Travel Weekly Logo
RSS feed
SETTING THE AGENDA FOR TRAVEL
News
Your View
Travel Academy
Supplements
Subscriptions
Salary and Job Satisfaction Survey
Travel Pursuit
Australian Travel Awards
Top 100
Jobs
Links
Gallery
 
News 8/11/2006   

Prior winner branches out

 
Past winner branches out

Receiving the accolade for the 2001 Avis Travel Agent Scholarship of Excellence was just the motivation Gary Seignior needed to buy his own agency.

Having worked for Reho Travel in South Yarra for 12 years, Seignior, 38, bought Jetset Malvern in Victoria in 2004, three years after winning the Avis Scholarship.

He said the confidence he gained from presenting to the Avis Travel Agents Advisory Board, and the subsequent kudos of winning the award, led him to branch out on his own.

“To be given the nod from the board, which was made up of well-respected industry people, obviously meant I was doing something right,” Seignior told Travel Weekly.

“The scholarship also meant I trusted my own judgement and my clients backed me by saying I had done a great job.”

Having secured a bank loan, Seignior paid $90,000 for the agency in Malvern, and hired a team of six staff. From an original turnover of $2.6 million, last year’s sales rose to $4.9 million, with this year’s projections standing at $5.7 million.

“It’s been a tremendous move for me, the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said.

8 November 2006


More News

Jetset forecasts 35 per cent profit increase
The Jetset Travelworld group is forecasting a full-year profit increase of approximately 35 per cent over last year. more

Agents told to get web savvy
We’re taking shorter holidays more often and we’re “enthusiastically embracing the internet” to plan for our holidays, according to a study from research company ACNielsen. more

CWT snaps up TQ3Navigant for USD510m
Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has bought TQ3Navigant (Navigant) in a USD510 million deal it claims will see it become the number one travel management company outside of North America. more

TSAX agents find Travelkey to success
Travelscene American Express agents say the Travelkey rewards scheme, launched earlier this year to AMEX card members, is attracting more customers to their agencies. more

First Choice buys US operators
UK travel giant First Choice has strengthened its global presence with four acquisitions in the educational group travel sector in North America for GBP16 million ($37.6 million). more

Growth plan for HWT UK
The UK arm of Harvey World Travel has set its sights on becoming the fifth major travel agency chain in the UK with 300 shops and a GBP1 million technology deal. more

Lacaze the new boss at HWT
Transonic managing director Peter Lacaze looks set to become the boss at Harvey World Travel under the terms of a merger agreement signed between his company and S8. more

Resort spa incentive from Explore
Explore Holidays is offering travel consultants the opportunity to ‘earn’ up to five nights in Hua Hin Resort and Spa accommodation as part of a new sales incentive centred on two land-only packages. more

Turner gives up executive chairman role
Flight Centre Limited founder Graham Turner is relinquishing his executive chairman role in order to focus on his managing director duties. more

Contact us | Advertiser info | Archive articles | Press release submission | Events | Disclaimer | About Us | Privacy Policy