Taste
Masters to Watch: Rob van Helvoort
Hospitality. Together with Gido van den Brand, I started Travel Legends in 2019, building on my expertise in traveling to the Middle East, which I had built up since I studied Tourism. That was just before the corona outbreak. We made good use of that time by building our own online environment, without that […]
Hospitality
“Together with Gido van den Brand, I started Travel Legends in 2019, building on my expertise in traveling to the Middle East, which I had built up since I studied Tourism. That was just before the corona outbreak. We made good use of that time by building our own online environment, without sacrificing the personal approach. In fact, because everything is so well digitized, the people who work here actually have more time to work with our customers. Our app works really well. It contains all the confirmations, from restaurant reservations to airline tickets, and also an extensive program of things that are worth doing on the spot. If you book with a regular agency, you won't hear anything until the day you fly. We keep in touch in between with all kinds of inspiring messages. For example, we share local recipes and playlists per destination, so that you already get in the mood. We go beyond providing good service: we anticipate needs, add personal touches, prevent problems. Service is an expectation, hospitality makes you unforgettable. And the latter we strive for.”
Total picture
“We started expanding our range in good time. The Middle East is of course an explosive region, so diversification was desirable. In the beginning, Jordan and Israel were our biggest destinations – those countries are now a ‘no go’. Although Oman, Qatar, Egypt and the Emirates are still very popular. By far the number one destination last year and this year is Japan. What sets us apart from other tour operators? Anyone can book a five-star hotel, but we are all about a five-star experience. Many traditional travel companies are mainly concerned with the accommodation, but we don’t think that’s enough: we look at the bigger picture. We know the places we send our customers to. Everyone who works here goes on the road several times a year. We have experienced the hotels, restaurants and activities ourselves. Booking a safari in Sri Lanka? You can really go wrong there, we know from experience: in some parks there are traffic jams. The same applies to Tanzania: we know exactly when you need to go, so you avoid exploring the Ngorongoro crater with dozens of Jeeps at the same time. Many travel companies have a a sales and product manager. With us, everybody product manager, because everyone needs to know what they are talking about. We also have a lot of direct contacts and can rely on a wide network. In Japan, we even have a pool of Dutch-speaking guides. Many other tour operators work with local intermediaries, actually buying the trip from a local travel agency. We have removed those links and have everything in our own hands. That works much faster, more efficiently, easier.”
Swimming with orcas
“The trends we observe: multi-generation travel, one more trip with the whole family to experience something cool. People are also going on longer trips. They don't hop from one location to another, but want to stay in one place for five days. We've noticed that it's getting crazier. For example, swimming with orcas or visiting the Vatican after closing time. We recently arranged a private visit to the pyramids of Giza for a client, at five in the morning so that he could experience the sunrise there. That cost around 8.000 euros, but people are willing to pay for it. There also seems to be an increasing interest in theme trips. We are organizing a culinary trip with Soenil Bahadoer, the chef of two-star restaurant De Lindehof. That was fully booked in three days. And with Noël Vanwittenbergh, the sommelier of two-star restaurant Ciel Bleu, we have planned a wine trip to Piedmont. People are always looking for that extra step. Especially if you have a nice budget, then you simply don't want to do the same round as your neighbor. Trends are already announcing themselves in fashion and lifestyle. Montenegro is very hip at the moment. But if you look in magazines and other publications, you will see it everywhere. What was my own most beautiful travel experience? That is easy: Botswana. It is so untouched in terms of nature. That entire country is just one national park! We did not see a single village for seven days, we were only in the middle of nature with elephants, hippos, lions... And when we went on a walking safari with our guide, we came across a pack of wild dogs. Super cool! And from Botswana we also visited Cape Town, one of the coolest cities in the world. I also really liked Japan. It is such a different world, so far removed from our culture. Just like in Botswana, you are completely away from your own world there. I want to share those experiences with our customers, and that is where the entrepreneur in me comes in. This year we were at MASTERS EXPO for the first time. We had invited a lot of people every day, a lot of regular contacts. They thought it was a party. But we also welcomed many new faces. It was a really successful event. We will be there again next year!”
