“Going to Thailand and not going to the Full Moon Party is
like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel tower” or so I was told by the
Israeli guy on the plain next to me on my way to Bangkok.In fact ever since I arrived in Thailand I’ve heard about
how I shouldn’t miss the Full Moon Party. From the airport, to up North in
Chiang Mai to the many other travellers I met along the way to the Islands, back-packers,
students, young people from every continent making their way to the legendary
Full Moon Party, held each month on Koh Phangan Island.
So with some hesitation, (this was not part of my plan for a
reflective, yoga/meditation-type vacation) I decided to join the masses and
head to Koh Phangan on Thursday night.
Despite all the horror stories that surround these events
and the many warnings about watching my drink and staying with a group I
actually found it to be a surprisingly wholesome experience. There is something
to be said about young people form every background coming together just to
party and have a good time.On the way there from nearby Koh Samui Island we sat at the
back of a local truck that took us to the speedboat that would take us to the
party. The truck included a Venezuelan, 2 Brit, 2 Zambians, 2 Czechs, an
American and myself, South African. Waiting for the speedboat we met numerous
others and easily began conversations with the various partygoers, all waiting
on the port, all in good spirits despite the long expedition to get there. (This
may have had something to do with the enterprising Thai who set up a Mohito
stand on the dock while we waited).
Since the train ride to Surrathani, which was almost
exclusively fellow travellers making their way to the Islands for the party I
have been thinking about the value of the Full- Moon Party for the economy of
Thailand. Each month around 20- 30 000 tourists attend these parties which have
been going since 1985. Many of the travellers I have met came to Thailand
specifically to attend these infamous parties. Most stay at least a weak or
two, travel in the country, visit the surrounding Islands, do tours and day
trips and spend 1 000s of Baht in the bars, restaurants and night clubs on the
surrounding Islands. From the speedboats and packed guest-houses to the neon-Full
Moon Party paraphernalia and the various pre-and after-parties that now complement
the event the number of jobs that these parties have created must be significant.
According to Wikipedia tourism contributes around 6% to Thailand's GDP, a larger contribution than
that of any other Asian nation and many of these are tourists headed to
Thailand’s beautiful beaches.
So, being a development-minded, social enterprise type of person I
have been thinking about how these parties could be replicated in other parts
of the world, here is the idea:
A massive annual party each year in a different exotic setting in
the developing world. The parties, inspired by Thailand’s Full-Moon parties
will be designed to catalyse the local economy and tourism industry in these
locations. The location will be selected
in countries that are ripe for tourism but whose potential is yet to be fully
recognised. A consortium will be formed with relevant stakeholders including
the Ministry of tourism and/or local economic development, airlines, entrepreneurs,
media/news channels, tourist agencies, hotels etc. There will be a focus on
empowering locals and stimulating the local economy, leaving in place infrastructure
for future tourism and putting the location on the traveller’s map (kind of
like the Olympics or World Cup but of a more grass roots nature).
These parties will be the “Band-Aid” of our time but unlike the
Band-Aid concerts which shipped in foreign celebrities and focussed more on
awareness raising against poverty. All the activities will focus on developing
local capacity and utilising existing resources. As in Koh Pangan where the
local bars provide the alcohol and music and local entrepreneurs set up food stalls,
boat-trips and related activities. Unlike the Full Moon Party, the aim will be
more than just having a good time (although this will be an important part of
it). Rather partygoers will be well aware of the fact that their partying is
contributing to Poverty-alleviation, Progress, Peace and Prosperity (hence
P-Party). This will be an important part of the marketing and promotional
activities and a leading PR firm will be hired to create a viral international
campaign for attracting young travellers from around the world. While it may
make sense to prototype the idea with a smaller first party, to attract
international media attention future year’s P-Parties may take place in
parallel in South America, Africa and Asia creating a truly international vibe.That’s the idea, I can already envision the business model canvas
(I am a big Lean StartUp Fan), the various customer segments, channels and
unique value proposition etc. I realise this is a massive undertaking but I
think there is huge potential to create a significant impact on local economies
around the globe, hooking into the idealism and desire for adventure of the
younger generation of global travellers.
I challenge anyone out there to take this idea and make it happen,
what could be better than partying for a purpose in exotic locations around the
world.
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