48 TTG TRAVEL AWARDS 2018 SPECIAL EDITION
Travel Agency Awards
Best Travel Agency – Japan JTB
What does this award mean to you?
It is a tremendous honour for us to
win such a glorious award.
This award is a very important
indicator and a great encouragement
for our company that is moving
forward to become a Number One
DMC in the Asian region. We appre-
ciate your continued support.
What is the one most important deci-
sion you have made for your business
this year?
Hikaru Tani
President & CEO, JTB Thailand
“One JTB”.
In April this year, we merged trav-
elling companies in the JTB Group,
which had been separated by region
in Japan, in order to face the market
as “One JTB” again. It was to cope
with changes in the business envi-
ronment, such as OTA at the global
level, the rise of different industries
and the rapid development of digi-
tal technology.
What would you say are the three
most important factors a travel
agency needs to be successful?
We will respond to changes in the
business environment by evolving
into a truly innovative company,
and we will continue to pursue
“Perfect moments, always” which is
our promise to our customers. In or-
der to do that, we have a daily action
policy for each and every employee,
including executives, that consists of
the following three qualities:
Open: we keep our eyes and
minds open to new collabora-
tive possibilities.
Challenge: we grow from our
failures and are always willing to take
the next step.
Fun: we love doing what we do…
and that joy is contagious!
– Satoshi Inoue, director, president
of global business unit
Best Travel Agency – Malaysia Mitra Tours & Travel
What does this award mean to you?
Receiving this award for the sixth
time (previously in 2004, 2006,
2007, 2015 and 2016) is a tremen-
dous accolade for our company
and dedicated team members
who strive to always “give it their
all” for all our corporate and leisure
clients as well as suppliers and busi-
ness partners.
Tunku Iskandar
Group president, Mitra Tours & Travel
What is the one most important deci-
sion you have made for your business
this year?
We have put in place succession
planning to ensure continuity at
the shareholder, board of direc-
tors and management levels so
that we will be able to achieve
the plans we established in
recent years and going forward,
ensuring everyone’s commitment
to those aspirations.
What would you say are the three
most important factors a travel
agency needs to be successful?
giving our best and always getting
it right the first time.
Second: innovativeness that
creates value for which clients will
value and be willing to pay for
the service.
Third: knowledgeability
through being perceptive and
well-informed about the needs of
our clients and the products and
services required by them.
First: service quality, to be always
Best Travel Agency – Singapore Chan Brothers Travel
What does this award mean to you?
Striding beyond our 53rd year this
year as a beacon of inspiration
in the travel industry, this distin-
guished award is a sterling recogni-
tion by partners and the trade for
our commitment to service excel-
lence and continued innovation.
What is the one most important deci-
sion you have made for your business
this year?
Chloe Chan
Business development manager,
Chan Brothers Travel
We have introduced +en Travel
Envoys, Singapore’s first travel
entrepreneur network programme,
which lowers the barriers to entry
for individuals to start their journey
to become a travel business entre-
preneur. They will learn how to sell
travel professionally through an on-
line platform that provides access to
extensive travel resources and earn
extra income from commissions on
travel bookings, while having the
flexibility and convenience of work-
ing at their own pace and space.
What would you say are the three
most important factors a travel
agency needs to be successful?
Singapore is a mature travel market
and one of our constant challenges
is keeping pace with the dynamism
of the industry through continual
product innovation. We never be-
lieve in resting on one’s laurels.
We aim to always deliver prom-
ises and exceed expectations.
Another important rule every
travel agent should know is that of
cultivating brand loyalty and this
has always been one of the main
ethos of our brand. – Anthony
Chan, managing director, Chan
Brothers Group
Best Travel Agency – South Korea ModeTour
What does this award mean to you?
It is a great honour to receive this
award. I would like to share this
award with all the executives and
staff and various travel agencies in
South Korea. Of course, I will try
to contribute to the improvement
of the tourism industry through
this award.
What is the one most important deci-
sion you have made for your business
this year?
The most important thing in all
Kim Ilsoo
Chief manager, ModeTour
tours is customer satisfaction. Our
goal is to provide customer-centered
management so that travellers who
choose our company in a rapidly
changing travel industry can be
satisfied before, during, and after
the trip.
What would you say are the three
most important factors a travel
agency needs to be successful?
There are a lot of factors, but I think
it is having trust-based customer
satisfaction through employee
satisfaction. The agency should be
operated based on trust from our
employees as well as our customers,
and I believe that achieving custom-
er satisfaction through employee
satisfaction is the most important
factor. – Okmin Han, president,
Modetour Network