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).
‘We want to grow, but we want to stick to our quality.’
Why is Special Traffic getting a new logo now?
Freitag: ‘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 ’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’s time for further renewal.’
Nijman: ‘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.’
What is the deeper thought?
Freitag: “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.”
Nijman: “In addition, we have changed our slogan. Before, it was: ‘From the travel specialist, for the travel specialist’, and now it is: ‘For the travel expert’. 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.’
How important is working with travel agents to you?
Freitag: ‘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.”
Nijman: “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.’
How did you build the relationship with the agent?
Was he or she waiting for Special Traffic?
Nijman: ‘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.’
Freitag: ‘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.’
There are better times to start a label for long-distance travel than in the middle of corona time.
How did that go?
Freitag: ‘The pandemic was a big challenge. In 2021, there was little demand for long-distance travel. It wasn’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.”
Nijman: ‘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.’
How have Special Traffic and Van Verre developed since then?
Freitag: “We’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.”
Nijman: “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.”
Which destinations are currently doing well?
Freitag: ‘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.”
Van Verre also acquired KidsReizen in 2021 and recently took a stake in Local Hero Travel.
What kind of labels are they?
Nijman: ‘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.’
Freitag: ‘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’s a model that works well for both the traveller and the local community.’
What are your ambitions for the next three years?
Freitag: ‘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.’ Nijman: ‘We don’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.’
How are you going to do that?
Freitag: “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.’ Nijman: “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.’ Freitag: ‘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’s a long-term partnership for both parties.”
