Business travellers well catered for

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 14

Business travellers well catered for

With more than 9000 air fare combinations to choose from, travellers can find selecting the right itinerary a major and confusing problem. Busy executives, and large groups in particular, are faced with a bewildering mass of options which have to be considered quickly, with cost in mind. That is where travel agents, such as Travelseekers International (5.1.), Ltd, come in. The new Travelseekers office, which opened in Christchurch two weeks ago, is part of a chain of offices which cater for all travellers, paying particular attention to business and sports clients. Travelseekers is one of the latest additions to a New Zealand-owned group of companies which have been operating in the freight forwarding and allied fields of activity since 1970. The group grew from its original concept of airfreight forwarders and aircargo bulk break operators to include the businesses of customs agents, carriers, sea-freight forwarders and charter operators. From servicing the freight requirements of a considerable number of commercial clients, it became apparent there was a need to cater particularly for the New Zealand business executive. In little more than three years, what started as a two-man agency has grown into a company with a turnover in excess of ?10 million, with domestic accreditation and five fully accredited I.A.T.A. offices. Although the staff at Travelseekers handle a large variety of individual and group holiday bookings, they specialise in helping executives by providing accurate and immediate information. The manager of. the

Christchurch branch of Travelseekers, Mr John Climo, says that busy clients can make just one call to the office to outline their plans and requirements to the staff. ■ Travel fares and other related bookings, such as accommodation and rental cars, are made by the agency to the clients’ best advantage. “To this end, we employ a sales and marketing co-ordi-nator, whose speciality is liasing with our business and commercial accounts on a regular basis,” says Mr Climo. Working alongside a sales team in the Auckland and Wellington offices for clients in New Zealand and overseas, Travelseekers is continually negotiating rates with hotel and travel operators to get the most cost-efficient service possible. Regular customers are kept on a company mailing list and receive a newsletter giving details of cost-saving fares, latest accommodation offers, and new itineraries. An even more detailed and immediate information source is the Multi Access Airline Reservation System in the Christchurch office. This computer has access to 16 airline and hotel reservation systems, which can be drawn from directly without going through other airline or agency communications.

It can also give worldwide weather reports,

diaries of sporting and cultural events in major cities, details of hotel facilities, and even a summary of entertainment acts playing in Las Vegas; Passport photographs can be taken by office staff and all necessary documentation such as visas, passports and ticketing are handled by Travelseekers. Advice about which vaccinations, and .when to have them, are amongst the full range of services provided by the company branch staff who have many years of both personal and professional experience of travel. Mr Climo has had 15 years of experience in thetravel industry — first in Timaru and then in Christchurch before becoming manager of the Christchurch branch of Travelseekers. ; The assistant manager, Mr Jim Irving, has had nine years of experience as a travel consultant, as has the senior consultant, Mrs Juliet Abbott Mrs Pat Jamieson, with eight years of travel agency experience, is in charge of domestic travel and accounting, while Ms Suzanne Sadgrove, as a former sales representative for a Dunedin hotel, is the sales and marketing co-ordinator. The striking interior of the Travelseekers office has been completely renovated. Besides the new computing equipment there are comfortable furnishings and a spacious display area for brochures.