Travel Agent or Interior Designer?

CTravel CEO Carl Paiva talks about the travel industry in Bermuda

It’s the day and age of the independent travel. For most that also means independent travel planning.

Visiting the internet rather than a travel agency is becoming far more common than when Mr. Paiva started in the industry in 1972, but the CEO of CTravel, a Bermuda-based travel agency, believes there is still a place for his industry.

What have almost 40 years in the island’s travel industry taught him? Mr. Paiva explained in his short Q&A in my Royal Gazette column – Rock Fever – today.

And here is the extended version with links to help you with your travel needs!

What got you into the travel business?

“I have been in the travel agency business since 1972. I had just graduated from college in 1971 with a degree in English and Art history.

“I got into the industry by default because I was really planning to go to graduate school for law. I joined Watlington and Conyers (a travel agency in Bermuda) where I started as a shipping agent for the summer. But I became a travel agent in the winter when there were no boats visiting Bermuda.

“In 1975 I joined Meyer-Franklin and stayed there until 2000 and I started CTravel in November, 2000.”

So where did the name for CTravel come from? I mean, besides the obvious travel portion?

“The ‘C’ in CTravel was born out of a marketing seminar that we attended that claimed ‘C’ was the strongest letter in the alphabet for marketing. Most people however believe it stands for Carl. This works for us too!!”

You have been in Bermuda’s travel business for almost 40 years and CTravel is stepping into the next arena by downsizing the physical office. How have you seen the travel industry evolve?

“It has changed absolutely. It used to all be done over the phone, calling airline reservation counters and everything was done on a personal level. We would have to wait for the confirmation from the airline. The airfares were much higher then and to book a hotel or car reservation was done through writing letters and we waited for a response. Everyone was patient. We were doing everything.”

And then there were the social … issues?

“Couples travelling to hotels or on a cruise ship, well we couldn’t book a couple unless they were married. They would have to be married and travelling in the same room.”

So what is a day in the life of a CEO of a travel agency?

“In my particular case it’s dealing with administration, coming up with new ideas, moving with the times, meeting with suppliers, meeting with everyone from a tour operator to a cruise company or speaking to them on the phone.

“Because I am in marketing I am also always trying to come up with new ideas to get on the radio and TV and the Internet (CTravel has its websitectravel.bm, cruises.bm and quickertix.com). I also meet with the staff to discuss new opportunities.

“A lot of the job is personal contact with staff and clients. Suppliers sometimes come down here and they meet with me to explain their vision moving forward and they do training with the staff. Relationships are absolutely critical and in our industry that means meeting face to face or getting to know them over the phone. I also encourage the travel advisors (because that is what the industry calls them) to embrace what they love because the travel industry is so diversified.”

I book most of my trips online and when I organised the trip around the world I did it myself. What are incentives for the public to use travel agents these days when everything is online?

“I compare our jobs to that of an interior designer. They need to meet with the clients, understand what they want and introduce the opportunities they have (just like a travel advisor does). And it doesn’t cost anymore (money) to sit with a travel agent. We get commissions from the suppliers. We only charge for airline tickets.

“We also have 130 affiliated offices worldwide. If someone said: ‘I want to go to Poland’ we could call our on-site and they would come back with a suggested itinerary.

Italia!

“This will mean going to sites the average traveller will not see. For example when I was in Venice I consulted our on-site, but I had them plan one day in particular. It was called ‘The little known Venice’. We literally went to parts of Venice where we saw no tourists. We went to the Ghetto where Jewish people were kept during the World War. We met with the Rabbi there and not being Jewish it was a history for lesson for us.”

And it provides more security?

“Yes. For example there was a group going to Africa and they were on tickets that were booked online. They arrived in London and some had tickets that had been stolen and they were supposed to meet a travel agent with the tickets onwards to Africa, but there was no travel agent there.

“Then a church group thought they were booking through a Minister in Florida. They booked 20 cabins. It was false and all that money was gone.

“Every year we go to the travel meeting in Vegas and meet with the various suppliers there which means we recognise names and faces and don’t need to worry.”

And the additional perks to booking through a travel agency?

“Because CTravel has a relationship with Virtuoso the largest travel consortium in the world, we get the Virtuoso rates and the amenities. That could also mean a bottle of champagne (in the visitor’s hotel room) or early check-in and other add-ons.

Another example? Mr. Paiva had a client who wanted to go to Mt. Kilimanjaro, but didn’t want to do it with a group. He called their Virtuoso on-site and were able to custom-tailor a trip with trekking, spa recovery and as many creature comforts as his client wanted.

That’s because, Mr Paiva said: “I am more an advisor to the agents. I do have some clients (for years). It’s such a personal business they call me and I want to go to China for two weeks and I know what they want to do.

“Many people find they like a particular agent and they like the way she/he does things. Relationship is one of the keys to success.

“And if the agents doesn’t know the particular place where you want to go they can call on Virtuoso. That’s where our affiliates are so important.”

So many people book their flights online. Does your travel agency still book flights?

“We don’t focus on airlines (anymore), but because we are on an island we do an enormous amount. We are the number one agency for airlines and cruises.

“We have 75% of the industry according to suppliers. That’s for air, cruises, tours and customized itineraries. We do a lot of groups – family reunions, weddings, senior citizens, etc…”

Bermuda!

It seems like a lot of the business you do are cruises. How has that area of the travel industry changed?

“Cruising, by the early 80s was up, cruising exploded. What’s wonderful about filling cruises in Bermuda is that Bermudians like premier and deluxe cabins.

“Because we live here (Bermuda), they want a cabin with a view. So when we cruise the cabins to first fill up are the balconies.

“We also book a lot of groups and nine times out of 10 they know where they want to stay because Bermudians are great travelers.

“This means suppliers love to come here. Bermudians have a real sense of worldliness. They have traveled a lot and they know what they want and the suppliers know that.”

And is all of your travel planning simply leisure?

No. “We do a lot of corporate travel and that’s a different kind of agent. That’s one that know the best days for fares, seat preferences (the best for sleep on the way to London), limo rentals, car rentals and convenient hotels.

“The other thing we do with corporate accounts is incentive travel. If they want to take 20 people they can rent a private house (for example).

“Necker Island (in the British Virgin Islands), we have used  not just for corporate, but also family groups. I do a lot of that.

“We do about 60% leisure and 40 percent corporate.”

So how has the economy influenced Bermuda’s travel industry?

“It’s the first recession I have seen in my career affect Bermuda. In the third quarter of 2008 we noticed corporate accounts pull back.

“We don’t see leisure affected or cruises affected. Those have still continued. The recession has, however, caused the airlines to go with lower prices which means less commission (for the travel advisor).

“The cruise fares are lower too. It’s great for the consumer, but we were hurt by the recession.”

Too book your next trip and for more information about the cruises and fares you can visit their website: www.ctravel.bm.

Where do you book your trips? Do you visit a travel agent? Do you have any nightmare stories from booking online? Email them to skinnerrobyn@gmail.com.