Trafalgar Travel eyes the next 25 years
THIS YEAR marks the silver anniversary of Jamaica’s number one travel service, and at a time when many in the business have closed their doors because of the relative ease of buying tickets online, Trafalgar Travel has weathered the storm and continues to grow stronger.
They have done so by reinventing themselves and providing an innovative suite of products and services for their customers long before others think of them. But just how did this dynamic company start? Co-founder of Trafalgar Travel Derrick Young says a family health emergency brought him home on an extended holiday, but while here, he got homesick and set about exploring business opportunities that would justify him giving up a promising banking career in the United States.
After doing some research, he joined forces with childhood friends Conrad Graham and Peter Monteith, and after ruling out other seemingly lucrative options, Monteith, who was already in the business, suggested they enter the travel arena.
“We began looking at requirements, the year was 1994; I did the legwork, Conrad bought the building where we are located, and we decided on the name because we were located next to Trafalgar Park and close to Trafalgar Road – and that is how we came about,” Young said.
They bought their first of many agencies and obtained a licence; and that was just the first of many mergers and acquisitions over the years. Back then, they did not set out to be number one, but seeing that none of them had entertained failure as an option in their personal lives, they were not about to start now.
“Graham was the visionary; he read extensively and studied the First-World models in the travel business and discovering that mergers and acquisitions were the way to grow. Everything in that scenario was working elsewhere, so we figured it could do the same here, too,” Young said.
But online ticket purchases were on the rise. Young said computers had not yet penetrated the Jamaican space as deeply as it did in bigger markets, so the online ticket purchasing did not disrupt the local industry as badly as it could have. Younger travellers were the ones targeted; but personal travel, which was seasonal, accounted for Trafalgar’s major business, so they thought of creating a different segment for themselves and settled on corporate business.
“We set out to make Trafalgar Travel a premium agency and began selling our expertise to the corporate clientele. We were first to introduce private airport pickup service to our clients, and also the first to open for full business on a Saturday. Those were some of the innovations that helped to set us apart from the rest,” he explained.
SENIOR ASSISTANCE
Trafalgar Travel was also first to set up a unit to assist seniors and busy clients in completing complicated visa application forms; they now run a department for that service. And, they have also found out that in many instances, persons who purchase tickets online have to seek their help after buying a restricted fare that does not allow a date change.
In reflection on the 25 years, Young credits Graham’s discipline, leadership, compassion and heart of gold for helping them to this milestone. He thinks IT specialist Chris Preston and Sharon Llewellyn, corporate accountant, are among the best in the business.
But the entire team at Trafalgar team are exemplars in their field who live the mantra: ‘Quality Service, Quality Relationships’.