Creative Travel (New Delhi, India) received a Crystal Award by the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE) for the Most Outstanding Incentive Travel Program – Up to Three Nights, Under 200 Participants for their “Journey to Remember” program for Tetra Pak.

SITE recognized the best incentive campaigns, special/motivational events and promotion campaigns at a 7 December ceremony during the organization’s International Conference in Monterey, California. Creative Travel is the first Asian company to ever win this highly coveted award.

Creative Travel Pvt Ltd is chaired by Ram Kohli, a veteran of the travel industry. The award was received by Mr. Rajeev Kohli, Director of Marketing for the Company.

Tetra Pak is a global leader in the food packaging industry, and Tetra Pak Pakistan is a subsidiary in this global company. In 2006 Tetra Pak Pakistan won the much-coveted internal Market Company of the Year, surpassing companies across 146 countries.

This award is considered a once-in-a-lifetime achievement and Tetra Pak wanted an incentive program that held the ROI of a unique teambuilding experience creating bonding among the employees, a sense of belongingness and ownership and of course to feed the morale and motivation of the employees.

India was selected as the trip destination and Tetra Pak turned to the talents of Creative Travel and Creative’s partners in Pakistan, Gerry’s Tours, to design a once-in-a-lifetime event. As planning started, not so friendly relations between Pakistan and India nearly ended the trip before it began.

But despite all official rhetoric and propaganda on both sides of the border, the fascination and affection on a people-to-people level remained strong and the team was determined to deliver the employees of Tetra Pak their earned reward.

Unlike most incentives, which involve just one segment of employees or just the stars of the organization, this group consisted of each and every employee of Tetra Pak Pakistan from the messenger boy right up to the managing director. The doors of the company were to be closed for the duration of the tour and that made this trip even more important.

Creative Travel began to work day and night on the largest roadblock: the visas. Creative Travel used its influence and was able to convince the Indian government about the merits of issues the visas.

Once this process was started, the Ministry of Tourism became a partner in the project which became a project on improving relations between the two nations and the government officials went out of its way to assist in the process. With their assistance, Creative was able to convince the Ministry of External Affairs (India’s foreign affairs ministry) who also became a champion of the cause.

Their officials went out of the way to assist in the process. Creative has also acknowledged the assistance of the officials in the Indian High Commission in Pakistan who made the application process on the Pakistani side as smooth process. The impossible became reality when all 252 employees at Tetra Pak Pakistan received necessary visas for the trip. These visas were issued in record time.

During the same five weeks, Creative Travel and Gerry’s Tours had to line up services including airline, hotel and entertainment that met a strict schedule with no margin for adjustment. Yet because the trip depended on the securing of visas, planners were unable to make advance payments.

Nothing could be finalized until the visas were approved. Once visas were issued, Creative Travel and Gerry’s Tours scrambled to confirm all arrangements - completing the process just one week before departure.

Challenged by laws that restrict Pakistani citizens’ travel in India, the itinerary had to delight guests and show no sign of restriction. The guests might not have another opportunity to travel in India so the program needed to embody its theme: A Journey to Remember.

Creative Travel developed an itinerary based on Tetra Pak’s motivation for traveling to India. The unanimous highlight of the trip was the welcome event that embodied the lively and vibrant Indian state of Punjab. An outdoor venue decorated with flowers, marquis, village market stalls and local performers recreated a traditional village atmosphere.

One of the city’s top Punjabi pop singers entertained, and the event turned out to be a boisterous, fun-filled night.

This program has become one of the most talked about trips in Pakistani business circles, and has set a benchmark for future trips between Pakistan and India. This achievement will open new doors and avenues for peace and will allow other travel incentives to operate due to a precedence being set.