GOASIAPLUS November 2018

INSIGHT
2
1
1 A seasoned
work traveller
2 An admirable
weapon with
Panasonic Double
Mineral nanoe
Hair Dryer 3 Chee
Chung in Norway
4 A casual day at
Hallstatt, Austria
“When you have repeated destinations, you tend
to stretch your curiosity to look for different things
of interest. To see how each culture maintain its
heritage. And everywhere I go I would wake up early
in the morning, go for a jog, then off to visit the local
markets for the fruits and good food. That is where
you get to mingle with the locals and get to know the
real culture.”
Chee Chung’s work requires him to travel
overseas 3 to 4 times a year. With more than 1000
dealers in their portfolio, the incentive trips are a real
challenge to organise as many of them are seasoned
travellers themselves.
“You need to better yourself every year. If you
think taking them to Paris is an attraction, some of
them would have been there several times on their
own. So, how do we make our incentive trips an
attraction?” he questions.
“To select an attractive destination is to create a
wow factor. We need to introduce an activity to get
them to learn something on the trip. Last year we
took a group of dealers who sell cooking equipment
to Europe and we let them attend a hands-on Cordon
Bleu cooking class!
“We also encourage them to try local food even
though sometimes they are not so keen. Usually on
the third day the Maggi Mee culture would start,” he
laughed but quick to add this is now less frequent
and travellers are more open to try new food.
TRAVELS MAKE A MAN
This open-mindedness, Chee Chung advocates, is
certainly a result of having travelled to experience
and understand other cultures.
The memory of his visit to Bhutan is still vivid
and Chee Chung marvels at how the Paro Takstang
Tiger Nest monastery was constructed 300 years ago.
It is nearly 7 hours hike up to the monastery, “and
the day we were going up it was raining. The group,
which include a 70-year-old man was encouraging
each other to go on. The aim was to reach the Tiger
Nest Monastry!”
“Bhutan impresses me because it is so different
from the rest of the world. They don’t kill animals
for meat there, so meat are scarce because all are
imported. This country is measured by the happiness
the residents experience,” Chee Chung said.
Bhutan is ranked 97 in the UN World Happiness
report. The measure is defined by an index of
measurable and attainable life goals–Gross National
Happiness (GNH).
It is a destination that intrigued him so much
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