Travellers Choice is further strengthening its award-winning network this month with the addition of two new members in North Queensland.
Reguson Travel & Cruise was established in Townsville in 2013 by Rane Reguson, who made headlines the following year when he was named the inaugural winner of the Emirates Travel Consultant Scholarship at the National Travel Industry Awards.
The family-owned business operates a retail store in Townsville but meets with customers by appointment only.
“We have limited resources and more than 90% of our customers are repeat or referral,” says Reguson, “so restricting consultations to appointment-only ensures we operate as efficiently as possible."
He says the agency decided to join Travellers Choice because of its track record of helping independent agents achieve sustained success.
“I have friends who are long time members of Travellers Choice and so I was well aware of the support the group provides.
“For me, the main attraction was the marketing support. Like every travel agent, I am time poor, but I can now rely on an experienced team to look after everything from my website design and content, to distributing eDMs and managing my social media platforms.
"Other considerations included the group’s great portfolio of preferred suppliers and level of transparency it offers when it comes to financial issues such as overrides."
Also joining Travellers Choice in North Queensland is newly launched agency NQ Travel & Cruise, based in Ingham, a rural town approximately 110 kilometres north of Townsville.
Owner Kathleen Lynch is no stranger to Travellers Choice, having worked for the past 16 years as a senior consultant with another of the group's Queensland members.
"I've seen first-hand the support members enjoy from every level of the organisation, including right up to [Managing Director] Christian Hunter," says Lynch, "and it's been particularly evident through the onboarding process. As a start-up business I've needed a lot of support and the team has been incredibly accommodating.
"The biggest relief has been in not having to worry about organising a website. The marketing team has looked after all of that for me, allowing me to launch the business with a professional and well-run website from the get-go, which is phenomenal."
Both Reguson Travel & Cruise and NQ Travel & Cruise join Travellers Choice as Elevate members, which gives them full access to a suite of exclusive tools, products and services.
Travellers Choice offers three membership solutions – Activate, Elevate and Accelerate – each incorporating different levels of business services and financial benefits in line with a member’s specific needs.