Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Entrepreneur Conor flies high with travel business
JEAN WARD
The sky really is the limit for an Airdrie travel entrepreneur after he scooped a social media accolade at a prestigious industry awards ceremony.
Conor Campbell, 21, who owns web- based Conor Campbell Travel, picked up the Independent Travel Experts best use of social media– 2019 award at an event in Portugal.
The Plains resident received the prize in recognition of his “outstanding” creative marketing and digital work at the organisation’s annual conference.
The event hosted over 150 delegates of ITE home workers and representatives from the UK’s travel industry at the Sao Rafael Atlantico Hotel in Albufeira.
Conor told the Advertiser: “I am truly delighted to have won this award and hopefully it is the first of many as a I pursue my career.
“I am very grateful for all the help and support I have received from my family and friends on this amazing journey.”
Lisa Henning, chief operating officer of the Travel Network Group, said: “This is in recognition of Conor’s achievements, and the creativity and entrepreneurship he has shown.”
The former St Margaret’s High pupil launched his business in March, and has taken the social media world by storm with his travel tips and deals, reaching more than one million people.
He said: “My social media pages are a key part of my successes. With nearly 8000 followers on Facebook and over 1500 on Instagram, the client base and reach I attract is fantastic.
“I run competitions which have really increased my following on both Instagram and Facebook, however it’s my posts with travel tips and deals that have sent my number of followers soaring.
“Facebook and Instagram analytics tell me that my posts have been reaching an audience of over one million people – which is amazing.”
He went on: “My aim is to go above and beyond and provide an exceptional experience for the customer from start to finish.
“I love booking luxury trips for my clients, as well as cruises and city breaks to the likes of New York, Dubai and Las Vegas.”
Conor has been passionate about travel from an early age, and began by helping his friends and family with their travel arrangements, before starting his career in the industry.
He explained: “I had been helping book holidays for my family and friends since I was around 16, but my first real job in the industry was with TUI in Stirling when I was 19.
“Soon after I applied for membership of ITE so that I could launch my own business and it has gone from strength-to-strength since then. My dream has always been to develop my own travel brand that I can lead and conquer.”
And not content with booking air travel, Conor’s next goal is to achieve his pilot’s licence which he is currently undertaking at Glasgow airport, and in his spare time is studying aircraft engineering at the University of the West of Scotland.