Lovers of schlager singer Willy Sommers can dance the polonaise in the UnitedArab Emirates next year. Like many other well-known Flemish people, the artistorganizes his own fan trip. There is great interest in the travel formula,although it comes with a hefty price tag. “You get something exclusive.”
Paul NotelteirsSeptember 19, 202219:01
‘Dubai with a Flemish touch’, is how Willy Sommers describes his seven-dayluxurious fan trip that will take place in February of next year. His travelcompanions tour important sights in the United Arab Emirates, sleep in a five-star hotel and are – the icing on the cake – treated to a concert by theiridol. On the Facebook page, many complain about the participation price of1,899 euros per person, but Caroline Van Holderbeke (52) sees no problem withit. She has closely followed Sommers’ career for nearly four decades and hasaccompanied him on multiple fan tours in the past.
“We went to Turkey, Florida and South Africa, among other places. Those tripsare very nice because, for example, you can talk to Willy longer than after ashow. That way you can also tell him something about your private life.” Dueto the singer’s busy schedule, he can sometimes only be present for a few daysof a trip. This may seem bizarre to outsiders, but participants are briefed inadvance about when to expect him. “As fans, we don’t follow him like ducks,”says Van Holderbeke.
Pioneer
Sommers’ fan trip gets attention in the first place because of the high costprice and the exotic location, but the man absolutely does not invent the hotwater. Artists have been offering their fans the opportunity to get to knoweach other in a more intimate setting for several decades. Charm singer SalimSeghers is considered a pioneer in our country. He likes to call himself ‘theking of the fan trip’ and will soon be traveling with hundreds of fans to thesame hotel in Lloret de Mar for the thirty-fifth time. The man was not yetactive full-time as an artist when a Lommel travel agency asked him in theeighties to perform during one of their group tours. That was a great successand in the years that followed, both the number of participants and Seghers’involvement grew. During the trip, he is the first point of contact for fans.“Although I don’t go on an excursion, I focus on the daily shows in thehotel.”
While Seghers is finding success in Spain, similar travel concepts aresprouting like mushrooms during the same period. Charm singers in particularachieve great results thanks to their slightly older and often more wealthyfan base. Although a look at the most recent travel brochures shows that theformula is no longer reserved for people who already like to dance thepolonaise. On Friday 500 soap fans leave together with some Home actors toCorfu for a week, presenter Evy Gruyaert will soon go to Crete for cooking andyoga workshops and Karl Vannieuwkerke welcomes cycling enthusiasts in theSpanish fishing village of Calpe.
Feeling at home abroad
The range of travel formulas around media brands and artists is as diverse asit is popular, confirms Lies Bruneel of East Flemish tour operator ProjectReizen. After the pandemic, she says, people are more open to paying quite abit of money for their holidays, the impact of inflation is not verynoticeable for the time being. During one of the exotic trips with famousFlemish people, people also step out of their comfort zone more easily andexperience adventures that they might miss during a solo trip. That may be anadditional reason why fans opt for a trip with Sommers or Gruyaert. “You arein another country, but it also feels familiar because there is a familiarface with it. Moreover, only Flemish people come along, which creates afeeling of home abroad,” says Bruneel.
According to tourism professor Jan van der Borg (KU Leuven), the popularity offan trips should also be seen within a declining importance of mass culture.In the past, the Flemings may have traveled to the south by car en masse,today relaxation is more tailored to the individual. “Niche markets arenibbling at the share of classic sun, sea and beach holidays.”
Revival Tour Operators
This has the advantage that the largest tourist attractions experience lesscrowds and that tour operators suddenly become busier again. They saw blacksnow during the pandemic and felt the hot breath of digital platforms such asbooking.com on their necks, but are now experiencing an unexpected revival.According to Van der Borg, they can charge a surcharge for these totalexperiences. The people who cough up 1,900 euros for their outing with Sommersare therefore aware that the trip would be cheaper if they made it alone. “Buteverything is fully arranged with us and if something goes wrong, it issolved,” says Bruneel.
It is unclear exactly how much money the artists earn from their travels.Bruneel says that there are different agreements with every celebrity, Seghersalso keeps it vague. He announces that guest artists **** if Celien Hermansand Andrei Lugovski are not compensated for their performance during the trip.However, they are allowed to stay in the hotel for a week with their partnerand receive a refund of their travel costs. “It is an offer that eight artistswill take up again this year. Then it’s a party in the hotel until half pasteleven at night.”