A good few years ago, while working as a guide in the Creten tourist industry, I realised that there was something fundamentally wrong with the industry as a whole. The malaise was only to obvious, but I couldn’t put my finger on its exact cause or nature. As a guide I was in a position to talk to the tourists, and it became very obvious that the vast majority of them simply went along with the existing system because there were no alternatives. I made a few attempts to try and offer something different, but these came to nothing. Why is the tourism industry the way it is? Why is it so difficult if not impossible to bring change about in the industry?
And then Covid hit and shook the whole place up. During this time I read a lot, and one day I picked up a book on economics which was a serious revelation. Red Economy vs Blue Economy, or, whose rules do you play by? It gave me the answers to all my questions.
The real work started, but in the aftermath of Covid, I had the time to work this out in theory, but also practically.
Very soon I realised that I could not do this alone. I needed somebody who thinks like me, who is willing to learn, and willing to put his or her shoulder under the project which was called Magical Mystery Tours.
Enter Anoushka. We knew each other from our guiding days in Red Tourism (playing by the rules of others), and we both wanted to do our own thing, and play by our own rules. Our ideas, hopes and aspirations are almost identical. We walked a lot, talked a lot, and ate excellent food in between, and slowly but surely the Magical Mystery Tours project took shape and our version of Blue Tourism was born. We needed to try this, and with the help of Uri Regev (Blue Daisy House, Kallergos, Rethymno) we got the opportunity to try our ideas out on Uri and his wonderful wife Aliza, and some of their unsuspecting friends. The result was much better than we would have expected, even in our wildest dreams. The project needs more work, but we are within touching distance of the starting line to make Magical Mystery Tours happen.
The obvious question most people have is very simply this :
“How does the Magical Mystery Tours project work, what are the rules?”
There are very few rules… If you want to experience a Magical Mystery Tour, you ask for one. It lasts a day, no more. It can be walking, hiking, driving, or a mix of all three. For now, our tours are restricted to the province of Rethymno only!
What do we need? On our website you will find the “Book a Tour” page, which has a link to our questionnaire, asking you a few questions about who you are, but mainly, what your interests are.
Based on the answers received, a bespoke day tour is put together for you. You will only be told where to meet, the rest remains a mystery which will unfold during the day, ending at the table in a proper, local taverna somewhere …
What will all this cost? It’s pretty simple, and certainly not playing by the Red Tourism rules… You will need to supply the transport if needed. We can help you get a car if necessary, and not just for the Magical Mystery Tour. Let us know if that’s required. And you will also need to cover the cost of your guide’s food and drinks requirements for the day. And finally, there is a lot of preparation involved in this, and we don’t like getting stuck with reservations which, in the end, aren’t taken up. To cover this, a reservation will be considered finalised once a non-refundable administrative fee of €25.00 is paid.
And what about the guide? Surely, they don’t work the day for free? Well no, but … again, unique Blue Tourism rules are applied here.
We don’t believe that it is our right to decide that your experience is worth a certain amount of Euros. We do believe that you are the one to tell us what your experience was worth and pay accordingly. So at the end of the day, you make your decision, and that’s final. Does that mean you can walk away and pay nothing? If you are so inclined to do, then we can’t and won’t stop you. The decision is and remains entirely yours…
Magical Mystery Tours is always Magical, Always a Mystery. For now, the MMTs happen in the province of Rethymno only! We’ll expand when we are ready for it.