When I founded Exclusive Destinations in 1996, my intention was to bridge the time gap and offer our clients a local resource for their global sourcing needs. Our International DMC partners were thousands of miles away, operating in various time zones, and we brought their voice to the conversation.
The digital revolution has certainly transformed our business, but personalization is still at the core of our strategy. Equipped with destination updates and those once-in-a-lifetime custom experiences, there is always a seat at the table even for the smallest of companies vying to do business with the biggest brands.
I realized early on that this was an incredibly welcoming community. And if you spend your entire career in travel, you may see your clients and quite possibly your competitors, become your colleagues. It’s a true testament to the industry which supports ongoing education & professional development where career mobility is commonplace. I’ve gained valuable insight and great fortitude from serving with SITE, MPI and similar organizations which fuel my passion for CSR. The industry has enthusiastically offered me a platform to exercise this passion in meaningful ways.
In the last decade, I’ve recognized the industry’s growing trend toward collaboration and am personally a big fan of the synergistic approach. I’ve spent my career partnering with specialists and learning from experts who elevate my game. Most recently, we joined forces with CSI DMC, a domestic DMC company, to support our client’s growing need for seamless sourcing.
I consider it a privilege to work in an industry where the partnership mentality vs vendor/client hierarchy is at the forefront of business relationships. Anyone will tell you that in this business, we eat, sleep and breathe every aspect of the travel industry. No task is too tall, no request is unrealistic. There’s a sort of fellowship that naturally develops in such an intense workplace environment. Once you’ve traversed the world and back, often literally and always figuratively, there’s a tremendous sense of personal and professional accomplishment.
Thank you to the U.S. Travel Association for recognizing the “faces of travel” during National Travel and Tourism Week, May 7-13, 2017.