Organization Name: tripcentral.ca
Industry: Travel and Tourism
Web references: www.tripcentral.ca, www.facebook.com,
Richard Vanderlubbe: President and Co-Founder
Starting out in 1986 as a single travel agency located in Hamilton, Ontario, Tripcentral.ca has grown to one of the largest travel companies in the province. They launched a website in 1996 featuring last minute packages and reduced prices on travel. They revamped the website in 2000 and in 2001 it was re-launched using proprietary software. As the business grew and retail locations were added, the stores were re branded as tripcentral.ca.
Tripcentral.ca…the smarter way to travel. Not only is it the smarter way to travel, it is the smarter way to book! With the head office in Hamilton, Ontario, they also have many retail locations in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Each retail location is fully staffed with experienced travel agents. In addition to retail locations, tripcentral.ca has very knowledgeable and informative agents that travel and review. One great example of this is Lisa`s agent review of beautiful Puerto Vallarta vacations.
Lara Noack, the media and sales promotion manager at tripcentral.ca, uses her Facebook account and youtube to highlight her trips and experiences. She gives the customers an on the scene review of the vacation destination with an excellent and informative video postcard.
In addition to post card videos, employees also contribute to a very informative blog. A potential traveler researching trips online has all the information needed to make a positive travel decision.
This type of employee engagement shows how employees are actually excited, involved and have a passion for their work and company.
Tripcentral.ca has 81,498 people that like the Facebook page alone! With 120 agents and employees using social media and sharing the companies many posts, it is no wonder tripcentral.ca continues to grow.
In recent studies, it is shown that more than 65% of travelers research online and it is continually increasing. 44% use smartphones to research travel while they are traveling. It is safe to say that, although the brick and mortar shops may still play a roll in booking travel, there is less and less people walking through the nearby travel agency. With the growing number of mobile devices and their capabilities, it is easy to see the travel tables are starting to turn.
Source: eMarketer
Lessons: As a travel agency, keeping the employees and agents involved, will make for a happier and more productive force.
Submitted By: Ken Lupton
To contact the author of this entry please email at: k2lupton@uwaterloo.ca
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