Making the Customer Number One

Dear Editor,

Tourism is passion, not just for travel, but a passion for changing lives. My friends, we all work in an industry where passion is needed to make dreams come true. I have seen tour industry evolve from the time I was a child in Kenya, and watched how it adapted after the first Gulf War, after 9/11, and how it has endured the current political scene. I have seen an industry where travel agents, hotels, and tour operators thrived despite the focus of travel warnings, or economic hardship because we had a passion and maintained strong ethics.

While I may not have the most years under my belt in this industry in an active role, I have for many years been as an observer, first as a child growing up in a tourist destination, and later as a member of the finance industry looking in. In all these years, I have seen how tourism has touched lives, changed attitudes, and helped countless people around the world by pumping much needed foreign investment (the travel dollar) into local economies. I have seen the good that comes from tourism in helping the needy, probably more than any other industry.

However, I have seen another side as well, a side that, quite frankly, bothers me, a side that violates every basic principle of ethics all for the sake of self gain. I have seen the underbelly of an industry, which, like many other aspects of the corporate world, is eating away at the very foundation the host is built on.

Let’s look at some common practices that represent clear conflicts of interest: obligatory shopping on tours, marketing charitable efforts for self-gain versus genuine care, false advertising, and awards based on tampered with or faulty measurements of quality, which are used more for marketing then consumer education. They all have the same result. It has made the guest number two. Somewhere along the line, we as an industry forgot about the guest, we started caring more about how we could make more money, how we could gain more market share, how we could increase publicity, while the guest play second fiddle to blatant greed. Whether we want to admit it or not, we have all been guilty at one time or another.

These practices have more ramifications then just unsatisfied guests. We are, in essence, discouraging the younger generation, my generation, and those who follow from joining our industry. Any industry that aspires to continue growing will only attract young talent if it adheres to high ethics, inspirational practices and the knowledge of being involved in something that’s truly genuine. With the shortage of new talent, we face a grave peril of not having enough qualified professionals filling our offices and making key decisions. What fate awaits our guests when they are planning dream vacations with less than qualified people? What happens to our reputations as these guests come back, let down and with a low opinion of the travel industry? What happens when we stop growing as an industry, not because of a lack of demand, but because of a lack of talent? These are just some of the uncertainties awaiting us if we continue down the same path.

Coming from the world of finance, I can tell you that today's problems in that industry started many years ago with the same types of practices that we are seeing in tourism. One only needs to look at the ramifications in the finance industry taking shape today to see what our future might hold for us. It is not too late; we can change our destiny, and that all begins with returning the guest as our center of focus, as number one, not because of any expected return or hidden agenda, but because we want to, because it is our duty as custodians of their dreams. We all tell people about authentic experiences, let us start practicing what we preach. My generation and the ones after will be grateful tomorrow for the changes we make today.

Ashish Sanghrajka
Vice President Sales & Partner Relations
Big Five Tours & Expeditions

A Close Encounter With YTB

Last week, we received a call from one of our readers, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based independent contractor working for a local agency with more than 15 years in the business. This agent called us to inform us of a recent run-in with a YTB agent at a Home Depot parking lot in Goleta, Calif.:

“I went to a store the other day [Aug. 3] and right in front of me was this license plate that said ‘YTBNOW.’ A man came out and I decided to play dumb and I started to talk to him and ask him what it’s all about.

“He told me, ‘You can become a travel agent vacation specialist and you’re free to book on my Web site.’

“I told him, I know an agent now who’s independent and I asked if I needed a license to work as a YTB agent and he said I didn’t need one. In California, you have to have a seller of travel license to sell travel. He gave me his card and told me he travels all over the country and writes it all off. I took his card and I thought ‘I should share this information right now.’”

Given the recent events surrounding the State of California’s — and, possibly, the State of Illinois’ — case against YTB, the run-in was especially timely.

This agent, who wishes to remain unnamed, received the YTB member’s business card with his contact information and the YTB Travel Network’s Web site: http://www.freedomtravelnow.com/. (YTB Travel Network is a subsidiary of YTB International Inc.)

The agent went on to say that the man she confronted in the parking lot told her that vendors are clamoring to join with him, and that he makes money off about 60 percent of all travel bookings he makes.

Tellingly, he also informed the agent that he/she would not need a license to sell travel and that YTB was similar to Amway, a multilevel marketing company.

He also said, “I would get a cut of anything you sold.”

More than anything, though, the agent who called TravelAge West was alarmed by how this man “made [YTB] sound so inviting. If I didn’t know what I knew I would have been tempted. That’s his job. He’s a salesman.”

--Deanna Ting

Read more about YTB in our June 23 cover story, "Card Mill Confidential."

Why People Miss Flights

The most common reasons and some practical advice to help ensure you get on your flight

Travel website missedaflight.com has conducted research to find the most common reasons why travellers miss their flights. This unique expert service has also created some helpful hints and tips on how to avoid the most common reasons for missing a flight.

Problem: Mis-read and mis-spelt documents
Solution: On receipt of your documents check the name, spelling and flight details are correct.

Problem: Flight schedule changes
Solution: Check your latest paperwork for any changes. Remember the times on the ticket will be written using the 24 hr clock.

Problem: Traffic delays caused by road accidents and road works or engineering works on railways
Solution: Check with the RAC and AA for any delays, accidents or engineering works that may affect your route and if need be find an alternative route.

Problem: Denied permission to travel due to incorrect passport or expired passports.
Solution: Review your passport in advance to ensure it still has six months to run after your return to the UK. Also remember to pack your passport in your hand luggage.

Problem: Essential medication needed urgently but packed in the hold luggage which has been checked –in
Solution: If your bags do not join you on the aircraft you run the risk of missing your flight. Make sure any prescribed medication is packed in your hand luggage just in case you need it before the flight departs. Most airports have a chemist but they may not stock your particular prescription.

Problem: Too late to check-in
Solution: Add more time – Airports are big and somewhere you might not be familiar with. Never under estimate your timings, make sure you have left plenty of time to get from the airport car park, (which may require a transfer service) to the terminal, and into the correct check-in zone. Remember there may be a queue at check-in. make sure you know which terminal as some airport have more than one and airlines can also fly out of more than one terminal.

Problem: Not allowing enough time to get to the departure gate once checked-in
Solution: Airlines are requiring their passengers to arrive at the gate for their flights earlier than in the past. Plan on getting to the gate at least 30 minutes before your flight departs and remember some gates can be as much as 25 minutes away from the main retail area. If you’re late they won’t wait.

Problem: Flights not connecting
Solution: Connecting flights are the most difficult to negotiate. If there is no nonstop flight, then build extra time into your itinerary for the connection. Don’t take the connecting flight that gives you just 45 minutes to change planes at a busy airport; instead, ask for a 2 to 4 hour layover to make the connection. You may not be able to do this online, instead call your travel agent or the airline directly. Please remember if you have bought two separate flights your connection is never guaranteed.

If after all this you do miss your flight visit www.missedaflight.com and on the homepage they will have a choice of two forms to complete. These relate to the urgency of travel, with a choice of either inside or outside of 24 hours. Once you have completed and submitted the relevant form with the details of the flight you missed and your contact numbers, the information will be submitted to the missedaflight.com team. Alternatively, if they do not have internet access travellers can call 0871 6666 737 to speak to a missedaflight.com consultant.