Q & A with Juan Manuel BaixauliPresident of the Geisha Group

by Maria Caridad Gonzalez

Founded in 1989 with a hundred-percent Spanish capital, the Geisha Group has turned into a reference organization when it comes to golf travel. The group is an active member of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) and the Spanish Professional Golf Association.

Q.- For those who still don´t know who you are or what the group is, can you tell us briefly what Geisha is all about in the first place?

A.- Geisha is a Spanish travel group that started out back in 1989, so we´ve been around for 16 years. The group consists of a major network of retailers, one tour operator dealing with golf in Spain, and a consulting service dealing with everything related to the strategic development of golf. Those are the three main areas in addition to our ability to piece together golf travel packages for both pro golfers, event goers and for enthusiasts.

Q.- We know you´re not only operating in Spain. How many countries is your company working in right now?

A.- We managed to move beyond Spanish shores in 1999 when we opened our first office overseas in Portugal. As we speak, we have some thirty offices around the world. In 2004 we tried our hand at Latin America, especially in Peru´s Lima where we opened a couple of offices. As a matter of fact, this has been a pretty interesting experience that´s encouraging us to offer our business model to other countries in the region. So, right now we´re working in three different markets which are Spain, Portugal and Peru, with a grand total of 89 agencies.

Q.- To the best of our knowledge, you´re dealing with the franchise system, aren´t you?

A.- We develop a know-how model, in some cases run by the main office, but from the very beginning the Geisha Group put its smart money on the development of a resilient and innovative franchise policy. With this initial view in mind, we opened a central or main office, and that´s the way our offices in Portugal are run right now.

Q.- How did the Geisha group fare in 2005?

A.- The geisha group chalked up good sales last year, somewhere in the neighborhood of 56.5 million euros, up 5 percent from 2004. As to the number of offices in the three aforesaid markets, the company closed 2005 with a 20 percent increase in that respect.

Q.- What perspectives does the Geisha Group have for the coming years?

A.- First of all, we´re strengthening the international golf trial circuit that links golf tourism and Spain´s number-one circuit. We began last year to enhance the international scope of our company and we´ve achieved tremendous success in this effort. The main objective for the next five years in to implement that policy in an increasingly larger amount of nations around the globe, in as many circuits as we possibly can. Those are our concrete goals for the years to come.

Q.- How do you assess the advance of golf in the Caribbean? What do you make of the Caribbean as a travel destination?

A.- I honestly believe the Caribbean is a pretty interesting region with tremendously high tourism potentials because the Caribbean´s main strengths are no doubt its weather conditions, its beaches and its terrific people. I think what the Caribbean needs to do as it looks to the future is to lay out new golf tourism models that could guarantee quality. We need to implement tourist policies that enrich the region rather than eat away at it. Weather conditions in the Caribbean make the practice of golf an all-year-long event. In addition to that, travel agents and tour operators should understand that golf people are big spenders, folks with great purchasing power who shell out tremendous amounts of money during their trips.

Q.- And in the case of Cuba, do you believe the island nation has what it takes to make golf bloom?

A.- Cuba is a destination we´d like very much to make golf travel grow and I think authorities there have laid out a future project to make that happen. This country is teeming with favorable conditions. It´s strategically located in the Caribbean basin and it has great tourism know-how. There used to be plenty of golf courses in the past and I think this is the right time to stage a comeback and start luring deep-pocket sunbathers. But the country needs to build far more golf courses than the ones it has today. This is a sport activity that requires great investment in services and infrastructure. Anyway, I think the island nation is striding toward a new future as far as golf tourism is concerned. It´s definitely on the right track. That´s the important thing about all this.

Q- Any message to our readers in the travel industry?

A.- I´d tell them to keep their eyes peeled about the way the current situation in the markets is going to play out. Things are going on way too fast and we need to keep an eye on demands, on what end users want. Wherever you spot an enriching demand for a particular travel destination, you need to hammer it out and make it work. Geisha is showing a way of its own in this sense. For those willing to find out more about our company, please feel free send your comments and questions to http://secretaria@gheisa.es.