Exclusive | Modern Travel is about enriching experiences: Nat Geo Traveller's Keith Bellows

ACK Media recently launched the Indian edition of National Geographic Traveller, the travel magazine from the National Geographic stable. Titled National Geographic Traveller India, it will be produced maintaining the same high standards as its international partner, with the same look and the familiar yellow-bordered cover. More than 80% of the content in National Geographic Traveller India would be generated locally.  

 

Adgully caught up with Keith Bellows, editor-in-chief, National Geographic Traveller and vice-president, National Geographic Society; as he candidly talks about the interesting arena of travel journalism and the way forward for National Geographic Traveller. 

 

Reminiscing his journey into the world of travel journalism, Keith said, “My 15-year journey as the editor of National Geographic Traveller has been a very exciting one. The magazine has grown, won multiple awards, and we really do have the trust and confidence of a very large number of readers. As we go forward, I see the change to digital medium happening, and we have embraced that change. Going forward, we will do more and more in the digital space and our Indian partners ACK Media are very much with us in this journey.” 

 

Talking about the prevalent trends that he observes in the travel industry, Keith says, “In the US, the trend is of increasing family travel, and with the economy doing badly, many people, particularly young people are taking time off to travel the world solo. On the other hand, in India, which has traditionally been a market where travelers mainly travelled with family or to their native place, there is an increase in younger people traveling solo or traveling with friends or companions. There is also an increase in adventure travel and in exploring newer areas.”

 

He points out to the fact that with better roads, better infrastructure and amenities, road travel has seen a substantial increase. 

 

“As young people earn more and have greater access to money, they are increasingly using their money and free time to travel,” he remarks. 

 

Providing insights into the evolution of the travel industry, Keith said, “Group package tours that visit multiple destination in a few days is not the way to go. A first timer may want to do that, but the more people travel the more discerning they get, and they want more experiences out of their trip. Tours of a different kind are now emerging. These are specialized; niche tours to exciting destinations like say the Galapagos Islands. Even where people are looking for guided trips they want the best of guided expeditions -ones that offer authenticity, sustainability, immersion, and often good value as well. They also tend to want holidays that offer an active component, or a way to learn about and explore another culture in the most sensitive and eco-conscious manner.” 

 

Talking about National Geographic Traveller; he says, “At National Geographic Traveller we believe that the way to capture an audience is through storytelling. Our travel magazine tells great stories and relates fantastic and intimate experiences, and we believe that will always attract larger audiences, than the guidebook kind of travel writing which eventually can be quite boring.”

 

He exclaims, “Today’s traveller is not satisfied with just ticking off the bucket-list of destination and sites or having dinner party conversations that show-off where they've been. Today’s travellers want experiences; they want to immerse themselves in the place they are going to. Travellers want to sample local flavour, and have their own story unique to tell.” 

 

With National Geographic Traveller doing extremely well on the foreign shores, it is likely that there would be an equal amount of growth anticipated for the Indian edition as well. Commenting on the same, Keith says, “We expect that before long, National Geographic Traveller India is going to be the leading travel magazine in India. We strongly believe that our partners here in India are creating a great product and the audience will only grow with time.”

 

Keith believes that the audiences for travel journalism have increased over the years as more and more people seek newer ways to travel, newer places to go to and find new ways of seeing old places. 

 

“As the number of people who want to travel increases, there is a need for more ideas of where to go and what to do, travel magazines such as National Geographic Traveller provide people with the inspiration to seek out new and exciting travel experiences, which in turn leads more people to travel,” he asserts. 

 

Emphasizing on some of the changes that the travel industry has witnessed, he said, “The welcome changes include the fact that travellers are now more and more interested in the footprint they leave behind. They are interested in sustainable practices, in culturally-sensitive travel, and in experiences that are meaningful and restorative and contribute to local communities.” 

Speaking about the digital initiatives for National Geographic Traveller India, Keith said, “In the US we are seeing a rapid increase in the popularity of the digital version of the magazine. We took our time launching it, but it’s clear that this is the medium of the future. It’s not replacing the printed magazine just yet, but for many readers the slow shift is beginning to happen. In India we will launch a digital version of the magazine in the next few months. We have just partnered with ACK Media in India to launch National Geographic Traveller, and we are very happy with the Indian edition of National Geographic Traveller that has just launched, it is our 16th edition in the world, and we think it is a tremendous magazine which holds great promise.” 

 

Expressing his opinion on the future of travel journalism, he said, “The future of travel journalism is in keeping the reader’s interest alive through lucid and exciting storytelling. Not through guidebook-like information, which has its own place and usefulness, but which readers tend to find online anyway. The future of good travel writing lies in creating great stories, in fantastic photography which National Geographic is renowned for and in inspiring readers to plan their own trips.”