Hotel Talk with Farah Shammas: Christophe Chaillou - Managing Director of Creative Tours, Cyprus

Bonjour tout le monde, aujourd'hui j'ai un très très spécial guest avec moi, quelqu'un que j'ai connu depuis longtemps et qui est très bien-known dans le tourisme secteur ici, en Cyprus et en France, en France, c'est Christophe Chailloux. Il est le founder et le manager director de Creative Tours. Et aussi, plus recently, il a founded et il a un beau wine shop en Le Mansol,

called Wine & More. Christophe, thank you for coming. Thank you very much. To the hotel, to be with us.

I'm so excited and I'm gonna get you into listening to podcasts now. That's it, you've opened up a door that you're not returning from. Yeah. So Christophe, tell us a little bit about your story, because many people listen to this podcast who aren't based in Cyprus, who maybe don't know you, which for us sounds strange. You're obviously French, you obviously live in Cyprus, but tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What happened in your life that led you to Sunny Island? It's a big story. It's a big story. We want the big story.

All right. So, I came to Cyprus in 1985 to get married with a nice Cypriot lady and we got married. And then I am a hotel. And you met her at university, didn't you? Yeah. I met her in Switzerland, in a hotel school. And we came here to see what to do here. But we had a career waiting for us in Europe. This was basically it. And when we were here, we brought a group of 60 French people for the wedding, friends and family. And for one week it was a big fiesta. So we decided after this to try to bring French people to Cyprus. And this is why we created and we opened Creative at that time. We got married on the 15th of June and 15th of July. We were opening our travel agency. Wow. At that time.

And the name came from that because you created this. Yeah. At that time there was no direct flight from France. So we had to come via Salonique with back 111 small aircraft. I mean, it was crazy. It was crazy. Cyprus had a bad reputation in France at that time. Why? Because of various stories also, there was a war of Lebanon and the hostages were released most of the time in Cyprus. You

know, there was not... Yeah. The connotation and connection. Yeah. Yeah. So it was a big challenge.

And okay, immediately I was a foreigner here in Cyprus. And at that time, to be honest, it was very difficult for foreigners. But I managed. I went to a different exhibition and we received our first tourist in February 86. Wow. Quite quick. And then, of course, networking, attending, doing a good job,

being reliable. And this is for individuals as well, not just for groups. No, no. You were doing

this is for... We were acting as agent of tour operators and big organization. So it was for individuals as well, as well as groups. So we created here a niche market, which was to receive the French tourists here and to give them what they were expecting. So at the beginning, we had to do French clubs. You know, they were expecting animation in the hotel. They were expecting this kind of thing. So the first group that we had and we had to handle, they bought the club. So I was doing the animators and my wife at that time was selling the excursion. I mean, it was a fabulous story. This is how we started. And she was pregnant as well from my older son. And it was a great beginning.

A lot of fun. Yeah, a lot of fun. A lot of fun. So this is how I started. I am born in Libourne, France, which is at the border of Saint-Emilion in the wine region. This is a destiny. You will see why. And okay, we have been doing this business now for almost 40 years in this field of tourism. And 2023 looks to be a very good year for French people in Cyprus because there is for the first time a lot of options as far as airline are concerned seats. So it should be a great year for Cyprus and France. So in 2009, I had the chance to purchase a small business, which was called French Depot as well. It was doing with wine and delicatessen from France. And we developed it a lot.

And now after 13 years, we have a big boutique in Limassol. We have also a boutique in Paphos and in Nicosia called Wine and More by French Depot. And during the COVID period, which we were not receiving any tourists, this business we are doing quite well. And everyone was home drinking. Everyone was drinking and eating. So we decided also to have a wine bar in Paphos. We have a wine bar in Paphos as well. And we have now since July 2022, a restaurant, a wine bar restaurant in Limassol, which is called Le Bordeaux. It's a very nice old house. And we are operating it as a restaurant. We have an excellent chef. And mainly the idea is a wine bar with a lot of choice of wine.

We have 60 wines by the glass. And we also have some topics that you can find only there, which is a cheese trolley, for example, you know, this old tradition, French tradition. So today, the panel is full, no new business in the line, just to concentrate and to work hard for 23, mainly to bring tourists from France here. We expect a big number. So we deal as well, as individual clients, we deal with confidence, with incentive groups. So we have to, to create programs to show them around all the variety of the, of the destination. And I am, I am blessed to be living in this country for the past 40 years, Farah.

Blessed. I'm such a lucky man. And what is your favorite part of Cyprus? I mean, what, what, what is it about Cyprus that makes you love it so much?

Okay. I like the people. I like the climate. I like the atmosphere. I like the security. I like the way I raised my four kids, my four sons, because it's, I think it's, it's a paradise for, for family. And, uh, no, I am, I am very French. Now we are of course going to win the World Cup on Sunday, but, uh, uh, I am very Cypriot as well. Yeah. I know. And you learned Greek perfectly. And no, perfectly. No, no, let's not be, let's not be, no. I say that in my standards, Christophe,

you're doing pretty well. So I am speaking Cypriot, not Greek. Yeah, me too. That's why, that's why this interview is in English. It would have been a completely different thing if we were chatting in Greek. So, um, okay. You've touched on two parts that I wanted to ask you about. You're the father of four boys. Yes. Um, how, what have you learned from that? How has that shaped you? Tell us about being a dad of four amazing boys. They're lovely boys. Again, again, I am blessed.

I have four, uh, uh, fantastic guys, uh, in the family. Two, one, which is living in Spain. He's a, um, a trader, a banker there. He just moved out from England because of the Brexit. And the other three are here. The second one is working, um, with me in the, in the restaurant, uh, looking after, uh, events, uh, social medias and, and other things, Stefan. And then I have the two little guys, uh, uh, Rafael, which is 16 years old and Nicola, the last one, which is the next

basketball star of Cyprus. Wow. So watch this space. Um, what, what have they taught you? What

has being a dad taught you? Well, you know, we are, we are, uh, it kept me young. We have to be honest. Uh, and, and we do a lot of things together. Uh, we are spending some, uh, precious time. And of course I work a lot, but still I find time for, for them, which is very important. Which is really important. Every year we go for two weeks in France, uh, to see my mother and, and to, to, because they have their roots there in the region of Bordeaux, which is, uh, next to the Atlantic Ocean. So we have a house there and, and, uh, we spend usually two weeks there. Nice. And, and this is how they have been, uh, raised to, to, to keep some of the roots there, but they are

very, very Cypriots as well. Yeah. Like me. Well, it's nice to have both cultures and grow up with different cultures and see different things and embrace them to really, yeah. So that's amazing.

They speak, they are lucky. They speak three languages perfectly. Uh, no, no, it's, it's

nothing to complain about. Oh, bless you. So, um, you studied hotel management then in Switzerland. Yes. Why? What happened that led you down that path?

Well, uh, I was, uh, 18. I had my baccalaureate, uh, and then, uh, one day my father came to tell me that he had the possibility to, to arrange for me to go to Glion in Switzerland. And, uh, we, we, we jumped on it and, and, and it was a fantastic experience. I am part of the, uh, alumni of, of the school. I do, uh, quite a lot. I participate. I try to participate to all our, uh, meetings. There is an an Esprit de Glion and there is a quite a big number of, of, uh, old students which are living here in, uh, in Cyprus and, uh, we have regular meeting. I met there, uh, Christina, uh, my first wife and we came to Cyprus. So this is a reason I have, I have been here.

My sister also went to Glion and, um, yeah,

I think she goes sometimes to the alumni meetings in London. They're quite fun from what I hear. Um, and at one point creative tours, um, merged with another company, didn't they? Um, so I don't want to go into that too much, but I, I think so many people will be interested. What are the pros and cons of merging with companies like the good things about it? And then the less good. Well,

at that time, Farah, it was, uh, the frenesia of the stock market, if you remember. So we had, uh, quite some options to, uh, to join different groups and, um, we have decided to make a move. It was a time also where, uh, personally, I had to make some, uh, some choices. So, uh, we decided to go with, uh, with a group, which, uh, we thought we are going to give some, uh, added value to the company in terms of, uh, uh, negotiation, importance, uh, reliability, which is what happened really. And it has been 20 years now. I can't believe that 20 years, 20 years already. Uh, but, uh, okay. I mean, uh, we both have our different, uh, identities. They are dealing mainly with English market.

We are, uh, uh, dealing with, uh, with the French and, uh, um, everything is okay.

So tell us a bit about the French market. So what, I mean, okay. And I grew up in England, there were always the jokes about, you know, difference between English and French people. What do the French look for when they travel? What is important to them and why do they like

Cyprus and how do you attract them to Cyprus? Well, uh, the, the French tourists are, uh, very culture minded. They like to discover, they like authenticity. Um, for example, give you a simple example, I have my wine business, which is, uh, considering of bringing French wine, French, different things, but these people are not interested in this. They want, when they come to a destination like Cyprus, they want to test the Cyprus product. So we are, uh, offering them a different, uh, type of, uh, of excursions. We go, uh, uh, in the mountain to discover, uh, even with ancient cars, uh, we discover the, the winery, the, the traditional method, the commandaria, the zivania, the tradition.

Um, this is what they like. So, uh, also, of course, unfortunately, um, there is a bigger demand now for all inclusive hotel, which is not what we, what we want or what we like, but, uh, there is a demand. So they are looking for, for products. So we have to, um, develop a new way of working and proposing them, uh, different excursions, which are more half days now, so they can have their meals here. But I find it a pity to be coming one week in, in a country like, uh, like Cyprus and not go at least one night to a taverna to try the traditional, uh, specialties.

Um, we are doing a lot of, uh, round trips, uh, culture with spending a few nights, uh, in, uh, in the mountain, few nights in Lachi, few nights in Paphos. And, uh, we also have cycling groups. We have, of course, incentives and, uh, we try to promote, uh, all the, the place of, of, uh, Cyprus. But to be honest, Limassol is still my favorite place. I think that, uh, it developed well. There is plenty of things to do. It's a very cosmopolitan city. You can find everything now. Soon we'll have a big casino, big project, but in Cyprus, in the tourism today, you can find every product for anybody. You want charming hotels.

You have, uh, the, the Columbia in Pissuri, which is, uh, one of my favorite. Of course, uh, you want, uh, um, a spa, you want golf, you want, you have absolutely everything. You want the top all-inclusive hotel. You come to the San Rafael. Ah, there we go. And we have our bed and breakfast and half-board. You have, you have a beautiful restaurant by the sea, which is the sailors. You have now the golden monkey, which is a fantastic addition. There we go. I'm not paying Christophe for any of this. I promise. I promise. All right. Yeah.

But, um, no, there is, and, and if you want to have, uh, the, the real balnéaire holidays, uh, the nice sandy beach, then you have the option to go to Ayanapa and Protaras as well, which has been, to be honest, very difficult for us, uh, for us bringing French people because it was places that they were, uh, uh, privileging the, uh, British and the Russians. And, uh, only unfortunately with what is happening to the Russians, we now have some good

opportunities to find some. To expand. Exactly. To expand and find something. And we, you know, yeah. Yeah.

So it's, uh, it's, uh, no, the, the, the, the offer on Cyprus today is, is exceptional. We have everything for everybody and we are going to have flights now from Bordeaux. Uh, I don't know if you are aware. So this is my hometown. So I will be able to go and see my mother to organize some, some wine group for some friends, which are here. There is a flight to Marseille as well. There is a flight to Toulouse. I mean, it's, it's, it's great to see these, uh, developments. Yeah. Great.

Amazing. So my last question is tell us some fun or interesting or memorable stories from all your guests that you've had in so many years or just fun times that you've had maybe in the office or on trips or in promotions. Um, too many, too many, or something that happened with groups that made you

laugh. Too many souvenirs. I have to write a book actually. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I have to write a book or an encyclopedia, uh, of, of, of my life really. But, uh, no, I am, I am a bon vivant. No, I like, uh, good life. I like to enjoy. I do everything with, uh, with, uh, uh, the spirits. I like to enjoy myself when I work and, uh, from the morning to late in the night, I, I, I do everything with passion as well. So, uh, funny stories, plenty, plenty, uh, but, uh, uh, exhibitions, uh, uh, sleeping, uh, with a hotelier in, uh, in, uh, Berlin, because I couldn't find the room at the last minute that was snoring, uh, all night. Uh, I mean, plenty of a fun story. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, so many.

So would you recommend someone to go into this industry? Of course. Of course. It's, uh, it's actually difficult because our, uh, specialty is, uh, the French, uh, language and it's quite difficult to find people, uh, now after the COVID that wants to, to work in, in this, uh, sector and, uh, we, who is at the same time fluent, uh, French speaking. So we are always looking for, uh, additions, uh, good additions to our, uh, team and, uh, okay. Maybe somebody will hear this, uh, and will be interested to,

to work with me or with us, which is quite fun. Lucky for you. You've got four boys as well. So you're, you've just been producing your own employees, hopefully team members. So my last and final question is from the team, not from me. So you haven't, um, yet to listen to our podcast, but, um, all our team at the hotel writes a question. They're all in this beautiful crystal ball. So pick any question you want. Should I read it for you? And, um, let's see, I haven't said who it's from. Sometimes I do. Um, if you could have studied something else, what would it have been and why?

Okay. Uh, definitely. I would have studied, uh, uh, the, the, um, the wine, uh, uh, Uh, Somalia. Oh, yes. Yes. Some of you have a career in, uh, in the wine in the, yes, yes, yes. Now that, now that I know, okay. If I had to, uh, I was very lucky and, and thanks to my parents to that, uh, they have, uh, arranged for me to go and have this, uh, experience in Switzerland, which was great. After, when I came back from Switzerland, I did my military service in, uh, in France.

And, uh, just the fact that I was a diplomat from, uh, from a hotel school, the, the general of the, of the brigade decided to, to nominate me as his, uh, private method hotel, you know, so I had the fantastic military service opening bottle of Petrus Grand Cru all the time. when I was, when I was basically, uh, 20 years old. Uh, after that, I, I went to, uh, um, a fantastic, uh, Raleigh Chateau Hotel in the south of France, Chateau Saint-Martin in Vence, which was a great experience. I mean, I had a parkour, parkour, yes, unique.

So yes, if I didn't study the, the hotel school, unfortunately, I would not have known Cyprus because I would not have met, uh, Christina and she would not have brought me here. So I would have had a complete different life. You know, how is destiny? Yeah. So, um, uh, it was all meant to be. Now I am, uh, uh, married with Kalia, who is working with us in, uh, she's running actually the, the wine business and, uh, okay. We, we, we continued. Yes. But, uh, I, I, uh, if I had to change anything, maybe I would try, uh, to, to, to go to this, uh, to this field. Yes. To the wine business field. But as you said, I, I ended up there anyway.

And thank goodness for Cyprus. You did because we've now got French tourists and, uh, we're definitely a better place because of it.

Yes. Uh, listen, we are going to do our best for, I hope, another few years. I hope my sons, some of them are going to come and help me because at the moment they don't want to work with their father, but okay.

Hopefully. It will change. Christophe, thank you so much. Thank you for coming here today. Thank you for sharing some of your story with us. You're welcome, my dear. And wishing you all the best for 2023 and beyond. Me too. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.

Thank you. Bonne année à tout le monde. Thank you.

Bonne année à tout le monde.