Dennis Bunnik is the fun-loving, family-orientated joint CEO of Bunnik Tours, a role that he shares with his brother and mother. See why we said family orientated? Dennis understands leadership and sets the parameters early with new starters by showing them the ‘don’t be a dickhead’ sections in Bunnik Tours’ values and company ethos.
Aside from his outstanding work at keeping the industry connected through the pandemic, Dennis also has a side hustle that started out as a hobby and has since gained a great deal of traction.
As a content creator and accidental ‘Influencer’, his flight review channel Dennis Bunnik Travels on YouTube now has over 100k subscribers and 20 million views.
We sat down with Dennis 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?
Like most of the industry, it’s a case of all hands on deck at Bunnik Tours. We’ve relaunched our international touring program, and we’re working hard to prepare for the 2023 rush.
We managed to keep our team relatively strong during the pandemic, and we’re seeing the benefits of that, with our experienced staff able to train the new staff relatively quickly.
What are you excited about right now?
How good it feels to be back running tours and the fact that our destinations teams still have all their magic. If anything, the experience is better now because our travellers and teams are just so grateful to be travelling again.
Are there trends you are seeing that are driving change in the business or the industry?
There’s a real sense of making up for lost time amongst our travellers, so we’re seeing more back-to-back tours than ever. More demand for premium cabins and multiple trips per year.
Internally, we fast-track decision-making to move through issues as quickly as possible. None of us has the time or headspace for time-wasting bullshit or doing things because we’ve always done them. This drives innovation as we find better and more sustainable ways of getting things done.
What are the biggest challenges for travel?
Air capacity, staff shortages everywhere and changing government regulations about covid are making things more complicated than they should be. Hopefully, by the start of next year’s European season, most of these things will have sorted themselves out.
What about the biggest opportunities?
It already sounds like a cliché, but to build back better. We don’t have to go back to the old ways of doing things. Our industry has an excellent history of innovation, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
How important is leadership right now? What should leadership look like?
Leadership comes in many different styles and is the responsibility of every person within an organisation and industry.
It is not something that should just be outsourced to those at the top. Taking ownership of your role and understanding how it impacts the bigger picture, and acting accordingly is just as crucial to the success of a business as the leader on top.
In fact, for large organisations, it’s probably even more critical. Collaboration and supporting those next, below and above you, to ensure that the organisation keeps moving forward has a far more significant impact than a rousing speech by the CEO.
The role of middle and senior management is to foster the right culture where people can take ownership and work collaboratively. In my experience, management by authority or fear never works long-term.
What would you like to see change? Or more of?
The travel industry can be quite siloed at times, with each sector quickly blaming the other for all their woes. We’re all trying to do a job to the best of our ability with the information we have at hand.
At CATO, we have been very conscious of fostering a culture of collaboration, as I think we will achieve much more together. I’d like to see more of this across the different sectors and even within each industry sector. Covid has shown that we are all equally vulnerable.
How critical is collaboration in the industry?
Collaboration is vital. Within this, we need to recognise each other’s strengths and expertise and use this for the greater good. No one company, sector or person has all the answers, nor can they do it alone.
Do you think enough emphasis is being placed on sustainability in travel and addressing the climate crisis?
Sadly, during the pandemic, survival had to take a front seat. This is now changing, which is a good thing. That said, obviously, much more is needed. The slow jog towards addressing climate change and sustainability needs to turn into a sprint.
What are your personal learnings from the pandemic?
- We are much more resilient than we ever imagined, that’s both individually and as an organisation
- Our industry is worth fighting for
- Take time out and look after your physical and mental health
- Be grateful for what you have
What is your message to the industry?
I know there are times that we all get frustrated. Let’s not take it out on each other but work through it and be grateful for the fact that we’re better off than a year ago.
Whenever we have a new starter at Bunnik Tours, we give them the 11 secret herbs and spices that make up our values and our culture. There are always two elements that I highlight with them: I call them the ‘Don’t be a Dickhead’ clauses.
Treat everybody internally with respect as if they were a customer, treat suppliers and external partners with respect and always find win-win solutions. Basically, play nice, take responsibility and enjoy the ride.
You can find out more about Dennis or get in touch via his Linkedin
