If you can’t work with family, the next best thing would be working on a close-knit team that feels like family. According to Greg Luciani, President & CEO of TravelOnly, having a supportive staff makes all the difference when it comes to achieving success, and he should know – the company is over four decades old and still going strong. In this week’s Friday 5, we ask him about what gives TravelOnly a leg up on the industry, the challenges agents face today and how the company can help overcome them.
1) Tell us a little about TravelOnly.
TravelOnly is a 41-year-old family-owned and operated travel management company specializing in travel agency services to the retail travel community. Our head office is based in Brantford, Ontario and we also have offices in Vancouver and Montreal. We currently have more than 625 agents across the country working with us.
2) What do you want agents to know about becoming a home-based travel expert with TravelOnly?
TravelOnly offers the best in-class training, marketing and support services for our agents. We also offer extremely competitive commissions; in fact, several TravelOnly agents are the highest earners in Canada.
3) As we approach 2016, what do you think are top challenges home-based agents face in today’s marketplace, and how can they overcome them?
We have identified several challenges in our industry: weaker Canadian dollar, increased operating overhead, and shrinking supplier margins.
How do we help our agents face these challenges? We provide our clients with leading-edge technology, marketing support, technology and exclusive products to ensure they are running profitable businesses. My advice in the current climate is to focus on cruise and luxury products in the coming year and be selective. Only work with clients that appreciate the immense cost and time savings you have to offer
4) With more than 40 years of experience, what would you say the secret is to the company’s success?
The secret of our success is the love and passion we have for the travel industry. It is truly the best industry in the world. We are passionate about what we do and how we help make people’s travel dreams come true. The team behind TravelOnly, from the front-line agents to our head office staff, are the best in the industry and we value their work immensely. We treat our team like family and it shows in the results we are generating. We always strive for continuous improvement and we welcome constant feedback, criticism, comments, suggestions from our team so everyone has a voice in the success of our company.
5) What new trends/destinations do you see emerging in 2016?
At TravelOnly, more people are travelling as part of a group, on escorted tours. We are also seeing growth in deep ocean tours and river cruise packages. What’s on the horizon? Watch for big spikes in travel to Iceland, Mexico and more and more people will want to explore their own backyard. Canada offers so many spectacular destinations, from urban arts and cultural tours to Rocky Mountaineer train excursions to canoeing in Algonquin Park. As a result, TravelOnly expects record growth in 2016 and beyond.
