The Guthreys were pioneers in tourism in New Zealand. Nick’s grandfather, Ron Guthrey, started a travel and freight business in 1947, the very early days of tourism. While many will remember businesses such as Guthrey Travel and Guthrey’s New Zealand Tours, today, ANZCRO is the primary family travel business.
Nick Guthrey started as the office junior in the 100% family-owned business that is ANZCRO, delivering tickets around town to corporate customers and trying not to get in the way of the consultants. He then moved to Optus for ten years before returning to the family fold seven years ago.
We caught up with him to talk trans-Tasman travel and leadership for a new era.
What’s happening in your business, and how does the forthcoming period look?
ANZCRO is building back pretty fast right now. We have offices in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K., and all are seeing very high demand for our product and service. Notwithstanding supplier capacity constraints, it’s looking very positive for the upcoming high season.
What are you excited about right now?
It’s exciting and motivating to know the rebuild is happening at pace around the world with great people being hired, agencies reopening, products restarting, and airline capacity returning.
One day we had a travel industry, the next day we didn’t, then we bought it back again. Crazy times but exciting to be part of.
Are there trends you are seeing that are driving change in the business or the industry?
Shorter booking lead times, greater spending on holidays, and we are seeing new product catch people’s attention. As a result, we are investing more time in product development. A couple of examples include our hugely popular New Zealand Grand Rail Explorer package and our new packages showcasing Australian signature experiences.
What are the biggest challenges for travel?
The supply and demand gap. The industry is building back as fast as it can, but it’s still unable to keep up with demand. We are faced with the risk of staff burnout and lower service standards.
I think it will get easier as more travel dollars flow through the system. It just needs time and patience.
What about the biggest opportunities?
The best travelling experience begins with a travel agent, so the opportunity is for the agent to become an integral professional in our daily lives.
I reckon a great travel agent is the most organised person on the planet, plus they come with great conversation – who wouldn’t want one in their life!
How important is leadership right now? What should leadership look like?
Vital and always will be. Start with plenty of communication and keeping things positive. I encourage our staff to try things, experiment, and give them a go. The ANZCRO team are super talented, and I just want to clear roadblocks so they can create opportunities and do what they love.
What would you like to see change? Or more of?
Less mainstream media taking cheap potshots at the industry. Does every school holiday period have to come with a “travel chaos at the airport” story?
More “holiday anticipation sees Aussie families rejoice” headlines, please.
How key is collaboration in the industry?
It’s everything. I’m not sure how travel and tourism companies could survive without collaboration. It also makes things more interesting and helps fuel ideas.
Do you think enough emphasis is being placed on sustainability in travel and addressing the climate crisis?
I think inside the industry, yes, there is enough emphasis on these issues.
Some businesses will want to push further and faster, while others will, at times, need to focus on other areas. Travel is a giant global industry with thousands of moving pieces, each at different places along the journey.
What are your personal learnings from the pandemic?
On reflection, I see how determined I was to see the business survive and come out stronger (though I realise this can often fly pretty close to me being painfully stubborn!)
I learned that a good use of my energy was to support and unite our people to get through the crisis. We could have hibernated and sat on the sidelines until it was all over. Instead, we got to work to ensure ANZCRO emerged with our brand and reputation intact.
I am very proud to see the care our staff have for our customers and the company.
What is your message to the industry?
Enjoy it. It’s the best! Oh, and tell your friends and family to take up a job in the industry. They won’t regret it.
