similarly, man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul.

Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.

Everyman is where he is by the law of his being; the thoughts which he has built into his character brought him there, and in the arrangement of his life there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot be broken.

Thought and character are one. And as character, can only manifest, and discover itself through environment and circumstance, the outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. 
This is an extract from my book "WISDOM NUGGETS: Doses For Inspiration And Success. Pg 16-18.

Your Secret Superpower As An Artist

Did you know that you have a secret superpower? 

Your secret superpower gives you a significant lead in your life, studio, and business. 

With your secret superpower you:

• are in multiple locations simultaneously
• have increased longevity or even immortality
• provide healing, regenerative effects for others
• recognize what is invisible to most
• manifest your own destiny

And, what is your secret superpower? It is your innate creative force being used to build your success and legacy as an artist.

More specifically, it is applying a unique factor available to artists — the factor of multiplicity. 

What the heck is multiplicity you say? Let me explain...

The nature of being an artist is creative thinking and problem solving, and, not necessarily in a linear fashion. Artists are prone to innovative and surprising solutions to most everything.

Multiplicity as an artist is simply understanding and utilizing your creative nature to expand your financial horizons, reach more clients, and gain grand exposure of your art and creations. Essentially, you are allowing for a multiplication of yourself.

By applying your multiplicity factor your role as an artist increases exponentially. In turn, so does your chances of and opportunities for ongoing success.

You are now also an art director, creative director, collaborator, designer, licensor, visionary, entrepreneur, CEO, and more.

Your secret superpower of multiplicity translates as creating art, designs, and products that:

• reach new, different, and expanding markets 
• are cherished and last for generations
• elicit a sense of wonder, hope, and humor
• reveal the unknown, curious, and beautiful
• provide you a life and business on your own terms 

You are in good company with many successful artists taking full advantage of their own multiplicity. 

Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Salvador Dalí did not shy away from seeking new avenues for their art. In fact, they each were legends in their own time and reaped the benefits.

More recent artists such as Drew Brophy, Shepard Fairey, Brian Donnelly/KAWS, Thomas Kinkade, Tara Reed, Flora Bowley, and Lisa Congdon each have carved out their own niches quite well.

Remember all of these artists are completely different from each other. There is no set formula or rules to follow.

All you have to do is use your creative force to find your unique path and you can be the master of your multiplicity.

How to Pick Yourself Up When You've Been Knocked Down

Have you ever felt like you've lost everything and you don't know where to go or what to do with your life? Or worse yet, that you're in so deep and you're constantly trying to dig yourself out of a rut?

We all experience getting knocked down in life. In fact, life is about the ups and downs. Without the ups and downs, we'd be dead...

But what's more important is how we react and respond to the ups and downs of life, because that plays the biggest role in our outlook on life and shows our true character.

Hard knocks come in all shapes and sizes, but they seem to pack a bigger punch when you feel like your chin is already pressed against the ground. Trust me, I know firsthand.

Thankfully, I was able to rebound from my downfalls by learning about my limiting beliefs, which had been buried deep in my subconscious for decades. Though it took some work, I came back stronger and happier than ever.

What do you do when you feel like you've lost everything? How do you start over? How do you pick yourself up and dust yourself off again? First, pray and boldly affirm: " I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me, therefore I will go right through this trouble in the power of Christ which is mine to use and always."  Then, follow these 5 tips:

1) Allow Yourself to Grieve (then move on)

When you feel like you've been dealt a rough hand, it's natural and quite common to feel hurt, depression, confusion, isolation, frustration, despair, and anger. You may have lost life as you knew it or the life you thought you'd have. But, you can take this as an opportunity to embrace a new version of a life you never would have dreamed of. A life that could be better than the one you thought you wanted.

2) Realize You're Not Alone

Though the reasons we get knocked down in life aren't all the same, we do share common threads with others. We're all different and we all experience things in our own way, but remember that there are other people in the world who have also been faced with similar situations and have been able to come back stronger from it.

This holds true in the hardest of situations: going through a painful divorce, facing a major career setback, or being kicked out of your home because the bank had to foreclose. Whatever your case may be, even though your situation is unique, know that you're not alone. Find comfort in the fact that others have rebounded and found great success after similar setbacks.

3) Reconnect with Your Passions

Often times people will identify themselves through their partner, their career, their social status, etc. When something causes those factors to change, it can be very hard to learn how to recognize yourself without that label. I still have to remind myself to take time to keep in tune with what my passions are. Sometimes deviating from who we think we are, to who we want to be, can open our eyes in new and fascinating ways and allow you to deepen your connection to yourself.

4) Be Open to New Experiences

While you're being more open with yourself, also be open to new experiences that will enrich you as a person. Go out with friends to a comedy show and laugh a little (or a lot). Laughter has been proven to help lift your spirits. Share a meal and spend some quality time with people you love. Enjoy a hike in nature to reconnect with mother earth and your inner-self. So get out there and try something new.

5) Love Yourself Regardless of the Situation

This is the most important thing: Love yourself regardless of the situation. Don't lose your confidence just because you've taken a blow. We can be our own harshest critics and it's easy to get into a cycle of self-loathing if we're not careful.

No matter what's going on, we need to remember to take care of ourself (mind and body). It's important to replace negative thoughts with positive ones, (Read my book "WISDOM NUGGETS:Doses for Inspiration and Success") and remember that you are worthy of everything you want.

Whatever hard times you find yourself going through, realize that you still have a purpose and value!

WRITING YOUR SUCCESS STORY

Clearing your mind blocks and the way you think about things can be difficult to do as we get older.

When we are young, we tended to think differently before life and surroundings get a hold of
us and told us that certain things are not possible or we should think this way or that way.

We need to go back to the way we thought as a child... for example...

A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew.

She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she got to one little girl who
was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."

The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

You see... you deserve to think that anything is possible and you deserve more and you can live with more joy abundance and wealth than most people ever dream...

"The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car... a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result they get little."  - Ben Sweetland

Everyone wants to be a success in both their personal and professional lives. However, in order to attract success, you have to be an active player in your life. After all, you can’t sit on the sidelines and expect everything to fall in place!

So are you willing to step out of your comfort zone and write your own success story? Only you can do it.

What Does Success Look Like to You?

To some people, success means that they have their own business, a large and enough extra money to spend on anything they want. Other sees success as raising children who are positive contributors to society. The truth is, there are many ways to view success and even more ways to reach it.

Before embarking on this exercise of writing your own success story, read my book WISDOM NUGGETS: Doses for Inspiration and Success; reflect on who you are, what goals you want to achieve, and what setbacks you might have to overcome.

What’s holding you back from being the success you want to be?

Why should you actually write this down?

The biggest reason to write your success story is to create a concrete narrative that you can visualize and become part of. After all, you’re more likely to take action if you strongly identify with your purpose in life.

Another benefit is that you’ll have a solid reference point on paper. By writing your thoughts, feelings, and  goals as a story, you’re giving yourself a plan to follow and a way to measure your achievements.

THE ROSE

This inspirational story was sent to me by my friend Cyril Godefroy and he titled it simply as "The Rose". It's very inspiring:

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

    I turned a round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

    She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?"

    I laughed and enthusiastically responded,
  "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

    "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

    She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."

    "No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

    "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

    After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

    We became instant friends. Every day for the next 3 months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

    Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.

    She loved to dress up and she revealed in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

    At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.

    I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by 5 cards on the floor.

    Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said,
  "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

    As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

    There are only 4 secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.
 
    You have to laugh and find humor every day.
 
    You've got to have a dream.When you lose your dreams, you die.

    We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

    There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

    If you are 19 years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years old. If I am 87 years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn 88.

    Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

    The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

    She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

    At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

   One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

   Over 2.000 college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

    When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!

    These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

    REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

    We make a Living by what we get, We make a LIFE by what we give.

YOU ARE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Have you ever seen a construction site? It’s not pretty; there is dirt, debris, nails and tools everywhere. It might be your own house under construction but you cannot LIVE there yet. The construction is not complete.

A caterpillar is a butterfly under construction. People may have looked down on that poor little crawling worm. People may have written you off as a worthless, useless worm that won’t amount to much in life. Little do people know that the greatest transformation starts inside where no one can see. When God is done with him; that crawling worm will fly in the sky with beautiful wings for the world to admire. Transformation is change on the inside. Don’t underestimate the importance of small changes in your life. Don’t despise small victories in your life. One day all of the change inside will be manifested outside.

Transformation is God revealing to the world what he was doing under the covers. All the changes, all the lessons, all the failures, all the pain, all the joys, all the ups and all the downs will one day be weaved into a beautiful tapestry of butterfly wings that will amaze this world.

So be patient as God is weaving a beautiful wing for you. Ignore the naysayers and the world that despises and rejects you. Don’t try to win their approval as the best worm in town. Focus on the change inside.

Butterflies, Babies, Diamonds, Gold and Peals have one thing in common – they were all formed and shaped in secret, away from the human eyes. So focus on the change inside and wait for the completed work of transformation inside.

The most important part of any building is its foundation that is underground. If a foundation is cracked the building is condemned. The most important part of a man is the character inside not the exterior. If the character is flawed all the decorations outside is meaningless.

A building is only as strong as its foundation. We are all builders. We build relationships that endure with encouragement and understanding or walls of criticism and negativity that divides. We build organizations with a firm foundation of integrity that will endure the test; or companies based on schemes that crumble when times of testing come.

For a leader to build an organization they must check their own foundation first and ensure their self-leadership is rock solid. Then can they truly build something that last and becomes their legacy.

“Successful leaders are continuously and consistently BUILDING a solid foundation of integrity and intentional growth for both themselves and their team.” – Benjamin S H Goh.

IT IS MORNING YET ON CREATION DAY: ART THE BEST POSSESSION.

Notwithstanding the volume of literature on the creative process, the act of bringing into existence a work of art, there is no consensus and not likely to be one on the matter. Even the human medium for eventuate of artistic forms, the artist, cannot pontificate on the exact nature of his activity or vocation.  He remains essentially an enigma to himself.

One thing is certain, though; namely, that whatever forces or efforts underpin the manifestation of communicable artistic form, whatever the nature of the various inputs into a picture, a poem, a piece of sculpture or music, be they physical, psychological, communal, spiritual or otherwise, the process is complex and still evolving.

Detective criticism sets itself the problem of tracking down the various ‘influences’ that contribute to the form and character of a given work of art or the oeuvre of an artist. Is the goal of this type of criticism attainable? Can the human mind unravel all the extra-formal aspects of a work of art?  Or are we limited to discovering a few levels of meaning?  Is art like a magical onion with limitless skins, a phenomenon that cannot be conquered by ex-foliation? Even if our critic confines himself to only the literary in the case of poetry, can he discover that obscure line or phrase in a daily newspaper that had caught the poet’s fancy, that memorable line spoken by the inebriate man at the pub which the writer immediately appropriated, that philosophical insight into the nature of death which the weather-beaten old man at a funeral had adumbrated?

The critic has literately to undergo each and every minute bit of experience which the writer had been through, including reading every word he had read. Unless on that artist’s attestation, how does a researcher discern the etiology of those motifs that have different significations in different communities or to several artists?

The point I have been discussing is that trying to unfathomed all that goes into a work of art is a herculean task. Nevertheless, insights into the processes or stages of say a painting can be quite revealing and salutary.

Quite often what confronts the spectator is the finished not the evolving work. Sometimes the so-called sketch or study is more exciting more spontaneous and human than the final thing for we have the privileged, as it were to look over the shoulder of the painter bent over his work, eavesdrop on the poet hammering out his lines, and watch them struggle with their medium and surmount several failures. The draft or sketch can also be likened to the tentative, initial, and sometimes accidental, gestures of the actor or dancer at a rehearsal.

 When you make your MARK in life, you will always attract ERASERS. To succeed in life you must overcome the many efforts of others to pull you down. How you choose to respond to criticism is one of the most important decisions that you make. The first and great commandment about critics is: Don’t let them scare you. “It is morning yet on creation day”.

THE GUARDIAN ANGEL: "THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM"

Traits in human behavior reveal that man has an unbeatable natural love for the good and therefore may be guided to recognize things that are noble as against ignoble, the beauty of the universe as against its ugly forms.

One is then able to appreciate the qualities of things within one’s own environment; or criticize them constructively. “Things are not always what they seem”

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guestroom. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things are not always what they seem”.

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angles sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.

Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

 The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, he accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

 “Things are not always what they seem”, the older angel replied.

“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he would not find it”.

“Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead.”

“Things are not always what they seem”

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don’t turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until sometime later…

 “Some people come into our lives and quickly go… some people become friends and stay awhile… leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts… and we are never quite the same because we have made a good friend!.

According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeem social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded”.

“Things are not always what they seem”

Can you look deeply into a beautiful painting and ‘lose yourself?’ Can you walk through an art gallery and appreciate the inspiration and feeling that originated the brush strokes?

The Master (God), the greatest, has painted and sculptured a masterpiece, that can never be equaled YOU. He has created hills, canyons, mountains, rivers; but His greatest work is man. And to some men and women He has given the gift of artistry. I think this life is special… live and savour every moment…