“Children complain when there is no private jet”

“There is no price for fulfilling dreams, people are willing to pay a lot of money for the experience. Most of my clients are rich people, who do not look at the money when it comes to quality and uniqueness, “says Amalia Lazrov, owner of the travel company Travelicious, which specializes in luxury tours.” There are trips for thousands of dollars, there are tens of thousands and more. “The most expensive trip I took out so far was $ 170,000 for five days, the cost covered flights, accommodation, a guide, a personal assistant, and some of the meals.”

I thought you would punch in a much larger amount.
“It is possible that in the future I will fulfill a dream for a customer, that the payment for it will be higher, and it will not be surprising. I meet more and more young, rich people, who are no longer just interested in extreme and conquering Everest, but breaking boundaries in terms of places they want to go. That’s what’s cool about them. I can not name customers because I sign confidentiality agreements, just say they are scattered all over the world, and there are quite a few Israelis in them. These are businessmen, bankers, realtors, scientists, and high-tech people. For everyone I ‘sew’ an experience. You dreamed – I’m fulfilling. “

for example?
“A few years ago, a young, former Israeli living in New York, a successful and wealthy banker, came to me and asked to propose marriage to his partner in a special place. He said he was vegan, eats only green, and his partner is even more ‘green’ than him. Travel and stay in Bhutan, the same secluded Buddhist country, and offer marriage in the famous and beautiful monastery, Tiger’s Nest. Bhutan is a country that does not give more than 30,000 entry visas a year. I arranged everything for them in advance, when she felt nothing. They landed. .

And she told him yes?
“Would you say ‘no’ to someone who takes you to such a convent? To such a rich banker?”

The interview between us takes place in Zoom. She has lived in New York for 30 years, from where she turns people’s fantasies into reality. Despite the many years she has lived there, she identifies herself as someone who is connected to Israel and its family roots. She was born in Givatayim to a Bulgarian father and a Lebanese mother. “My grandfather, my mother’s father, immigrated to Israel from Lebanon on a horse. A large part of my mother’s family stayed there, the latter left in the late 1970s, following the Civil War. Sometimes, when I think about the way my grandfather did to Israel, and how I can not live half a second Without a Wi-Fi connection, I understand what happened to us during these years. “

She transferred to high school at WIZO France, and after graduating, began working in the field of productions, mainly with producer Amnon Tzavan, one of the pioneers of the major music festivals in Israel. “I lived in Tel Aviv, and there was something sweet about it at the time. “But it was also a difficult time in many ways, and in 1990 I decided to leave and try my luck in the US. I came with a penny and a half in my pocket, and to finance my studies, I worked casual jobs. When I got into tourism, I realized it was my destiny in life.”

“The turning point in my career was when I was hired by a large Swiss-American bank to run his travel department, which provides services only to its employees. There I received the final sanding. After that, in 2009, I felt ready enough to start my own business. I reached the climax. “In 2015, when I was selected by Travel & Leisure Travel Magazine as a leading expert for the Arab countries, the Middle East and the Emirates. By the way, they had no idea that I was Israeli.”

Why? Did you hide this fact?
“Absolutely not, I always mention it with great pride, and many times I was also able to integrate Israel as a destination in special routes. They just did not know about my evening.”

After years of experience, can you characterize the customer base according to the country they come from?
“Roughly speaking, the Europeans are kind, the Australians are charming, the South Americans are generous, and the Americans are the most pampered. Even more pampered are the children of the new rich, who have a hard time without a private plane, complaining when they have to fly a commercial flight.” With a headache, and refused to pick up the phone and press the button to receive, ask to be sent a ball. Insisted we order for him. But as with everything, it is not sweeping. I have a lot of kind and generous customers, no matter how many they have in the bank account, they always “I will respect and connect with those who provide them with service. I call people who love people.”

And the Israelis?
“They are not very spoiled, and flowing. At first they are hesitant and even suspicious, but when they get excited, even before they have finished their vacation, they are already looking to work on the next destination. The tip is personal to them, not because they are stingy, but calculated.”

You are planning trips and excursions, and suddenly ‘boom’, something happens that is not up to you.
“It’s definitely an element that is taken into account in my profession, and it’s one of the things that micromanages trips. My clients, both groups and individuals, know they can be relaxed, even if there is an unexpected change during the weather trip, due to a natural disaster or other reasons. When the volcano erupted in Iceland, half a world was shut down. No flight left, passengers got stuck in the middle of nowhere. When that happened, my crew and I did not sleep for three consecutive days, until we brought all our passengers home. One of them, a member of the British chocolate maker Cadbury, He used to send me flowers later every year for a weekend. “

“Sometimes,” says Lazrov, “an unexpected change depends on the people. Before the corona, my client flew on a business trip to Saudi Arabia for two days. On the second day, four important work meetings were scheduled for him. Once he arrived, he was informed that all his meetings were canceled. Destroyed, and asked me to help him, that he just wants quiet. I could arrange a massage for him, but I thought otherwise. When he woke up the next morning, a guide was waiting for him, and the two rode horses for four hours in the desert. He got the quiet he asked. I even provided him with comfortable clothes And to flip-flops because it only came with suits.

“I also made a change in the original design for a pampered family from Taiwan, who went on a trip to southern New Zealand, carefully planned for the Jewish grandparents and Swiss grandmothers who wanted to create closeness and closeness to the grandchildren, and did not take into account that all the grandchildren wanted to be online. “A route in the middle of the trip. All the hotels were canceled, and villas were rented in their place, in which all Internet access was neutralized in advance, and the rabbi of the community was summoned to a bridge between them.”

How much has the corona hurt your business?
“It has hit, as it has hit the entire tourism industry, and it is still thickening like a dark and heavy cloud. But the travel industry has been hit in the past by various phenomena, even if not like in Corona, and I believe we will survive that as well.”

Then came Israel’s peace agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
“I am happy about that. It is good that we were privileged to receive such a gift, and I pray that there will be more such agreements. The future of the State of Israel in the Middle East depends on peace, which includes mutual acceptance and respect with some Arab countries. They are happy to receive us, “For the first time in the Emirates 12 years ago, and I know the area. My experience with the codes that are important to them, makes me apprehensive about the subject.”

Explain.
“It is natural that there is an influx of Israelis to the Emirates, but there must be some improvement in the issue, so that we do not lose touch with them because of behavior that does not conform to their values ​​and codes. They also need guidance to recognize and understand Israelis. Israel and the United States are democracies. The states there are a monarchy, and are governed by Sharia law. It was decided that every Israeli who travels there needs a visa, but the $ 100 paid for it does not help with proper behavior at the place. In my opinion, the visa should be conditional not only on a fee, but also on a course of preventive behavior, before all peace dissolves before our eyes. It will not happen that they will turn Dubai and Abu Dhabi into Eilat or Turkey. “

“In order to help the people of the Emirates welcome us for a long time, Israelis must learn and respect them and get to know them better,” Lazrov explains. “Although Dubai and Abu Dhabi are modern, it must not be mistaken to think that the laws of Islam can be deviated from there. It should be remembered that in these countries the death penalty is imposed for crimes such as murder, rape and treason, and drug trafficking. All my clients receive explanatory pages. As with non-compliance with the laws on marriage, homosexuality and adultery, there is a particularly severe punishment, that sex between unmarried couples is considered illegal there, and even mild public affections such as holding hands and kissing in public are not socially acceptable, and there is documentation Of arrests for such conduct. “

Lazrov adds, “It is true that there are slightly more lenient rules within the borders of Western hotels, but even there, do not overdo it. You must dress conservatively, remembering that tanned clothing and sexual behavior on the beach are illegal. These rules should be respected, because after many years of suspicion and hostility “Between the countries, it is a pity to harm this new and good system.”

What is your dream?
“Look, I had special experiences. I stayed in luxury hotels, flew in comfortable and luxurious planes, celebrated at parties in the most special places in the world. Still, I’m the happiest person in the world when barefoot, or with flip flops and a swimsuit, no makeup and uncombed hair, in summer in the Hamptons or the beach. “When I look ahead, I want to establish an academy for the provision of services in Israel, and I have no intention of giving up on that dream. Even if I no longer hear well or see well, in the end it will happen.”