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                        <title>Jan-Bert Wissink and Marc van Amsterdam: &#8216;There wasn&#8217;t a day in those 20 years that we didn&#8217;t laugh&#8217;.</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/jan-bert-wissink-and-marc-van-amsterdam-there-wasnt-a-day-in-those-20-years-that-we-didnt-laugh/</link>
            <comments>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/jan-bert-wissink-and-marc-van-amsterdam-there-wasnt-a-day-in-those-20-years-that-we-didnt-laugh/#respond</comments>

            <pubDate>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:35:20 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
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            <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.travmagazine.nl/jan-bert-wissink-and-marc-van-amsterdam-there-wasnt-a-day-in-those-20-years-that-we-didnt-laugh/</guid>

            
            <description><![CDATA[
It is exactly 20 years ago this year that Jan-Bert Wissink and Marc van Amsterdam bought Sunair from MyTravel through a management buy-out. This British parent company was in dire straits and Van Amsterdam and Wissink saw plenty of opportunities for an independent Sunair. In 2024, the duo looks back on 20 beautiful years that &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[
It is exactly 20 years ago this year that Jan-Bert Wissink and Marc van Amsterdam bought Sunair from MyTravel through a management buy-out.
This British parent company was in dire straits and Van Amsterdam and Wissink saw plenty of opportunities for an independent Sunair.
In 2024, the duo looks back on 20 beautiful years that have flown by.
&#8220;In all those 20 years, there wasn&#8217;t a day that we didn&#8217;t laugh.&#8221; High time for the one-off column &#8217;20 questions to Jan-Bert Wissink and Marc van Amsterdam&#8217;.     &#8216;A weight has been lifted from our shoulders&#8217;.
That was the headline of an interview in the then magazine DIT Reismanagement, in 2004, in which I questioned the duo Wissink and Van Amsterdam about their recently completed management buy-out.
At the time, the landscape of the Dutch travel industry looked partly different, with different players.
One of them belongs to the British company MyTravel, owner of Sunair in the Netherlands, among other things.
MyTravel was in dire straits in its home country at the time, plagued by profit warnings, a falling stock price, eventually replacing the top.
Van Amsterdam and Wissink, who had both been working at Sunair in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel for four years at the time, saw opportunities for an independent Sunair.
Wissink was brand manager snow/car and Van Amsterdam was director of Sunair and Travel Trend.
In August 2002 they expressed their interest to MyTravel.
It took until shortly after Pentecost 2004 before Wissink and Van Amsterdam were able to uncork the champagne.
Shortly afterwards they moved Sunair to Alphen aan den Rijn, where it is still located.
We meet in a restaurant in the city centre, after a photo session on a pedestrian bridge.
This way we stay in style with the cover photo from 20 years ago, which was taken on a drawbridge in Nieuwerkerk.             1 To get straight to the point: what was your last business disagreement about?  Van Amsterdam laughs: &#8216;It may sound unbelievable, but we&#8217;ve never really had any real disagreements. Of course, we sometimes have different insights or ideas, but we have always solved them in good harmony. I think we&#8217;ve both always had the same vision for the company, and that helps a lot.&#8221; Wissink: &#8216;Exactly. It&#8217;s not that we never have different opinions, but we complement each other. We both have our strengths, and that ensures that we rarely clash. We know where our expertise lies and we rely on that. Of course, it also helps that we&#8217;ve been working together for so long; Half a word is enough for us.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;I also think that our personal click also plays a role. We get along well and that makes working together very enjoyable. It&#8217;s also important to know that neither of us has a tendency to make a big deal out of anything. We always think in the best interests of the company and our employees.&#8217;
Jan-Bert Wissink and Marc van Amsterdam on the cover of the former DIT Reismanagement, on a drawbridge in Nieuwkerk2 What does your division of tasks look like?
 Van Amsterdam: &#8216;In the beginning, we consciously said to each other: &#8216;You&#8217;re concerned with this, and I&#8217;m concerned with that.&#8217; But as time went on, those roles began to merge more and more. We also literally sit across from each other in the office, which means that we are always aware of what the other person is doing. That also makes it easy to divide tasks.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;Another factor is that we don&#8217;t have a strict hierarchy. On paper, we do have certain responsibilities divided. Marc, for example, is more focused on IT and I am more focused on the financial side, but in practice we just tackle things together. We&#8217;ve never felt like we had to check on each other, because we know we&#8217;re on the same wavelength.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We discuss everything that is important and involve each other in decisions. I think that&#8217;s one of the reasons why we&#8217;ve been working together so successfully for twenty years.&#8217;     3 Where do you know each other from?  Wissink: &#8216;We&#8217;ve known each other since 1995. At the time, we were working at Holland International. There was already a professional click there.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We already worked well together as colleagues at Sunair, but the real partnership only came about when we took over Sunair. We knew that together we made a good team and that we complemented each other well. That also gave us the confidence to take the step towards independence. And despite the fact that we have been working together for so long, we have always maintained a good work-life balance. We don&#8217;t interact with each other in private, but we know everything about each other in private.&#8217;
4 Have you ever regretted the management buy-out? Wissink: &#8216;No, not for a moment. From the beginning, we knew this was the right thing to do. Of course, as with any business, there were challenges, but we have never regretted our choice.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;Actually, we might have wanted to do it even earlier, but that wasn&#8217;t possible at the time. When the opportunity arose, we grabbed it with both hands. We knew it was a risk, but we were confident that we could make it a success.&#8221; 5 What obstacles did you encounter?
 Wissink: &#8216;The transition went relatively smoothly because we were already well prepared. From day one, everything went as planned. Fortunately, we didn&#8217;t have any major problems.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;One of the challenges in the beginning was getting used to working with investors; Venturion, Atlantic Capital and Fortis. We were used to doing everything ourselves and suddenly we were dealing with shareholders who had different expectations.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;Fortunately, we had good investors who gave us valuable advice. They came from outside the travel industry, so they took a fresh look at our business operations. That has helped us to plan better strategically and make decisions that we might not have considered otherwise.&#8221; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;After a few years, earlier than planned, we decided to buy out the investors. That gave us the freedom to chart our own course without having to take external parties into account.&#8217;    
6 And then, suddenly, you stood on your own two feet.
How did you like that?   Wissink: &#8216;We have been completely independent since 2007, each with 50 percent of the shares. We have been debt-free ever since. It gave us a lot of freedom. We were able to define our strategy without having to be constantly accountable to external investors. We were able to switch faster and were more flexible in our decisions.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We have always used our own money for investments. Many businesses use payments received in advance from customers to fund large marketing campaigns, for example. We deliberately don&#8217;t do that. We always stay within our financial means and that has saved us a lot of misery in difficult times. That is one of the reasons why we have weathered the financial crisis and the corona pandemic relatively well.&#8217;
7 In short, a conservative financial policy? Wissink: &#8216;Financial stability is the basis of a healthy company. When you have your finances in order, you can focus on growth and innovation without having to worry about cash flow or debt all the time.&#8221; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We have always invested in things that are important to us, but always within the limits of what we can afford. This ensures that we as a company are always firmly in our shoes.&#8217; 8 What are you most proud of after twenty years of Sunair?
 Van Amsterdam: &#8216;The fact that we&#8217;re still here&#8230; And that we are running healthy and well. In a sector that is so turbulent, this is not self-evident. Many of our competitors have disappeared. I am especially proud of our specialization. We&#8217;ve always focused on what we&#8217;re good at and that&#8217;s city breaks and the Channel Islands. That focus has brought us a lot.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;And let&#8217;s not forget: we have always been in the black, with the exception of the corona year. That&#8217;s something we&#8217;re very proud of. We have a team that really puts their heart and soul into Sunair. That&#8217;s something you can&#8217;t buy; You have to build that up and cherish it.&#8217;
9 What is typical Sunair? Van Amsterdam: &#8216;Sunair feels like a family. We are accessible and committed. We don&#8217;t have a board of secretaries, our door is always open.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;We have always continued to invest in our people and technology. We have a team that has been with us for many years, many people for more than 15 years. This ensures enormous commitment and expertise within our company.&#8217;     10 What do you have to do as a city specialist to distinguish yourself from online providers such as Booking?  Van Amsterdam: &#8216;The strength lies in our service and knowledge. We do much more than Booking can do, both for travel agencies and for our direct customers. In addition, we have an accurate pre-selection of hotels. Sunair is known as a specialist, which is something we have built up throughout our history. We offer excellent service and are easily accessible. Customers are very satisfied, which is evident from positive reviews and the fact that they often come back.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;And we make sure that everything is always well organised, from bookings to customer service. We distinguish ourselves through personal contact and involvement.&#8217;  Channel Islands
11 What about City Breaks, your direct label?  Wissink: &#8216;It&#8217;s going well, we&#8217;re seeing steady growth, mainly thanks to repeaters. We are making the necessary investments and it is growing steadily.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;The great thing is that we can still achieve good results with limited resources. That shows that we are doing the right things. In all cases, it&#8217;s all about the customer. Whether it&#8217;s Sunair or City Breaks, we always strive to provide the best service and be a reliable partner.&#8221;  12 Sunair once had three spearheads: cities, cars and snow.
Ever thought about expanding the range again?   Wissink: &#8216;Not really. Snow holidays, for example, are nice, but it&#8217;s a short season and requires large volumes that we don&#8217;t have. We prefer to focus on what we do best: city trips and the Channel Islands. We are always open to new opportunities, but we stay close to our core products. That has brought us success, we don&#8217;t want to let that be diluted.&#8217;  13 Speaking of the Channel Islands, are they not the odd one out?
Or is it a nice niche product?   Van Amsterdam: &#8216;It is certainly a very successful niche product. The Channel Islands have a stable market and mainly attract high-end travellers.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;We have good collaborations there, it remains an important pillar within our offer. It&#8217;s one of those products that really sets us apart. And for years, departing from Groningen and Rotterdam.&#8217;  
14 How have you seen the travel industry change?  Wissink: &#8216;The biggest change is without a doubt digitisation. When we started, most bookings were still offline, through travel agencies. Now a lot is happening online. That has turned the entire industry upside down. With Sjors, we make it easy for retailers to book with us online.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;Digitalisation has fundamentally changed the way people book travel. It has also brought new challenges, such as the rise of online travel sites and platforms such as Booking.com. But it has also created opportunities, especially for companies that can respond quickly to change.&#8217;  15 How important is your relationship with travel agencies today?  Wissink: &#8216;That relationship is still very important. Sunair has always been, and will continue to be, a travel agency brand. Our customers come through travel agencies, and we&#8217;ve always invested in those relationships.&#8221; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;Travel agencies appreciate the fact that we support them with good service, knowledge and a clear product range. That&#8217;s why they enjoy working with us. We give good commissions and make sure they can concentrate on other aspects of their work.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;Another factor is that we have always been transparent. Travel agencies know they can count on us, and that is very valuable in this day and age. We have no secrets; They know exactly what they can expect from us.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We really see ourselves as partners of the travel agencies. They are our market, and we do everything we can to maintain and strengthen that relationship. That hasn&#8217;t changed in the last 20 years.&#8217;  Founded in 1968, Sunair Holidays has always been lean and mean.
The (forecast) turnover in 2023 was 25 million euros, with 28,000 passengers and 14 FTEs.
Is that a good size?    Wissink: &#8216;Yes, we are very satisfied with this size. We have found a good balance between turnover and employees, which enables us to work efficiently.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;Our company can handle more than what we are doing now, but we would rather remain stable than take risks that jeopardise our service or business operations.&#8217; 17 After 20 years, what is still the fun in it?
 Wissink: &#8216;Of course, it helps that we work in a sector that is always on the move. There&#8217;s always something new to focus on. And we both love to travel, so it often doesn&#8217;t even feel like work.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We are fortunate that our work takes us to all kinds of beautiful places. In addition, no two days are the same, which keeps it interesting. And perhaps most importantly, we still have fun doing it. We laugh a lot in the office, which is essential. If it&#8217;s not fun anymore, then it stops. But as long as we enjoy going to work every day, we can go on for years to come.&#8217;   18 What are your plans for the future?
Have takeover candidates already come forward?   Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We&#8217;re not working on it right away, but there are always possibilities. For now, we just want to continue to grow in the way that works for us.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;We will remain at least at the current level, and we would prefer to grow a little further. But we&#8217;re taking it easy and seeing what comes our way.&#8217;  19 Where do you see opportunities?  Wissink: &#8216;The biggest opportunity lies in the further expansion of our specialisation. The market for city breaks continues to grow, and we can get a lot more out of it. There are always new destinations or hotels that we can add to our offer.&#8217; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We can also do even more with technology. Think of improving our booking systems and using data to respond even better to the wishes of our customers.&#8217;  20 What would you do if you could do it all over again?  Wissink: &#8216;I would do it again in a heartbeat. We have learned so much and built up so much. As long as we stay healthy and enthusiastic, I don&#8217;t see any reason to stop. We still have plenty of ideas and plans to work with. The market keeps changing, and that keeps it exciting. I see Sunair being an important player in the travel industry for a long time to come.&#8221; Van Amsterdam: &#8216;We have a fantastic team, a great product and a solid strategy. I look forward to continuing to grow Sunair in the coming years.&#8221;  
Briefly&#8230;
What is your favorite city destination?  From Amsterdam: &#8216;Vienna and New York. Two completely different cities, but both have something special for me.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;For me, that&#8217;s Palma de Mallorca and the other Spanish cities. Life, the people, the climate, it always feels like coming home.&#8217;  What would you do if you didn&#8217;t work at Sunair?  Van Amsterdam: &#8216;Something to do with boats, perhaps as a broker in ships. I&#8217;ve always had a thing for water.&#8217; Wissink: &#8216;I would probably do something at Médecins Sans Frontières or in the sports sector, for example at NOC*NSF.&#8217;  What obnoxiousness of the other person bothers you?  Van Amsterdam and Wissink, at the same time (laughing): &#8216;Actually, nothing. We are so different, but that makes it easy to work together. We don&#8217;t have any irritations.&#8217;  What city could you live in?  From Amsterdam: &#8216;Still Vienna. If I had to live somewhere else, I&#8217;d live there.&#8221; Wissink: &#8216;Palma de Mallorca. It always feels like a second home.&#8217;  Which city do you never want to go back to?  Both: &#8216;There is no city we never want to go back to. Every city has something special, if you&#8217;re open to it.&#8217;
The post Jan-Bert Wissink and Marc van Amsterdam: &#8216;There wasn&#8217;t a day in those 20 years that we didn&#8217;t laugh&#8217;. appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>Frank Radstake&#8217;s ambitions: &#8216;Our sector can have a positive impact on the world&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/frank-radstakes-ambitions-our-sector-can-have-a-positive-impact-on-the-world/</link>
            <comments>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/frank-radstakes-ambitions-our-sector-can-have-a-positive-impact-on-the-world/#respond</comments>

            <pubDate>Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:15:20 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
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            <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.travmagazine.nl/frank-radstakes-ambitions-our-sector-can-have-a-positive-impact-on-the-world/</guid>

            
            <description><![CDATA[
The changing of the guard at the ANVR could not have gone more smoothly. After seventeen years as director, Frank Oostdam handed over the baton to his namesake, Frank Radstake, this summer. With fourteen years of service under his belt, Radstake knows better than anyone what is going on with the members and with the &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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The changing of the guard at the ANVR could not have gone more smoothly.
After seventeen years as director, Frank Oostdam handed over the baton to his namesake, Frank Radstake, this summer.
With fourteen years of service under his belt, Radstake knows better than anyone what is going on with the members and with the ANVR.
&#8216;I sincerely believe that as a sector we can have a positive impact on the world.&#8217;   
You have been working in your new position as ANVR director for a few weeks now.
How do you like it so far?   &#8216;It&#8217;s only been a short time, so not much has changed yet, and that&#8217;s nice for me. I didn&#8217;t suddenly start working or thinking very differently. Most people in the industry have known me for fourteen years, so they know what I&#8217;m like and what to expect. What is new, however, is that I am now also a director of the ANVR. In my previous position, I mainly prepared the decision-making process, but now I am also ultimately responsible for the decisions that are made. In addition, I am now the point of contact for everything that has to do with the secretariat of the ANVR. And in the end, I am looked to for final decisions. Incidentally, it is especially nice that we have a really great team at the ANVR with whom it is very good to work: both the colleagues and the board.&#8217;  What does that mean in practice?  &#8216;That means that I now have a broader responsibility. Where I used to be mainly involved in preparing decisions, I am now also the one who has to make the decisions. That brings a different dynamic, also because I am now more aware of the impact of every decision I make. In addition, more external visibility has also been added. As a director and director, I am often asked to represent the ANVR, both within the sector and beyond. This brings with it extra responsibility, but I see it mainly as an opportunity to convey our vision and strategy even better.&#8217;  How do you differ from the previous Frank?  &#8216;I wonder if that question would have been asked so often if we hadn&#8217;t both been called Frank. Anyway, the main difference is, and as a Rotterdammer you will agree, he really had a dramatic taste in football as an Ajax fan. I am a fanatic PSV player. But what has made our collaboration so pleasant over the past few years is that Frank and I think the same about a lot of things. In terms of social vision and politics, but also in terms of work. So a lot of times we had similar ideas about how to tackle problems; what the desired lobbying approach would be, what the lobbying technique would be. And perhaps also the same idea as to what the role of the trade association is. And other than that, he and I are just a completely different person, I think.&#8217;  How do you prepare for the increased visibility that this feature brings?  &#8216;As far as the media is concerned, I think I&#8217;m well prepared. In the past, I have gained a lot of experience with press contacts, both during my work at the pension fund and within the ANVR. I also did media training at the time, so I&#8217;m not looking forward to that with nerves. What is different is that I am now in a position where I am not only asked as an expert, but can also be questioned more critically. But I am confident that, with the support of my colleagues and the board, this will go well. Of course, there will be times when you think: &#8216;I should have said that differently&#8217;, but that&#8217;s part of it. Even my predecessor still had that after seventeen years. So it&#8217;s also important to give myself the space to grow in this new role.&#8217;  
We don&#8217;t want sustainability to be an afterthought, but an integral part of the travel industry.&#8221;
  &#8216;What is also different is that I am now more often the face of the organisation, not only for positive messages, but also for more complex and sometimes critical issues. I am aware that this is part of the responsibility that comes with this role. What is most important to me is that I stay true to myself and to the values that I find important, even when the pressure is high.&#8217;  What are the key policy areas you will be focusing on in this new role?  &#8216;In the coming period, I will mainly focus on a number of core areas. Firstly, everything that has to do with sustainability, which is a spearhead within our vision of a future-proof travel industry. Last year in Oviedo (Spain) we presented our ambitious goals for 2050. Over the past six months, we&#8217;ve been working on a roadmap to achieve those goals. We have worked intensively with some 65 companies to develop this vision, and we have a lot to deal with in that area. These include climate, sustainable supply chains, and the positive impact of tourism on destinations. These are broad themes, each with its own challenges and opportunities.&#8217; &#8216;In terms of sustainability, we focus on three main themes: climate, sustainable supply chains, and the positive impact of tourism on destinations. In terms of climate, we want to significantly reduce emissions from the travel industry. We do this by promoting alternatives such as short-distance trains and by focusing on renewable energy sources within the sector. We don&#8217;t want sustainability to be an afterthought, but an integral part of the travel industry. This requires a long-term vision and cooperation at all levels, from small entrepreneurs to large players in the sector.&#8217; &#8216;We are also focusing on supply chains. We want these chains to be not only efficient, but also sustainable and ethical. This means that we pay attention to the working conditions of the people who are part of these chains, as well as the ecological impact of their work. We want to create a sector in which every link in the chain contributes to a better world, both socially and ecologically. This requires close collaboration with our partners and suppliers to ensure that our sustainability ambitions are actually realised.&#8221; &#8216;The third theme is the positive impact of tourism on destinations. Tourism can be a powerful tool for economic development and cultural exchange, but it can also have negative consequences if not properly managed. We want to ensure that tourism makes a positive contribution to local communities, for example by investing in sustainable infrastructure and by carefully monitoring the impact on local culture and nature. This is a complex area, but I believe that with the right approach, we can make a big positive change.&#8221;  Another theme you mentioned is the balance between consumer protection and practicability.
Can you explain that?   &#8220;Consumer protection remains at the heart of what we do. The revision of the European Package Travel Directive and the Passenger Rights Regulations poses challenges, especially when it comes to finding the right balance between protection and workability. We want to prevent regulations from becoming so strict that it becomes unattractive for travel providers to offer package holidays. At the same time, we must ensure that consumers remain well protected. It is a question of preserving the added value of package holidays without making it too complex or costly for providers. We are working closely with both national and European policymakers to ensure that the new rules benefit both the industry and consumers.&#8221;    &#8216;We have to make sure that the regulations don&#8217;t go too far and unintentionally harm the sector. This requires a nuanced approach, in which we not only look at what is legally feasible, but also at what is practically feasible for the companies that have to comply with these rules. It is important that the legislation remains in line with the reality of the market, so that we can continue to protect consumers on the one hand, but also guarantee the vitality of the sector on the other. We have already had success with this in the past. I am determined to continue in that vein.&#8221;  You spoke earlier about the modernization of the ANVR.
What are your plans?   &#8216;The modernisation of the ANVR is essential to remain relevant in a rapidly changing sector. One of our goals is not only to be dependent on membership fee income, but also to tap into new sources of income, for example by offering additional services. We must continue to expand and improve our services in order to provide the best possible support to our members. In addition, we want to encourage more cooperation and networking within the sector, something that is already being done successfully in other countries, such as Germany.&#8217; &#8216;Another aspect of modernisation is maintaining and increasing diversity and inclusivity within the sector and our organisation. This is a challenge, but I believe it is essential for the future of the ANVR and the travel industry as a whole. We want to ensure that the sector remains attractive to a wide range of talents and that everyone feels welcome to contribute to this dynamic industry. This means that we should not only look at the existing way we work, but also be open to new ideas and perspectives.&#8217;  
&#8216;As far as I&#8217;m concerned, the door is open for Booking.com to become a Member&#8217;
  &#8216;In addition, we also want to modernise the ANVR itself in the way we serve our members. This means that we need to update our processes and systems in order to work more efficiently and effectively. We want to provide more value to our members by giving them access to the latest information and tools that can help them succeed in an ever-changing market. This requires an investment in technology and innovation.&#8217;  When do you expect to bring Booking.com in as an ANVR member?  Radstake (laughs): &#8216;As far as I&#8217;m concerned, the door is open for Booking.com to become a member. The company is a major player in the tourism ecosystem and fulfills a role in customers&#8217; travel needs. As ANVR, we have the ambition to be as broad a trade association as possible, and as far as I&#8217;m concerned, that includes parties such as Booking.com and Airbnb, provided they fit within our quality mark. It would be nice if we could welcome them, but that also depends on their willingness to commit to the travel industry. We definitely see opportunities, but it also has to fit in well with what we want to achieve as an association.&#8217; &#8220;We want to make sure that all members hold themselves to the same high standards. This is important for maintaining the confidence that consumers have in our quality mark. But I believe that, given its position in the market, Booking.com could contribute a lot to the ANVR and the broader travel industry. We&#8217;ll see how the conversations develop.&#8217;  What are your long-term ambitions, both for yourself and for the ANVR?  &#8216;The ambition is to continue to develop the ANVR as a strong and broad trade association that is relevant to all players in the travel industry. I want to make sure that we are an association where our members feel at home and where they get the support they need. In addition, I want the ANVR to continue to play a pioneering role in sustainability and responsibility within the sector. We have set out a vision for 2050. My goal is to make sure we take the steps necessary to make that vision a reality. Personally, I hope that I can contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive travel industry, in which the ANVR plays a central role.&#8217; &#8216;For myself, I see it as a personal mission to ensure that the ANVR remains a leading voice in the discussions about sustainability and responsibility in the travel industry. That&#8217;s what I&#8217;m really passionate about, and I believe that as an industry we can have a positive impact on the world.&#8221;  



Briefly&#8230;
What was your first job? &#8216;My first job, if we&#8217;re talking about a real &#8216;big people job&#8217;, was at a wholesaler in Groningen. There I worked as a department manager and later at the head office in Diemen, where I was involved in HR, terms of employment and internal communication. I learned a lot about business operations and management there. That experience prepared me well for my later roles. It was also the place where I discovered that I have a passion for working with people and improving processes, something that drives me to this day.&#8217;  What would you do if you didn&#8217;t work at the ANVR?  &#8216;That&#8217;s a difficult question, because I&#8217;m very happy with what I&#8217;m doing now. But if I had to choose something else, I think I would like to work within another association. I really fell in love with working within the world of associations. The dynamic, being able to contribute to something bigger than yourself, appeals to me enormously. Maybe I&#8217;d even look at an international role, given my interest in global collaboration and impact. Working in an association offers the opportunity to make a real difference, and that is something that has always appealed to me.&#8217;  What&#8217;s the best piece of advice you&#8217;ve ever received and from whom?  &#8216;The best advice I ever received was to always look at your own work from the perspective of the person you work for.
I got this advice from a coach when I was active in Groningen.
He said that not only does your work get better when you look at it through the eyes of your client, but you also gain more appreciation for your own work.
This is an approach I try to apply on a daily basis, especially in my role at the ANVR, where it is essential to put the needs and expectations of our members first.
It helps me to stay focused on what&#8217;s really important to the people and companies we serve.&#8217;    
The post Frank Radstake&#8217;s ambitions: &#8216;Our sector can have a positive impact on the world&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>Special Traffic ready for next step: &#8216;Knowledge and quality remain paramount&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/special-traffic-ready-for-next-step-knowledge-and-quality-remain-paramount/</link>
            <comments>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/special-traffic-ready-for-next-step-knowledge-and-quality-remain-paramount/#respond</comments>

            <pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 12:23:18 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Magazine]]></category>

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            <description><![CDATA[
When Tenzing Travel had to file for bankruptcy in July 2020, Van Verre Reizen continued the retail branch of Tenzing under the old, but familiar, brand name Special Traffic. After a difficult start, in the middle of the corona period, the breakthrough came two years ago. Special Traffic has recently acquired a new corporate identity &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[
When Tenzing Travel had to file for bankruptcy in July 2020, Van Verre Reizen continued the retail branch of Tenzing under the old, but familiar, brand name Special Traffic.
After a difficult start, in the middle of the corona period, the breakthrough came two years ago.
Special Traffic has recently acquired a new corporate identity and plenty of optimism.
An interview with Chris Freitag (manager product and sales) and Jur Nijman (director).
&#8216;We want to grow, but we want to stick to our quality.&#8217;    
Why is Special Traffic getting a new logo now?
Freitag: &#8216;In 2020, we took over the name Special Traffic from the estate of Tenzing Travel. We then gave the old logo, which was from the &#8217;80s, a little modernization, but it still felt very dated. We first wanted to gain a foothold in the market, so first we wanted to make money and wait and see how we would develop after the corona crisis. Now, four years later, we have found our place in the market. It&#8217;s time for further renewal.&#8217;
Nijman: &#8216;We saw that the old logo, the globe, was no longer unique and no longer met the look we wanted. The new logo is more modern, it is also more in line with the new logo of Van Verre.&#8217;   
What is the deeper thought?
Freitag: &#8220;The new logo symbolizes our growth and the modernization we are going through. We have proven that we are a reliable player in the market. We are taking the next step, a fresh start that meets the expectations of our customers and partners.&#8221;
Nijman: &#8220;In addition, we have changed our slogan. Before, it was: &#8216;From the travel specialist, for the travel specialist&#8217;, and now it is: &#8216;For the travel expert&#8217;. This emphasizes that we are a pure retail brand and work exclusively with travel agents. It makes it clear that we focus on professionals in the travel industry. It underlines our focus on our quality and knowledge.&#8217;   
How important is working with travel agents to you?
Freitag: &#8216;Very important. Our brand is focused on supporting travel agents and helping them offer unique trips to their clients. This relationship is essential to our success. We offer high-quality service and knowledge that travel agents value and can pass on to their customers.&#8221;
Nijman: &#8220;Our partnership with travel agents is based on mutual trust and shared goals. We invest in training and tools to support them, so that they in turn can provide the best service to their customers. This creates a win-win situation for everyone.&#8217;   
How did you build the relationship with the agent?
Was he or she waiting for Special Traffic? 
Nijman: &#8216;Acceptance by travel agents went fairly smoothly, thanks in part to well-known faces such as Patrick Goorhuis, who is an established name in the travel industry in sales. In the beginning, we had to decide not to work with all retail parties at once, in order to avoid waiting times and disappointments. Quality over quantity, so to speak.&#8217;
Freitag: &#8216;In the beginning, we did not have enough capacity and employees to serve the entire retail sector while maintaining quality and service. And you only have one chance to make a good first impression. By focusing on a select number of partners, we were able to ensure the quality of our service and at the same time expand our capacity. This provided a stable foundation on which we can continue to grow.&#8217;   
There are better times to start a label for long-distance travel than in the middle of corona time.
How did that go? 
Freitag: &#8216;The pandemic was a big challenge. In 2021, there was little demand for long-distance travel. It wasn&#8217;t until October/November 2021 that we started seeing bookings again, especially to Costa Rica and South Africa. Then the Omicron variant came along and we had to cancel a lot again. Fiscal year 2022 was our first real year of recovery and growth.&#8221;
Nijman: &#8216;It was a time of constant adaptation and anticipation of change. The unpredictability of the situation called for flexibility and resilience. We had to act quickly and find creative solutions to keep our offer attractive.&#8217;   
How have Special Traffic and Van Verre developed since then?
Freitag: &#8220;We&#8217;ve seen steady growth. This year we are running 35 percent more than last year and we expect a turnover of around 19.5 million euros. As a total company, we have grown from 14 employees in December 2021 to 45 now. It is important to invest in people and knowledge to support this growth.&#8221;
Nijman: &#8220;That investment in our team has been crucial. By attracting new, motivated employees and training them well, we have created a strong foundation for further growth. This allows us to provide a high standard of service and keep our customers happy.&#8221;   
Which destinations are currently doing well?
Freitag: &#8216;Indonesia, South Africa, North America and Vietnam are popular. New Zealand is also doing well, probably due to its bucket list nature. Overall, we are seeing strong demand for our core destinations in Asia and Africa. In addition, we are seeing an increasing interest in destinations such as Canada, which is outperforming the US, which is probably due to the unique, authentic experiences we offer there.&#8221;  
Van Verre also acquired KidsReizen in 2021 and recently took a stake in Local Hero Travel.
What kind of labels are they? 
Nijman: &#8216;KidsReizen focuses on families and offers tailor-made trips that are suitable for children. We have a team of four mothers who are working on this and who have a lot of travel experience themselves. That ensures that our trips really connect with the needs of families. And of course, the KidsReizen offer can also be booked by our retail partners.&#8217;
Freitag: &#8216;Local Hero, on the other hand, is aimed at travellers who want to book directly with local experts, without intermediaries. It allows travelers to get authentic, customized experiences, while having direct contact with the local partner who knows their destination inside out. It&#8217;s a model that works well for both the traveller and the local community.&#8217;   
What are your ambitions for the next three years?
Freitag: &#8216;We want to continue to grow and expand our specialism even more. We aim to offer as much expertise for each destination as we currently do for Indonesia, for example.&#8217;  Nijman:  &#8216;We don&#8217;t want to be seen as a long-distance travel specialist, but as a specialist at country level, for example a specialist in Thailand, Peru or South Africa. So not a generalist on distant destinations, but as a specialist on a micro level.&#8217;  
How are you going to do that?
Freitag:  &#8220;We continue to invest in our employees. By letting them experience the destinations for themselves, they can better advise our customers. Personal contact and in-depth knowledge really make the difference.&#8217;  Nijman:  &#8220;In addition, we continue to expand our product range. We look at new and emerging destinations, but make sure that we can always offer the same high standard of service and knowledge. This means that we are selective in what we add. Our focus on quality and specialism sets us apart. Instead of offering a wide range of products, we opt for in-depth expertise in specific destinations.&#8217;  Freitag:  &#8216;Our close cooperation with travel agents also plays a major role.
By giving them the tools and knowledge they need, they, in turn, can sell our products better.
It&#8217;s a long-term partnership for both parties.&#8221;  
The post Special Traffic ready for next step: &#8216;Knowledge and quality remain paramount&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>&#8216;It&#8217;s a shame to go to Albania just for the beach&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/its-a-shame-to-go-to-albania-just-for-the-beach/</link>
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            <pubDate>Thu, 15 Aug 2024 08:00:42 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Magazine]]></category>
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            <description><![CDATA[
Photo: In the centre of Berat, with guide Irilda, Pual van Laarhoven, Maaike van der Windt, Gianpaolo Galipò and Marie Vermeesch (both Sais Tours) How much Albania can you see in just over four days? Much, very much, becomes apparent during a round trip from Tirana in the north to Gjirokastër in the south and &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Photo: In the centre of Berat, with guide Irilda, Pual van Laarhoven, Maaike van der Windt, Gianpaolo Galipò and Marie Vermeesch (both Sais Tours)  
How much Albania can you see in just over four days?
Much, very much, becomes apparent during a round trip from Tirana in the north to Gjirokastër in the south and back again.
At the invitation of Maaike van der Windt and Paul van Laarhoven of de Jong Intra Vakanties, Theo de Reus (Editor-in-Chief of TravMagazine) travels on their introductory trip through the country that is going to be very successful on the Dutch market.    Arrival at Tirana airport is smooth.
Because Albania is outside the Schengen zone, I finally get a stamp in my passport again.
After customs we are met by countless people who hold up signs from behind gates at the exit.
Not an unusual sight at airports.
But in this case, no names of arriving passengers on the signs, but only one word: e-SIM or Vodafone.
With the exception of Vodafone, mobile subscriptions from the Netherlands do not work in Albania.
As a visitor, you have to rely on e-SIM, which is best purchased and installed in the Netherlands, or else at one of the vendors at the airport.
Vodafone couldn&#8217;t wish for a better advertisement.
Gianpaolo Galipò, owner of incoming agent Sais Tours with whom de Jong Intra Vakanties works, has rented a sturdy Range Rover, with plenty of room for five people and luggage.
Number five is for Marie Vermeesch, who does the shopping in Albania for the Italian Sais Tours and turns out to be a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Albania and knows every hotel. View of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Berat The destination for the first night is Berat, a city with the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage stamp, which Albania is richly endowed with.
In fact, you should do your best to visit a place that is not recognized by UNESCO.
One of the few Dutch-language travel guides I could find about Albania calls Berat &#8216;a historical gem that you should definitely not miss&#8217;.
But for the time being, we still have to drive more than three hours, while Tirana also appears to have a real Monday afternoon traffic jam.
From the back seat, a green and sometimes rugged landscape passes by.
On the way, the question is: do we first go to the hotel in the center to check in or do we do the planned wine tasting in the village that is on the route?
An hour later we are sitting at the Nurellari wine farm, a village on the outskirts of Berat, behind tall glasses.
After the usual tour of wooden barrels and a tour of the wine cellar, we taste white and red wines, of which the family business produces 65,000 bottles per year locally.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Scandinavia are major buyers of Albanian wines.
They are top wines, is also our conclusion. The center of Gjirokaster in the south of Albania In a cheerful mood we set off for our first dinner on Albanian soil.
Paul van Laarhoven says from the co-driver&#8217;s seat that he is &#8216;quite hungry again&#8217;.
Occasional driver Gianpaolo Galipò deftly winds us over the dark mountain roads, to a village east of Berat.
Thanks to its exuberant lighting, Restaurant Alpeta is visible from afar.
On a weekday Monday evening we expected a deserted restaurant, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Two birthdays are celebrated at long tables.
They are families of three or even four generations.
The age of the partygoers varies from four years old to well into their eighties, we estimate.
Old men keep an eye on us from behind their half-full glasses, while the children curiously come to look at our table.                           We are introduced to the natural cuisine of Albania.
Lots of salads, lots of feta, everything with fresh ingredients, no-frills food.
And served with a big smile by the owner himself, who asks a hundred times if everything is still okay. The villa in the centre of Tirana where the Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha lived until his death in 1985, is now a place of interest Hotel Colombo in the centre of Berat, where we arrive well after eleven o&#8217;clock in the evening, is housed in an imposing former bank building, with a domed roof and a wing to the left and right.
It gives the five-star hotel the allure of the White House in Washington.
A double room costs 60 euros per night.
&#8216;But that will soon change&#8217;, Marie expects.
&#8216;There is a lot of renovation going on, which drives up the price.&#8217; The swimming pool that is still under construction is proof.
During a morning walk, Berat presents itself as the historical gem that my travel guide had promised.
We walk across the Bulevardi Republika, where old men sit on benches under trees discussing whether their lives depend on it.
We pass an endless row of restaurants and coffee shops.
The central square will be provided with new pavement.
A parking garage may be built under the square to accommodate the tourist cars, so that the authentic character of Berat is not affected.
Everything is being prepared for the bulk of tourists who will come.
If not this year, then certainly in the years to come.
I realize that I am an eyewitness to how a destination develops into adulthood.
That feeling will stay all week. The beach of Ksamil in the southwest of Albania We walk along the fast-flowing river Osum and admire the houses and churches that seem to be carved into the surrounding rocks.
After the walk we drink coffee at the Bulevardi Republika.
Paul insists that he can pay.
I quickly understand why; For six cappuccinos and six bottles of water (including those for the guide), the bill is 8 euros and 50 cents.
With such prices, you can treat again.
I intend to pay for the coffee next time.
If Berat is a pearl, then Gjirokastër in southern Albania is a diamond.
Fortunately, there is still an uncut diamond, although we meet the first visitors from Japan who take turns photographing each other in the small center.
Gjirokastër gained a certain fame through the series Wie is de Mol?
which partly took place here in 2022.
The city is built on a hill.
The square at the bottom of the hill is temporarily a construction site, where the new underground parking garage has just been put into use.
We walk silently up the narrow main street, with small boutiques, shops with local trinkets and restaurants to the left and right.
Everything here exudes a certain tranquility, something that undoubtedly has to do with the steepness of the streets.
We will skip the castle and spend our time having a local lunch.                              When we leave the parking garage after a few hours, the guard walks with us to the exit to personally open the barrier with our exit ticket.
He stands there for a moment and waves before he dives back into his garage.     Sarandë or Saranda, a coastal town in the south, is a holiday resort in development as tourists like to visit.
Hotels with sea view and a promenade with restaurants and terraces.
The hotel complex where we spend the night has just opened a third building.
Inside, it smells like a new car.
In the elevator I meet two elderly German couples, who enthusiastically tell me that there must be a beer party somewhere.
They just need to figure out where.
Holiday fun at its best.
On our way to our dinner restaurant further down the boulevard, we find ourselves in the middle of the annual Fish Festival, complete with live music.
On the other side of the water we can see the contours of the Greek island of Corfu in the twilight.
The coastal town of Vlorë, we are already heading north, is less massive in terms of tourism than Sarandë.
The place is a great base to discover the coast with a fast boat.
An afternoon at sea while the sun is doing its best is not a punishment.             A walk through the center takes you past the huge independence monument on the main square, the Muradi mosque (from 1542) and most importantly, the old district of Vlora, car-free, colorful and with many coffee shops.
Our hotel for the night is brand new.
The owner doesn&#8217;t want to complain, but explains that the tourist season in Vlorë is relatively short.
His clientele consists mainly of passers-by who make a round trip from Tirana airport with a rental car, but there are few overnight tourists.
He says he is eagerly awaiting the opening of the new southern airport near Vlorë, which should be trial run in 2025 and should really start in 2026. The Pyramid of Tirana On the way to Tirana, we stop in Durres, also a coastal town, and visit one of the popular beach hotels in the offer of the Jong Intra Vakanties.
It is located directly on the beach and offers everything for a holiday in the sun at a competitive price.
Many young people book this hotel, but there are guests of all ages in the hotel lobby.        



  If I were to say that we have saved the most beautiful thing, in this case the capital Tirana, for last, I would be doing an injustice to the rest of Albania.
But Tirana is a pleasant city to explore.
Shops, restaurants and coffee shops are lined up.
There are local markets and many terraces in the spacious town.
We walk through the neighborhood where the villa is located where the Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha lived until his death in 1985.
Under his rule, tens of thousands of Albanians disappeared into camps or were executed in the 1950s.       
&#8216;Five days in Albania is too short.
It&#8217;s a destination to come back to&#8217; 
  After his death, his daughter and son-in-law designed the Pyramid of Tirana, which was to serve as a museum for the late dictator.
It didn&#8217;t come to that.
The building was used as an exhibition space and event venue.
Today, it is a climbing object and landmark that symbolizes the transition from a strict communist regime to a more democratic society.
In any case, the pyramid is a tourist attraction.
At our farewell dinner in the center of Tirana, Alina Starove, head of marketing at the National Tourist Board of Albania, joins us.
I can ask her the question that has been occupying my mind for four days: how can Albania maintain its unique characteristics, such as small-scale hotels and low price levels, when at the same time it wants to grow strongly?          Her answer is partly reassuring. The government of Albania does not want to allow mass hotels. &#8220;We have learned from the mistakes of our neighboring countries,&#8221; she says firmly, emphasizing that the tourist board wants to focus its marketing on the higher customer segment. These core countries also include the Netherlands and Belgium. There is even interest from tourists from the US and Asia who are willing to pay higher travel sums. And then there is the remarkable friendliness of the people, which we have been encountering everywhere all week. It&#8217;s a cliché to write it down. And besides, there are also nice people living in Spain and Greece, and even in the Netherlands there seem to be non-unsympathetic people. Amela Rexho, who works for Sais Tours in Tirana, has the answer: &#8220;Albanians have hospitality in their genes. We have a saying here: &#8216;Our house is also the guest&#8217;s house.&#8217;  



In short Conclusion, you can see a lot of Albania in four days, but you have to go back a longer time to discover the rest.
Tip: if your customer has an early flight home, book a hotel near the airport for the last night and not in Tirana itself to avoid the traffic.
Tirana airport is extremely modern, equipped with self-scanners for your passport for a quick passage.
For the coffee lovers: every right-minded Albanian loves coffee.
In four days, I haven&#8217;t drunk a bad cappuccino anywhere.
The tour guide from de Jong Intra Vakanties, including incoming agent Sais Tours, has set up an informative and varied trip.
Five stars out of five.        
&#8216;Undiscovered and adventurous&#8217;

Albania, touted in travel guides as a hidden gem on the Adriatic Sea, has been offered by de Jong Intra Vakanties since this summer.
Maaike van der Windt (director) and Paul van Laarhoven (tour operating manager) have high expectations of Albania, especially as a tour destination.   According to Van Laarhoven, the return of Albania to the offer is &#8216;absolutely&#8217; related to the fact that Transavia is flying to this destination again.
&#8216;I knocked on Transavia&#8217;s door in May last year to ask if Albania would be an interesting destination for them. In October, we got the green light and they announced that they were going to fly. We decided to focus on the northern part, such as Durrës and to a lesser extent Vlorë, because they are a pretty good driving distance from Tirana. We also offer fly-drives.&#8217;   How do you stand out as a tour operator?  Van der Windt: &#8216;We distinguish ourselves with small-scale, boutique-like accommodations. In addition, we also offer beautiful tours, which you can also extend with some extra nights at the beach.&#8217; Van Laarhoven: &#8216;We work together with Sunny Cars for rental cars and Transavia as a flight partner. Our customers can also fly from Düsseldorf via Eurowings, which works amazingly well. We have long and short tours through the south of Albania. Next year, we will further expand that offer.&#8217;  Where does the attention for Albania suddenly come from?  Van der Windt: &#8216;On the one hand, Albania is popular because of programmes such as &#8216;Who is the Mole?&#8217; in 2022. It offers good quality for a relatively low price. The country is still undiscovered and adventurous, which attracts a lot of people.&#8217; Van Laarhoven: &#8216;Albania offers affordable quality. For example, a five-star hotel costs around 60 euros per night. Food and drinks are also affordable. As de Jong Intra Vakanties, we have two products: individual tours and sun holidays on the coast. Albania is a perfect fit for both. Our traditional customers love itineraries, but we also offer beach holidays that are suitable for sale through retail and online partners. And optionally, beach accommodation can be added to the tour.&#8217;  What are the plans for Albania?  Van der Windt: &#8216;We are also planning to offer group travel from next year. That will be air bus trips and maybe even a bus trip from the Netherlands. Our current Byzantine Balkan bus tour is already visiting Albania. Most of the programmes are already ready. We may also want to combine Albania with surrounding countries such as northern Greece, Montenegro and Macedonia for a complete Balkan experience for both groups and individual tours.&#8221;
The post &#8216;It&#8217;s a shame to go to Albania just for the beach&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>Corendon opens first travel agency in Curaçao</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/corendon-opens-first-travel-agency-in-curacao/</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 06 Aug 2024 07:55:22 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sharon Evers]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
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            <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.travmagazine.nl/corendon-opens-first-travel-agency-in-curacao/</guid>

            
            <description><![CDATA[
Photo: Sharon Evers (TravMagazine) with Sasja Dorfel Curaçao attracts thousands of tourists every year, including many Dutch travelers. Not only Dutch people like to travel, Curaçaoans also love to spend their holidays. Corendon responds to this by opening its first travel agency in Willemstad. Sasja Dorfel, retail manager Corendon on Curaçao, talks about this exciting &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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Photo: Sharon Evers (TravMagazine) with Sasja Dorfel
Curaçao attracts thousands of tourists every year, including many Dutch travelers.
Not only Dutch people like to travel, Curaçaoans also love to spend their holidays.
Corendon responds to this by opening its first travel agency in Willemstad.
Sasja Dorfel, retail manager Corendon on Curaçao, talks about this exciting development and what it means for the travel industry on the island     In the heart of Willemstad, amidst the lively streets and historic buildings and in a building next to The Ritz Village hotel &#8211; which has recently also been owned by Corendon -, lies Corendon&#8217;s first and only travel agency.
Sasja Dorfel is no stranger to the travel sector and can call Corendon&#8217;s brand new Curaçao travel agency her work location.
&#8216;Opening a travel agency in Curaçao is an important step for Corendon,&#8217; says Dorfel.
&#8220;It allows us to be closer to our (local) customers and personally help them plan a dream vacation.&#8221;     
Curaçao
  Sasja has earned her spurs in the travel sector and ended up in Curaçao years ago.
&#8216;I started at NBBS years ago, then I worked for SRC Cultuurvakanties and later for My Travel.
In 2005 I went to Curaçao for a year, after which I ended up at D-reizen in Amsterdam.
I was able to make great strides there, even obtained my bachelor&#8217;s degree there.
After a few internal changes at D-reizen, I started working at Arke, which is now TUI.
Because I have Curaçao on my CV, I was asked to set up the TUI call center in Curaçao.
That&#8217;s what I started doing.        &nbsp;
&#8216;The fact that Corendon is not only a hotel but also a tour operator and an airline is now dawning on us&#8217;
&nbsp;  I am proud that I have been able to expand it from an attic room to a large office. I was going to do this job for two years, but it turned out to be three. In the end, I stayed on the island, but I did leave TUI. I then went on to set up Otravo in Curaçao, which became very successful with two offices and 35 employees, but that stopped at some point. This was five years ago.&#8217; Sasja says that in the years that followed, she started working for the largest beach club on Curaçao, Zanzibar, where she was responsible for sales, marketing and events. In those five years, she has built up an incredibly large network, which she can now use at Corendon.  
Expansion
  Initially, Sasja became retail manager for Corendon Curaçao, but with the opening of the first Corendon travel agency, her position was expanded to include store manager.
In addition to all the responsibilities that come with this position, she manages three travel agents at the Corendon travel agency, and Sasja is also responsible for the sale of the Corendon offer in the other travel agencies on the island as retail manager.
&#8220;Currently, our products are sold at nine other travel agencies, but I expect that we will be able to expand this number in the short term.&#8221; Corendon&#8217;s first travel agency in Curaçao was officially opened on April 9, 2024.
&#8220;We can already be satisfied with the number of customers who visit us, and the actual bookings that are made. You should also know that Corendon was relatively unknown, until the opening of the Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort on Curaçao almost five years ago. But as a result, many residents thought that Corendon is only big in the hotel industry, that it also has a tour operator, airline and recently a travel agency, is now dawning. Of course, that offers a lot of opportunities.&#8217;       The travel agency offers various services, including flights, package holidays to Europe, Turkey, and Africa, and day passes to the Corendon Mangrove Resort and the Mangrove Aquapark.
&#8216;Of course, it is also possible to book a room in one of the three Corendon hotels in Amsterdam at the travel agency in Curaçao: Corendon Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Corendon Amsterdam New-West, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, and The College Hotel Amsterdam, Autograph Collection.   
Developments
  When asked if Sasja is in the right place at Corendon, she answers: &#8216;Very bad, I&#8217;m back where I belong. In the travel industry, and especially at Corendon. I have an incredible amount of respect for Corendon for how it is developing here on the island &#8211; and beyond. Corendon bought Livingstone Jan Thiel Resort in 2017 and is now working it with, among other things, our own flights to Curaçao, the expansion of our own hotel offer on the island and recently the travel agency. I have been working in the travel industry for a long time, and remember well that Atilay Uslu (founder Corendon) started Corendon in 2000. And now look at where he and the company stand. You can only respect that, can&#8217;t you?&#8217; Photo: Sharon Evers who, during her stay in Curaçao, visited the Corendon travel agency and Sasja.
The post Corendon opens first travel agency in Curaçao appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>50 years of Panta Reizen: &#8216;It&#8217;s never been boring in all those years&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/50-years-of-panta-reizen-its-never-been-boring-in-all-those-years/</link>
            <comments>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/50-years-of-panta-reizen-its-never-been-boring-in-all-those-years/#respond</comments>

            <pubDate>Mon, 05 Aug 2024 09:49:27 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
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            <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.travmagazine.nl/50-years-of-panta-reizen-its-never-been-boring-in-all-those-years/</guid>

            
            <description><![CDATA[
When looking back at the 50th anniversary of Panta Reizen in Rotterdam, two storylines are intertwined. That of Panta Reizen itself and of the new owners, Oscar Huls and Peter Hilbers of Smart Business Travel. Together with Peter van Vliet, the former owner who retired in September last year, Oscar Huls looks back. The well-known &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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When looking back at the 50th anniversary of Panta Reizen in Rotterdam, two storylines are intertwined.
That of Panta Reizen itself and of the new owners, Oscar Huls and Peter Hilbers of Smart Business Travel.
Together with Peter van Vliet, the former owner who retired in September last year, Oscar Huls looks back.    The well-known travel agency in the IJsselmonde district in Rotterdam-South is the backdrop for the conversation about 50 years of Panta Reizen.
Behind the low-rise building in the distance, the roof of the apartment building is just visible, where the logo of Panta Reizen could be seen for years, as a beacon for motorists on their way to the A15.
Oscar Huls, who, together with his business partner Peter Hilbers, now owns Panta Business Travel and VakantieXperts Panta Reizen, is the one point of contact.
The other is former owner Peter van Vliet, who has returned to his former office for the occasion and despite his retirement.
Expressed in terms of years of service, he has the most right to speak when looking back on half a century of Rotterdam&#8217;s travel history. City Specialist At the same location on the edge of a shopping centre, José Kreijman started the travel and passage agency Panta in 1974.
Four years later, in 1978, Peter van Vliet joined the company.
His more than 45-year career in the travel industry runs parallel to the development of Panta.
When Panta Travel acquired its own IATA license in 1982, it also started selling business travel.
Later, city trips were added, with which Panta Reizen developed into a multi-award-winning city specialist.
One after the other Veer, the predecessor of TravMagazine&#8217;s Holiday Awards, was brought in.
The city branch was later sold to Sunair.            
&#8216;When selling holiday trips, it&#8217;s hard work for a small return&#8217;
  &#8216;Panta Reizen was also a strong brand as a city specialist,&#8217; says Van Vliet.
&#8216;You didn&#8217;t have a Booking.com back then. Not only everyone from the region who wanted to make a city trip came to us, the Panta City Tours were sold by (almost) all travel agencies in the Netherlands. In many cases, it was a package holiday with KLM from Rotterdam Airport, then called Zestienhoven.&#8217; Surprise After a few years, founder Kreijman sold 49 percent of his shares to Holland International, which would later merge into TUI.
A few years later, he sold the remaining 51 percent, also to TUI, which had a series of specialists at the time.
TUI Netherlands sold Panta Reizen in 2006 to René Klawer&#8217;s Travel Specialists Group, which acquired TUI&#8217;s specialists in that year, together with Zeetours, GI Travel and Holland Destination Management, among others.
The status quo remained in place until 2018.
In that year, Van Vliet did a management buy-out of Panta Reizen as director, acquiring both the travel agency and the business travel branch.
And so, at the age of 62, he was still an independent travel entrepreneur.
Two years later, in January 2020, Van Vliet sold the business travel branch to Smart Business Travel, led by owners Oscar Huls and Peter Hilbers, who were still affiliated with Uniglobe at the time.
The sale came as a surprise to many, especially since Van Vliet had only been the owner of Panta Reizen for a short time. Accident Van Vliet: &#8216;I was a small self-employed person in the field of business travel and had been looking for cooperation for some time. When it comes to business travel, it&#8217;s a delicate matter, because one customer means a lot of turnover. To do it right, I would have to set up a sales department and things like that.&#8217; As is so often the case, chance played a role in the creation of the sale.
Peter van Vliet and Oscar Huls met at a Sunny Cars event, where they shared the same rental car.
Van Vliet: &#8216;One thing led to another. The move gave me a certain peace of mind, also because of the knowledge that my employees were working for a good company.&#8217; Initially, Van Vliet continued with Panta Travel Agency, which is located in the same building as the business travel branch and with which he had meanwhile joined VakantieXperts.
Not much later, in December 2022, Van Vliet also sold the travel agency to Huls and Hilbers.             Business travel  That was indeed in the middle of the corona period, Oscar Huls admits looking back. &#8216;But we had agreed on the purchase of Panta travel agency with Peter and for us, a deal is a deal.&#8217; Oscar Huls moved from the logistics world to the business travel sector. &#8216;From the taxi world, I offered transport to business travellers. At one point I was asked by customers if I could book a flight and hotel for them as well. In 2010, together with Peter Hilbers, I started Easy Travel in Uden, then through Uniglobe.&#8217; In 2018, Huls and Hilbers took over Uniglobe colleague Smart Business Travel, which once belonged to Marleen and Annet van Dam, who had previously transferred their company to Jacco Methorst and Frank van Grieken. The acquisition included all offices.  Oscar Huls and Peter van Vliet  Huls: &#8216;Marleen left the company years ago, but the nice thing is that her niece Anne van Dam is now doing the operation with us. She is 32 years old and therefore fits in with our policy that we want to have young people in crucial positions in our company. Another colleague is Anett Voss, who is 35 years old and does all of our IT. The business travel world is changing rapidly, especially when it comes to IT. For example, we have our own online system, Smart Booking Tool, which hangs above Amadeus as a booking system and allows us to extract prices from all systems. Younger people are more likely to pick up on how to work with that.&#8217; With their overarching Smart Business Travel, Huls and Hilbers now have a workforce of 27 FTEs at their business travel branch, divided into 50 employees.
A nice mix of experienced and younger employees, says Hilbers.
&#8216;We don&#8217;t have a staff shortage at the moment, but we will continue to look around. Important positions are filled internally at our company. That&#8217;s good for us and it&#8217;s an extra challenge for our employees.&#8217; In-house knowledge The travel agency under the name VakantieXperts Panta Reizen, still located in the same building as the business travel department, has eight employees.
When asked about his first experiences with the leisure segment, business travel expert Huls says: &#8216;To be honest, I don&#8217;t understand it. As an employee of a travel agency, you need to have so much knowledge in-house. As an America specialist, for example, you need to know a lot, much more than the customer himself. The knowledge level of our employees is very high. They know everything about package holidays, cruises, car holidays. When it comes to selling holiday trips, it&#8217;s hard work for a small return.&#8217;     
&#8216;To be honest, I don&#8217;t understand the leisure segment&#8217;
  Selling business trips is easier for him, Huls acknowledges.
&#8216;Of course, that&#8217;s also the segment that Peter Hilbers and I started with. Our business customers are medium-sized and large SMEs. This includes the Visma team, both the speed skating and the cycling team. Roughly speaking, you can say that our customers spend more than 50,000 euros a year on business travel.&#8217; At VakantieXperts Panta Reizen, the clientele consists of a mix of families, couples and entrepreneurs who, in addition to their business trip, also book their holiday at the same address. Ambition Huls and Hilbers don&#8217;t like to sit still.
The duo has more than enough ambition to grow further.
For example, Uniglobe Attent Business Travel in Amsterdam was recently acquired.
With this, they are steadily building their business travel segment.
For Oscar Huls, the 50th anniversary of Panta Travel is not the only anniversary this year, because Smart Business Travel will also celebrate an anniversary in 2024, namely its 25th anniversary.
And then the final question to Peter van Vliet, who has spent almost his entire working life in the travel industry at Panta Reizen.
What has stayed with him most from all these years?
Van Vliet: &#8216;In any case, there have been many different owners. But it&#8217;s never been boring in all those years. Every day was different. Panta Reizen was my passion and my life, but you have to retire at some point. I helped with the transfer here for a few months until the beginning of the year, but on my last day of work, I had all my login details removed from the system. It&#8217;s been nice.&#8217; Oscar Huls has no regrets about the acquisition of Panta Reizen, he says when asked.
&#8216;They are two great companies, with business travel and leisure at one address. And I like the Rotterdam way of working. I myself come from the east of the country. When they say &#8216;yes&#8217; to you there, they actually mean &#8216;no&#8217;.
Rotterdammers are more direct.
You can disagree with each other a lot, maybe even have an argument, but afterwards they say: &#8216;Come on, let&#8217;s have a beer.&#8217;           
The post 50 years of Panta Reizen: &#8216;It&#8217;s never been boring in all those years&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>&#8216;We really want to make a difference&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/we-really-want-to-make-a-difference/</link>
            <comments>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/we-really-want-to-make-a-difference/#respond</comments>

            <pubDate>Wed, 17 Jul 2024 13:09:13 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
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            <description><![CDATA[
Under the name Senses, Mathijs Bos and Abel van Deursen will start the world&#8217;s first Dynamic Luxury tour operator in the late summer of 2024. With this innovative platform, they promise to take the way customers book a tailor-made trip to a new level. &#8216;We are the first to offer the composition of a luxury &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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Under the name Senses, Mathijs Bos and Abel van Deursen will start the world&#8217;s first Dynamic Luxury tour operator in the late summer of 2024. With this innovative platform, they promise to take the way customers book a tailor-made trip to a new level. &#8216;We are the first to offer the composition of a luxury package holiday in this dynamic way,&#8217; says Bos.  Over the past year, the gentlemen have worked together with a dedicated team and travel industry experts on the realization of Senses. The new travel company of founders Mathijs Bos (currently director of marketing offline at Prijsvrij/D-reizen, ed.) &amp; Abel van Deursen (marketing &amp; special projects Prijsvrij/D-reizen and son of Prijsvrij founder Marc van Deursen) is built as a tech company, which according to them is the basis if you want to enter and surprise the travel industry with a new brand. Difference &#8220;From the moment you leave your home, Senses provides a seamless experience,&#8221; say Bos &amp; Van Deursen.
&#8220;Imagine; The private transfer will take you comfortably to the airport, where you can relax in exclusive airport lounges. You choose your own flight times, airline, departure airport, number of kilos of baggage and upgrade to business or first class where possible. Upon arrival at the destination, your chosen private transfer will be waiting to take you in comfort to your hotel, where your selected suite will be prepared for you and provided with welcome amenities. Explore the area at your own pace with a rental car, and rely on the 24/7 concierge service available for all your needs and desires on site. All these elements of your trip, immediately available for online booking, that&#8217;s where we at Senses really make the difference.&#8217;   &nbsp;
&#8216;We are the first to offer the composition of a luxury package holiday in this way&#8217;
&nbsp;  Senses mainly focuses on the direct market but, given the warm ties, has a very close and exclusive collaboration with D-reizen as a retailer. For a Senses trip, consumers will soon also be able to go to the travel agencies of D-reizen. Both Bos and Van Deursen will continue to be involved in certain projects within the Prijsvrij/D-reizen group in the near future, after which they will devote themselves fully to the further development of their start-up.
Hoteliers &#8220;We are very excited to launch Senses in late summer this year. Our unique proposition will not only provide the consumer with much more convenience, the hoteliers are also very enthusiastic about our way of working, as was evident at the recent ATM in Dubai. No static contracts, but everything based on current prices and availability, it is simply the future in our industry&#8217;, say directors &amp; founders Bos &amp; Van Deursen.
&#8216;We both have a passion for this niche within the travel industry and our ambitions are big. The combination of technology and travel industry knowledge is what makes us believe that we will make a change. We are here to set new industry standards.&#8217;  
The post &#8216;We really want to make a difference&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>JanHein van de Watering rents a complete hotel during the Olympics</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/janhein-van-de-watering-rents-a-complete-hotel-during-the-olympics/</link>
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            <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2024 11:17:16 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

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            <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.travmagazine.nl/janhein-van-de-watering-rents-a-complete-hotel-during-the-olympics/</guid>

            
            <description><![CDATA[
JanHein van de Watering (The Travel Company/Travel &amp; Sportpromotion, Breda) is an entrepreneur with a great passion for sports and travel. It is not uncommon for the two to come together in his work. For the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, Van de Watering has rented a complete hotel. &#8220;It felt like a gamble, but &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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JanHein van de Watering (The Travel Company/Travel &amp; Sportpromotion, Breda) is an entrepreneur with a great passion for sports and travel. It is not uncommon for the two to come together in his work. For the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, Van de Watering has rented a complete hotel. &#8220;It felt like a gamble, but a calculated gamble that worked out well.&#8221; To get straight to the point: how do you manage to rent an entire hotel for the Olympic Games in Paris?
 &#8216;The idea actually arose after the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 were postponed due to the corona crisis and ended up taking place without an audience. That was quite a blow, especially since I had organized trips to Japan for about 30 to 35 people. Cancelling those plans was a huge setback. You don&#8217;t go to Japan for three or four days before the Games, which you do in Paris. So the travel costs for Japan were quite high, averaging about 7,200 euros per person. But I wanted to do things differently in Paris. I started looking for a suitable hotel, something that was not easy. After a lot of searching, I came across the Le Relais de la Malmaison, a beautiful hotel with 88 rooms, just what I needed.&#8217;   How did you end up finding the perfect hotel?  &#8216;It was a combination of luck and a lot of searching. I had a list of about a hundred hotels and started filtering by location and facilities. In the end, my cursor got stuck on an area that I had actually already written off. That was because a parcel deliverer rang the doorbell and I walked away for a while. When I returned, I looked on Google Maps to see where the cursor had stuck, apparently at the Le Relais de la Malmaison. It turned out to be a hit: a four-star hotel with a large garden and plenty of rooms. We have now temporarily renamed it Maison de Paris-Bas, with its own logo, designed by students from the Rooi Pannen here in Breda.&#8217;
How did the hotel react when you approached them? &#8216;Initially, they were surprised and wondered if the Games were really coming to Paris. In the beginning, I only wanted 44 rooms for people who had already been to the Rio Olympics in 2016, StudioRio, an initiative of Floris Evers, an ex-hockey international and a good friend of mine. After some explanation and negotiations, I had 44 rooms. After I put the phone down, I thought: you&#8217;re crazy too. So I called back and said, &#8216;Do all 88 rooms&#8217; and that worked out well.&#8221;   JanHein van de Watering, right, at his hotel in Paris
What can guests expect at the hotel?  &#8216;We want to turn it into a kind of mini-Holland Heineken House. The hotel has a large garden where we place two video screens. Guests will receive a special polo shirt and a goodie bag from Team NL. In addition, we have a large canopy where we can organize events, such as a performance by the Hermes House Band.&#8217;  How are you going to achieve that?  &#8220;It&#8217;s about creating an environment where guests feel at home and can live the Olympic experience to the fullest. In the garden, guests can watch the matches live. We also invited a number of ex-athletes to stop by and share stories. In this way, we not only create a place to stay, but also a community of sports enthusiasts.&#8217;  Who are the guests who have booked with you?  &#8216;It&#8217;s a mixed bunch. From parents of athletes to fans and even some ex-athletes, such as Ronald Jansen, the former goalkeeper of the Dutch national hockey team and now father of hockey international Jibbe Jansen. Companies such as Hema, PrincessTraveller, 2MOSO, Beequip and Matthijs Snoep have also purchased rooms for employees and relations. But the majority of them are real Orange fans who want to experience the Olympic adventure.&#8217;  Do you still have rooms available?  &#8216;At the moment, 98 percent of the rooms are booked. There are still a few rooms available due to last minute changes, but things are going fast. Colleagues from the Travel Company and other sports enthusiasts have also reserved their place. I myself am staying in one of the three motorhomes that we are allowed to park on the site.&#8217;  What are the biggest logistical challenges you&#8217;ve faced?  &#8216;One of the biggest challenges was organising the facilities, such as parking spaces and bicycle rental. We work together with a partner from Breda who brings 80 to 90 bicycles to Paris.  &nbsp;
&#8216;It was a calculated gamble that paid off&#8217;
&nbsp;  The hotel itself also has some great facilities, such as a swimming pool, sauna, and a golf course. In addition, we have a large orangery that we use for special events. We have also set up a comprehensive schedule for the events in the garden so that everything runs smoothly.&#8221;  How did you approach the financial side of this project?  &#8216;That was quite a challenge. I made sure that the customers paid a deposit of 500 euros to confirm their reservation. They can pay the remaining amount in installments. This gave us the flexibility to pay for the hotel in installments as well, which eased the financial pressure. The most important thing was to charge a fair price, so that it remained accessible to everyone.&#8217;  What are the costs for the guests?  &#8216;Guests pay 1,590 euros for four nights in a double room in a four-star hotel, including breakfast and free parking. We&#8217;ve kept it as affordable as possible without compromising on the quality of the experience.&#8221;  It sounds like you&#8217;ve built a strong community. How important is that?  &#8216;Very important. It&#8217;s not just about offering an accommodation, it&#8217;s about creating a community of sports enthusiasts. Many of our guests know each other from previous Olympic Games or other sporting events. This creates a great atmosphere and a strong network. It&#8217;s fantastic to see people come together and share their passion for sport.&#8217;  How did your network help you with this project?  &#8216;My network has been crucial. From finding the hotel to arranging facilities and events, everything has been made possible by the connections I&#8217;ve built over the years. I am doing this project together with Karel Mul, who was there in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. In addition, I have many friends and colleagues who have helped me with their expertise and resources. This project couldn&#8217;t have been as successful without them.&#8221;  What are your plans after the Olympic Games in Paris?  &#8216;The applications for the Winter Olympics in Milan are already pouring in. I&#8217;m also cautiously looking at Los Angeles in four years&#8217; time. The idea is to find a kind of Melrose Place-like complex there where we can organize something similar. (Melrose Place is an American television series from the 1990s.) In addition, I continue to work on golf trips of CITY2CITYGOLF and other sporting events, such as the Masters and a golf cruise through the Mediterranean.&#8217;  What drives you to tackle such projects?  &#8220;Sports and travel have always been my passions. I love giving people the best experience possible, whether that&#8217;s a trip to the Olympics or a golf vacation. I like to arrange everything down to the last detail and give people an unforgettable time. It&#8217;s always a challenge to organise everything properly, but the happy faces make it all worthwhile.&#8217;
The post JanHein van de Watering rents a complete hotel during the Olympics appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>33 years of Sunny Cars: &#8216;Our product meets the customer&#8217;s need for &#8216;no hassle&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/33-years-of-sunny-cars-our-product-meets-the-customers-need-for-no-hassle/</link>
            <comments>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/33-years-of-sunny-cars-our-product-meets-the-customers-need-for-no-hassle/#respond</comments>

            <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 21:00:02 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Magazine]]></category>

            <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.travmagazine.nl/33-years-of-sunny-cars-our-product-meets-the-customers-need-for-no-hassle/</guid>

            
            <description><![CDATA[
Kai Sannwald (57), founder (in 1991) and owner of Sunny Cars, has been at the helm of the car rental specialist for more than three decades. The 33rd anniversary will be celebrated extensively at the end of this month in its hometown of Munich. A conversation about 33 years of Sunny Cars and about the &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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Kai Sannwald (57), founder (in 1991) and owner of Sunny Cars, has been at the helm of the car rental specialist for more than three decades. The 33rd anniversary will be celebrated extensively at the end of this month in its hometown of Munich. A conversation about 33 years of Sunny Cars and about the future. &#8216;My ambition? Just quietly carry on with what we&#8217;re doing.&#8217;
Fiscal year 2024 seems to be going even better for Sunny Cars than was thought at the beginning of this year.  Sunny Cars expects 35 percent more bookings and 18 percent more turnover. This brings the number of bookings to almost 1 million. Where does this success come from? Sannwald: &#8216;Success always has many reasons, and if you have been active in the market for as long as we have, you obviously know how to balance the success factors well. We have a good product that meets the customer&#8217;s need of &#8216;no hassle&#8217;, with the aim of achieving absolute customer satisfaction. We serve many different sales channels and can adapt well to individual wishes. We have employees who have been working at Sunny Cars with heart and soul for years. And last but not least, we are an economically healthy company. This creates a high level of trust among customers and partners.&#8217;  You were once inspired by Holiday Autos by Clive Jacobs, who launched the all-inclusive concept in the UK. You decided to take a different approach. Holiday Autos no longer exists. Sunny Cars is still around. What did you do differently?  Sannwald: &#8220;Holiday Autos used to be a company that did a very good job and made good money. Until the day, in early 2000, when different investors with different interests came in, so that the &#8216;customer first&#8217; focus was increasingly lost. Sunny has always been an owner-run business. The interests of the two shareholders were and always are 100 percent identical to the company&#8217;s strategy and actions.&#8221; What obstacles did you encounter in the beginning?
 Sannwald: &#8216;A big challenge in the beginning was the typical chicken-and-egg problem. Building a wide range of products was a challenge because I first had to gain the trust of the car rental companies, who had to leave the collection to me. However, a wide range of products was the basis for winning B2B customers; With &#8216;gaps&#8217; in the offer, you were always number 2. Another challenge was that money was always tight, and sometimes tighter than tight. The word &#8216;scaling&#8217; has not only been around since today. At the time, I also wanted to reach a relevant volume quickly in order to be competitive in terms of price. In the winter of 1996/97 this almost became my downfall. Since then, I have known the difference between turnover and liquidity and I know that only money that is present in the company can help overcome crises.&#8217;
Do you regret anything? Sannwald: &#8220;Sunny Cars has developed tremendously, but mistakes have obviously been made along the way, as happens with every company. But I preferred &#8220;learning by doing&#8221; to a college degree, and so it made sense that not everything went smoothly. Learning from mistakes has contributed to today&#8217;s success. And that&#8217;s still the case.&#8217;    In recent years, there has been a shortage of rental cars in some destinations. Is this over?  Sannwald: &#8216;These are always snapshots because, especially given the current, very difficult situation in the world, everything could be different tomorrow. As in 2023, no major general bottlenecks are expected for 2024, although it may be difficult in special vehicle segments, such as minivans/minibuses, station wagons and convertibles.&#8221;  The management team of Sunny Cars (from left to right) Thorsten Lehmann (managing partner), Kai Sannwald (founder and managing partner), Suzanne AI (marketing director Netherlands, Belgium and France) and Hans Knottnerus (managing director)
What are the prices this season?  Sannwald: &#8216;The general price level is slightly lower than in 2023, but still higher than before the pandemic. In addition, prices at some hotspots may still be higher in times of high demand.&#8217;  Due to the all-inclusive concept, Sunny Cars seems at first glance more expensive than other rental companies that charge extra costs later. This makes it difficult to compare prices online. Is the travel agency (almost) indispensable because Sunny Cars is a consultancy product?  Sannwald: &#8220;In recent years, consumers have increasingly understood my favorite saying &#8216;There are reasons for miracles&#8217;, often under the influence of bad experiences they have had with supposedly cheap landlords. Of course, it is always more difficult to distinguish a more complex all-in product from a &#8216;Corsa for only 9 euros per day&#8217;. But our success in all sales channels shows that we can do it pretty well.&#8221;  The electric rental car has still not broken through. The purchase price is high and the resale value is low. Moreover, the customer does not want it because there are not enough charging points. What does it take to make electric driving attractive and how long does it take?Sannwald: &#8216;First of all, solutions need to be found for the so-called &#8216;setup time&#8217;. That&#8217;s the time after returning the car that&#8217;s needed for cleaning and checking, and now potentially hours of charging too. But it&#8217;s also about the charging infrastructure at the rental stations, such as Schiphol with its fast chargers.  
&#8216;As in previous years, we are not planning big bangs, we just want to continue to expand our product and service consistently&#8217;
  In addition, there is the problem of insufficient charging stations along the way. No customer wants to be stranded in the mountains at night. Cooperation of all stakeholders is important here, such as landlords, energy suppliers and local authorities and hoteliers. A good ten years in which no significant progress has been made is over. Hopefully we won&#8217;t need another ten years.&#8217;  What would you do differently if you could start over? Sannwald: &#8216;One of my daughter&#8217;s teachers once said to me: &#8216;Some children take a detour, but detours increase local knowledge.&#8217; That saying has also shaped the company for the past 33 years. Looking back, some things could have been easier and quicker, but some detours helped me a lot with later challenges.&#8217;  Where will Sunny Cars be in three years?  Sannwald: &#8220;As in previous years, we are not planning big bangs, we just want to continue to expand our product and service consistently. And that is based on values that we have laid down in writing since 2007 and that everyone who deals with Sunny Cars can rely on. Do I have any wishes? As long as I enjoy it, I&#8217;ll keep going.&#8217;  Let&#8217;s get back to the news: what impact will the collapse of FTI have on the travel industry?  Sannwald: &#8216;The number 3 in Germany (and Europe) has now ceased operations. I don&#8217;t believe in a rebirth in the old form. The claims in the tour operator section are already being actively distributed. Volumes will also be distributed in the car rental sector, where FTI also had its own broker. Some bookings will certainly end up with us as well. The short-term consequences for vacationers and travel sellers are severe, and especially for the many employees who don&#8217;t know what will happen next. In the medium term, however, I assume that the FTI activities will be shared among other market participants. There are plenty of them that are successful and economically healthy. I don&#8217;t share the fear that &#8220;everything will become much more expensive now&#8221; because of the broad competition. The fact that no one is prepared to respond with price dumping can only be welcomed, because the bankruptcy also costs the taxpayer a lot of money.&#8217;  



The post 33 years of Sunny Cars: &#8216;Our product meets the customer&#8217;s need for &#8216;no hassle&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>&#8216;We want to become the tour specialist&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/we-want-to-become-the-tour-specialist/</link>
            <comments>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/we-want-to-become-the-tour-specialist/#respond</comments>

            <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2024 14:30:35 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Interview]]></category>
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            <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.travmagazine.nl/we-want-to-become-the-tour-specialist/</guid>

            
            <description><![CDATA[
De Jong Intra Vakanties is launching a review of its strategy, with a focus on tours. &#8216;Customers want more than just a standard holiday in the sun&#8217;, say Maaike van der Windt and Paul van Laarhoven during a tour of Albania. A conversation about the new focus, the challenges and the future plans of the &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[




De Jong Intra Vakanties is launching a review of its strategy, with a focus on tours. &#8216;Customers want more than just a standard holiday in the sun&#8217;, say Maaike van der Windt and Paul van Laarhoven during a tour of Albania. A conversation about the new focus, the challenges and the future plans of the Ridderkerk-based company.  The conversation with the duo of de Jong Intra Vakanties takes place in Albania, more precisely in the coastal town of Ksamil in the southwest. The small beach bar serves good cappuccino, as almost everywhere in Albania, and the view of the beaches is reminiscent of a tropical island. The coastal town is part of a tour that de Jong offers Intra Holidays in Albania.  







Tour Specialist
  &#8216;Our new focus is mainly on tours, both for groups and individuals,&#8217; says Maaike van der Windt, who has been at the helm of de Jong Intra Vakanties as director for nine months now. &#8220;We want to profile ourselves as the travel specialist for destinations worldwide. While Sunday and city holidays will still be an important product for us, we will offer them less prominently and act more as a supplier to our retail and online partners. The idea is that we sell our unique product, the tours, ourselves through our website and retail channels. Our slogan is: Carefree discovery.&#8217;  
Supplier
  Paul van Laarhoven, tour operating manager who has been working at de Jong Intra Vakanties since 2011, adds: &#8216;What we also see is that there is a growing demand for unique travel experiences. Customers want more than just a standard holiday in the sun. They want to soak up culture, discover special places and really experience something. By focusing primarily on tours, we can better respond to this need. In addition, we will continue to offer Sunday and city holidays, but mainly as a flexible product for third parties. This means that we act more as a supplier and put these journeys less prominently in the foreground towards the end consumer.&#8217;  What does this strategic shift mean for today&#8217;s offerings?  Van Laarhoven: &#8216;We have a very wide range, but we noticed that it was often unclear to customers exactly what we offer. By focusing on tours, both for individual and group tours, we can paint a clearer picture for the customer. Our range of sun and cities remains important, but we will offer this more as a flexible product. We work with all airlines that fly to a destination, which allows us to offer very flexible travel options.&#8221;  
What distinguishes de Jong Intra from other (large) parties? Van der Windt: &#8216;By differentiating our offer, we can better distinguish ourselves from major players. For example, we offer small-scale accommodations and unique destinations, which makes us attractive to travelers looking for something different. In addition, we are very flexible in the duration of the trips. Large parties often offer fixed travel periods, such as 8, 15 or 22 days. With us, customers can also opt for 4, 8, 12 or even 16 days, depending on their wishes and possibilities.&#8217;
Van Laarhoven: &#8216;In addition, we are going to launch a new system for travel agents, SmartPackager, which will allow them to fully tailor the trips to the wishes of their customers. We listened carefully to the retail sector, which needs a building blocks module. This means that they can, for example, add extra nights, book excursions, or arrange a rental car. This gives our customers the freedom to put together their trip exactly the way they want, which is a big advantage over the more standard packages.&#8221;
How does SmartPackager fit into the new strategy? Van der Windt: &#8216;SmartPackager is a platform that allows us to bridge the gap between standard journeys and customisation. In addition to easily customizing our standard trips, agents can also create completely new trips. We will be launching SmartPackager for retail at the end of June.&#8217;
Van Laarhoven: &#8216;SmartPackager, which can be used via our travel agent platform SmartOnline, offers enormous flexibility. For example, users can choose a default trip and customize it to their liking. Or they can start from scratch and build a journey all their own with the different building blocks we offer. This platform makes it possible to put together a trip very easily and quickly that perfectly matches the customer&#8217;s wishes.&#8217;     Maaike, you have been director of de Jong Intra Vakanties for nine months now. How was the transition from aviation to your current position?  Van der Windt: &#8216;It has been a positive experience. What surprised me the most was the passion and commitment of the employees. People have often been working here for years with a lot of heart for the customer, partners and the product. Some have been working here for 35 or 40 years. Although I don&#8217;t come from the tour operator industry, I feel completely at home here. My approach is to listen carefully to the input of employees, but also to our partners and then set out the broad outlines together with the team.&#8217;
Van Laarhoven: &#8216;Maaike has really brought a breath of fresh air to the company. Her approach is very open and connecting. She takes the time to listen to everyone and involves the team in setting the new course. That has created new energy within the company.&#8217;   What are the biggest challenges you&#8217;ve faced so far?  Van der Windt (laughing): &#8216;My personal challenge is the travel distance between my hometown of Amsterdam and our office in Ridderkerk, but the team and the positive working atmosphere more than make up for it. How you feel going to work on Monday morning indicates how much you enjoy your job. And despite the sometimes long traffic jams, I also get in the car on Mondays with great pleasure. As far as the strategic challenges are concerned, it was particularly important to develop a long-term vision and to set a clear focus in this.&#8217;  
&#8220;With SmartPackager, agents can fully customize their trips.&#8221;
  Van Laarhoven: &#8216;Redefining our strategy was certainly a challenge, but also a necessary step. We have a wide range of offerings, and it was essential to determine what we want to focus on in order to better serve our customers. It&#8217;s a continuous process of evaluating and adapting, and I think we&#8217;ve now laid a solid foundation for the future.&#8221;
What is the specific assignment that you were given nine months ago by the shareholders Beuk and Kupers? Van der Windt: &#8216;The assignment is to ensure continuity and a clear course, so that de Jong Intra Vakanties, which was founded in 1972, will still exist in 2072. This sometimes means making choices in our offerings and communicating clearly about what we do and what we stand for.&#8217;
Van Laarhoven: &#8216;Continuity is indeed an important pillar. It&#8217;s not just about the short term, it&#8217;s about the long term. We want de Jong Intra Vakanties to remain a reliable name in the travel industry, with a clear vision and a solid offer that meets the needs of our customers and partners.&#8217;
What does the future look like in terms of new destinations and products? Van Laarhoven: &#8216;We will continue to look at the wishes of our customers and partners and will adjust our offer accordingly. This means that we are open to new destinations, both near and far. Cyprus and Albania have recently been added. We are also considering offering more long-haul destinations. We now have six long-haul destinations: America, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. But an important condition is that we have sufficient knowledge about these new locations before we add them.&#8217;
Van der Windt: &#8216;We don&#8217;t just want to expand in quantity, but also ensure the right quality. New destinations really need to add something unique to our offer. We will always make sure that we are well prepared and have enough knowledge in-house to offer our customers the best experience. In addition, we will continue to invest in our current offering in order to continue to improve it and adapt it to the changing needs of our customers and partners.&#8221;
How do you see the future of sustainability in the travel offer? Van der Windt: &#8216;We certainly want to play a role in making travel more sustainable. This means that we are looking at alternatives to flying, such as train and bus travel, where possible. In addition, we are working on reducing CO2 emissions through initiatives such as blending sustainable fuel (SAF, ed.) into air travel. We strive to be a smart follower of the ANVR sustainability approach.&#8217;
Van Laarhoven: &#8216;Sustainability is an important theme for us. We not only want to respond to the current demand, but also contribute to a better future. This means that we actively look for sustainable alternatives and work with partners who share the same vision. It&#8217;s an ongoing process.&#8217;        Are there any plans to relocate or modernize the head office in Ridderkerk?  Van der Windt: &#8216;We are exploring the possibilities. Whether we stay and modernize the current building or move to a new location in Ridderkerk or the surrounding area, we still have to make a decision about that. But it is clear that something can change in our working environment. The most important thing is that people have a pleasant working environment.&#8217;  



The post &#8216;We want to become the tour specialist&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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