An industry professional finds that airlines often pilot the travel package.

She is well-known in the local airline fraternity as a committed representative of several blue-chip airlines, each from a different part of the world:- US Airways from North America, bmi – formerly known as British Midland – from Great Britain, Air New Zealand from the Pacific region and, until recently, Shanghai Airlines from China.

She attends all relevant events of the aviation fraternity, and is both liked and respected as an experienced airline General Sales Agent. But few people know that Vivian Ku actually comes from the hospitality industry, and that the company she works for, Discover The World Marketing, is a global travel and marketing representation company with a client-list that includes hotels, airlines, car-rental companies and cruise lines.

“For someone who has worked in the hotel industry for most of my life, the airline business has many similarities, yet is totally different from my previous work!” she says in her usual amiable manner. This candid comparison naturally called for explanation.

“Well, the airline industry is a high-tech, mobile and fast-paced business where you lose the chance to sell a seat the moment an aircraft takes off. Fuel costs and political changes anywhere in the world can also affect your business. The hotel industry is more settled, and the major expense is in maintenance. However, both industries have many similarities. Both are travel-related, and both need good staff. Both are also service industries where the customer comes first. I believe that it does not matter whether you are serving a passenger or room-guest – customer satisfaction must be the first priority.”

Customer First

Well-known in local travel circles for her unassuming demeanour, this pleasant and approachable airline manager is quick to downplay her professional stature.

“I am still learning! Discover The World Marketing has very good companies in our portfolio, and I really enjoy working with them – there is so much to learn, and they provide so much opportunity to grow.”

Her enthusiasm for her job and her commitment to both her clients are obvious, and it is easy to understand why this gregarious lady lists ‘travel’ as one of her favourite pastimes. She also confesses to indulging in “good spas and good cuisine” from time to time, but the conversation nevertheless returns consistently to her travel-industry work. And whenever any aspect of the travel-industry is mentioned, her strong credo keeps surfacing.

Anyone dealing with Vivian Ku will be reassured to know that in all her work, her priority is consistent and clear: “The customer always comes first.”

It is a stance that fits well with her corporate employer. Discover The World Marketing (DTWM) offers a wide array of services for its clients, including Sales Representation, Marketing Services, Online Marketing, Business Process Outsourcing, Financial Protection & Risk Management, and Strategic Marketing Alliances.

Translating and building brand-recognition globally is a real challenge. Discover The World Marketing helps its clients to position products and services across languages, cultures, demographics and customs ensuring brand integrity is never compromised, but strengthened through its network of 84 offices in 60 countries.

In Malaysia, the company is well-established and has a solid track-record for service, operating from offices at the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s Central Business District.

The premium-branded clients in her portfolio include Hertz Car Rentals, Hyatt Hotel Corporation, WORLDHOTELS and Harrah’s Entertainment hotel properties.

Driving Travel Packages

With a comprehensive array of internationally-recognised brands in airlines, car-rental, cruises, hotels and even destinations in the company’s ambit, her daily job covers the whole gamut of international travel.

“Discover The World Marketing is one of the few companies in the world that can offer our clients a holistic service, with products that meet almost all their travel-needs!” Vivian Ku avers. “No matter why people travel – for business, leisure or personal reasons – I am providing the complete travel package. You could say that we are the most effective One-Stop Travel Solution-Provider around!”

With the ‘big picture’ of worldwide travel as her daily paradigm, this industry professional finds that airlines often pilot the travel package.

“Yes, it is true that in this millennium, airlines are the major players in international travel. Travel choices by both land and sea are still important, but only airlines provide the backbone of global travel”, says Vivian Ku, proceeding to explain that “It is the airlines that move large numbers of people over medium and long distances, and in many places, even domestic travel is largely dependent on airlines! When you fit all the pieces of the modern travel business together, you will find that the most important niche is aviation.”

An astute observation from an objective professional and encouraging words for an industry which is just recovering from a series of global challenges. But specifically, Vivian Ku’s accurate conclusion is a strong endorsement for US Airways, bmi, Air New Zealand and other aviation-related clients of Discover The World Marketing!