NEWS THE INTERVIEW


Brett Tollman with, from left, Beatrice Tollman, Toni Tollman and Vicki Tollman


– they all got rid of their teams,” he says. “But we are trying to protect positions, so we are looking country by country and brand by brand. We may consider a three-day working week for some, with a commitment that once this is over we’ll look to make it up to them at some point.” He says he received tearful cheers


of gratitude when telling some staff of his possible plans, adding: “We’ve told them the family will do our utmost and our best by every one of them and we stand by that. “Every business is faced with


tough decisions right now. We have enough reserves to last the next year but we are optimistic this will pass sooner rather than later. A vaccination will be found and it will give people peace of mind. But there will still be a terrible period of uncertainty before that: the darkness before the dawn.”


Anticipating changes Tollman believes humanity will emerge from the crisis more grateful and appreciative than before, and that this will play into travel’s hands. “We’ve lost all these freedoms – things like buying toilet paper, steak,


travelweekly.co.uk


There will be scars and changes to society, but we have to try and keep some semblance of continuity in our lives. The show must go on


fresh vegetables and medicines – and you can’t call up your travel agent and say ‘I want to go to Tahiti’,” he says. “We usually take these things for granted, but [after the crisis] people will become more appreciative and take a different approach to travel.” His sister Vicki Tollman, a


director of Red Carnation Hotels, believes the recovery will not come in one wave. “The societal fallout of this crisis will be fascinating,” she says. “The dependent, infirm and older


people with health worries – what is their recovery phase? We assume Contiki’s younger customers will be more resilient than the more mature customers who travel with Uniworld, Trafalgar and Insight, for example.” But until then, Tollman and his


family are pressing on, doing what they can to preserve the business that


has lasted into a fourth generation. Programmes for 2021 for Insight


Vacations, Trafalgar, Costsaver, Luxury Gold and Uniworld are on sale and the family is forging ahead with plans to tell stories of its 100 years, to inspire customers for when the time is right to travel again.


Engaging customers Tollman says: “We are keeping our past guests engaged by telling them stories through monthly centenary videos and sending them emails asking them to share photos of their past travels. This generates positive endorphins. People will remember those times and want to go again.” The January video talks about


how the company is driven by service, a principle first applied by Tollman’s grandfather, who said if you


take care of two guests, they will tell people and those guests will become four, and if you take care of them, they will become eight and so on. The second video, released on


Valentine’s Day, talks about how his parents first met 66 years ago and how they built the core of the business together. The March video focused on the women of The Travel Corporation. Over 50% of the leadership and property teams are women, inspired by Tollman’s grandmother Evelyn and mother Bea. This month’s centenary video


will feature the company’s Treadright Foundation and all The Travel Corporation does to sustain the destinations and communities it takes guests to. And as if that were not enough, The Travel Corporation’s new website has just gone live. Tollman remains confident and


forward-looking. “This crisis is going to be over and people are going to return to the lives they had before,” he says. “There will be scars and changes to society, but we have got to try and keep some semblance of reality and continuity in our lives. The show must go on.”


9 APRIL 2020 13


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34