Brad’s first day as Managing Director of what is now known as Entire Travel Group was also, remarkably, his first day in the travel industry. After working for Accenture, the world’s largest IT consulting firm, in the early 2000s, Brad was ready to apply his skills to his own business.
Travel was an industry, Brad identified, that could really benefit from technology and process efficiency, so he bought the agency and never looked back (well, maybe once or twice during the pandemic!).
We sat down with Brad to talk leadership and the collective way forward in this new era of travel.
What’s happening in your business, and how does the forthcoming period look?
We are experiencing strong growth following the launch this year of our new business model, which is based on the concept of independent holiday packages.
The idea is simple: we now offer exclusive, pre-designed packages for independent travellers with daily departures rather than group tours with set departures. The packages offer an outstanding value, and travel agents can book them 24/7 through our purpose-built online platform.
We also embarked on a period of rapid product development during covid, adding almost a dozen new destinations. At the moment, like many travel businesses, we are rebuilding our team.
Luckily, we’ve been able to welcome back many former employees. We’ve also welcomed new talent who are bringing invaluable experience, great connections, and plenty of fresh ideas.
All up, we have generated great post-pandemic momentum, and I can only see that accelerating.
What are you excited about right now?
I’m excited to see how just how well the concept of our independent holiday packages has been received. It’s also been gratifying to see agents embrace our booking platform. We made a major investment to build the site mid-pandemic, as we wanted the agents’ user experience to be seamless.
Although the feedback has been pleasing, we are working to make more improvements for our industry partners.
Are there trends you are seeing that are driving change in the business or the industry?
As anticipated, post-pandemic, we are seeing travel agents demand greater booking flexibility along with a higher level of support. Agents are under-resourced, with many working remotely, so it’s not surprising they need more assistance.
Every travel business strives to become more adaptable and flexible regarding its operations, and we are no exception.
We recognised that border closures left travellers and travel agents uncertain, so we introduced our Peace of Mind Booking Plan. This provides a 100% refund for any Covid-related pre-departure cancellation but still guarantees full commission for the agent.
Another clear trend is the strength of the luxury travel segment. There is a huge demand for luxury experiences, and we are pleased to have this covered, particularly across our Island destinations.
What are the biggest challenges for travel?
The Australian travel industry has had to deal with the consequences of our country keeping our borders closed for much longer than other nations.
Being late to the post-pandemic party means we face real difficulties securing capacity at key resorts and destinations. As a result, we’ve had to work hard to sustain our relevance to suppliers, who are already overwhelmed with business from other markets.
Another challenge is pricing, with reduced supply driving up rates, particularly for airfares. We’ve seen some extraordinary airfare prices, which are impacting demand, particularly for leisure travel to Europe in 2022.
Then there are Australia’s broader economic headwinds. The rising cost of living doesn’t seem to be dampening Australians’ appetite for travel, but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether that will change once this initial pent-up demand passes.
What about the biggest opportunities?
FOMO! Travel in 2022 has not been easy because of short lead times and limited availability, and this shortage of availability has generated a high level of FOMO.
There is an opportunity for the industry to capitalise on this, getting people to book further ahead for travel in 2023 and beyond. A return to more stable booking patterns would benefit the entire industry.
There is also clearly an opportunity to grow the luxury segment, given more people are being exposed to high-end products.
How important is leadership right now? What should leadership look like?
Leadership is vitally important. We need to retain that sense of solidarity we developed during Covid, support each other and be cautiously optimistic because the war is not won.
We all still need to be careful about our business operations while working hard to restore confidence with suppliers, partners, staff, and customers.
Personally, I think it’s important to lead with purpose. I like to think that, as a company, everyone understands their role, its importance, and its impact on our overall objectives. Transparency is also critically important, and we always aim to ensure our team is aware of our challenges and opportunities.
What would you like to see change? Or more of?
I’d definitely like to see more flights! And I’d like to see more understanding of the entire supply chain resourcing issues, including wholesalers, hotels, DMCs, etc.
Obviously, suppliers are aware of the challenges travel agents face, which is also the case with our global network of suppliers. Unfortunately, right now, everything is going to take a bit more time.
I’d like to see less expectation that we will be the same business as we were pre-pandemic. Our industry has changed in many ways for the better, so we need to embrace the changes and move forward.
We have seen an impressive shift towards the mobile agent model, which further supports digital solutions. We believe our website, with exclusive packages and real-time rates, far exceeds the traditional wholesale model of “from prices” in brochures and call centre support for quotations.
How key is collaboration in the industry?
Collaboration has always been enormously important in the travel industry. In our case, collaboration extends beyond our local travel industry partners to include our global network of preferred suppliers.
Those collaborative relationships, in some cases developed over many years, allow us to deliver more than 300 exclusive packages and confidently deliver on-ground support for our clients.
Do you think enough emphasis is being placed on sustainability in travel and addressing the climate crisis?
There is certainly an increasing emphasis on sustainability right across the travel industry, which is great, but clearly, as an industry, we have a long way to go.
What are your personal learnings from the pandemic?
I’ve learnt a lot about my own resilience and how to become patient. Mental health is everything, it’s so important to look after yourself so you can best support family, friends and employees.
I’ve better understood our partners’ businesses and that no two businesses are the same. It has been important to respect that each business had to make its own decisions to manage the impact of Covid.
Thanks to my CATO board role, I’ve gained some insights into the state and federal government and just how cumbersome its processes can be.
Most importantly, the pandemic reminded me of the value of relationships, particularly long-term relationships. We’ve used the same IT support, printer, bank, lawyer, accountant, etc., for over a decade. Those relationships, and the loyalty they have engendered, put us in a strong position when the pandemic hit and contributed to our survival plan.
What is your message to the industry?
This is all going to be worth it! We’ve had extensive conversations and visits to our global network of partners worldwide. The trend is so positive in markets like the US, as they opened much earlier than Australia.
We could see this theme reinforced by the positive vibes published from the recent Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas.
You can find out more about Brad or get in touch with him via Linkedin
