6 TTG TRAVEL AWARDS 2018 SPECIAL EDITION
Outstanding
Achievement Awards
Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but
great actions speak to all mankind.
– Theodore Roosevelt
Travel Personality of the Year
Robin Yap
What does this award mean to you and who do you want to share it with?
This is my first TTG award throughout my 40 years in the industry and one that also marks my passing on
the TTC Asia leadership to my successor after 33 years. Couldn’t ask for more recognition than this! There are
so many people in the industry who have given me the opportunity to grow and learn. Most importantly, I
wish to credit this award to present and past colleagues at TTC Singapore office; Stanley Tollman, chairman;
Brett Tollman, CEO; and Gavin Tollman, board member of TTC for the trust they have in me over the past 33
years.
What motivates you to excel in all that you do?
The trust the management has placed in me, the team on the ground who trusts my leadership, the lasting
friendship of trade partners, the satisfaction of happy customers and preparing the team to run the next lap.
My adrenaline soars at the thought of new business, new products, new technologies and new markets!
What advice would you give to the next generation of tourism professionals who desire success in this trade?
Disrupt for growth and not for disruption’s sake. Be prepared to start all over again! Constantly upgrade and
arm yourself with new skills to take on future challenges. Understand ROI while pursuing growth. Stay hum-
ble and embrace the idiom from the Analects of Confucius: “walk in three, one could be my teacher”.
Robin Yap
Chairman emeritus, The Travel Corporation
Travel Entrepreneur of the Year
Klook
What does this award mean to you and who do you want to share it with?
This award recognises our team’s entrepreneurial spirit to drive positive and disruptive change in the in-
dustry. We would like to share this award with our entire staff, located in our 16 different offices all over the
world. They are the ones who believe in the vision that we have and have worked tirelessly since day one to
achieve the accomplishments that we have today.
What motivates you to excel in all that you do?
Being travellers ourselves, the Klook team is motivated to provide for our users the best experiences on our
platform. We believe that technological innovation is the key to make this possible.
What advice would you give to the next generation of tourism professionals who desire success in this trade?
Stay focused: throughout our journey, we have frequently been asked whether Klook wants to extend its
business to other areas in the travel sector, such as trip planning and meta-search, but we have never lost our
focus. We only do one thing: make booking in-destination activities and services as seamless as possible. This
mindset allows us to fully concentrate on what we do and continuously optimise our services, which is how
Klook has gone this far in terms of expanding globally. – Eric Gnock Fah, COO & co-founder
Ethan Lin
CEO & co-founder, Klook
Most Sustainable Travel Company
EXO Travel
What does this award mean to you and who do you want to share it with?
Receiving the award really affirms our commitment towards sustainable tourism and motivates us to do even
more in the future. I would like to share the award with EXO’s sustainability team and co-ordinators, our af-
filiations such as Travelife, PATA, NEXUS and ChildSafe and local NGOs whose causes align with ours.
What motivates you to excel in all that you do?
We have a clear vision and purpose from the very beginning, a simple goal: to deliver the most exciting, au-
thentic and transformative travel experiences possible while exceeding expectations every step of the way.
With Asia as our home, for more than 25 years now, we have a deep connection to the region, have
amassed a passionate team of travel experts, both locally and from around the globe, who live and breathe
our destinations each and every way. This is definitely our motivation to excel in what we do.
What advice would you give to the next generation of tourism professionals who desire success in this trade?
The greater stewardship of destinations we as travel professionals have, the more alluring they are to travellers
across the world. By helping to preserve the natural environment and the people living in them, we not only
succeed in maintaining the region’s natural attributes, we also drive more sustainable business to the region
so that future generations can enjoy them. – Hamish Keith, CEO
George Ehrlich-Adam
COO, EXO Travel