Susan Le Roux is the Business Development Manager for Uniworld across NSW, ACT and SA. Susan enjoys working with The Travel Corporation because of their deep commitment to Treadright and to Make Travel Matter.
“Uniworld offers a Make Travel Matter experience on almost every single itinerary which makes me proud.”
Find out what else they had to say in this week’s Talking Cruise .
What does your job involve?
My job is all about spreading my passion for Uniworld throughout the NSW, the ACT and South Australia travel community. I work alongside travel agents to build their businesses and I’m mostly on the road visiting agents to bring the Uniworld difference to life and to enable agents to match the right client to the right cruise and convert their enquiry into bookings.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
Like most people who live and breathe travel, I invest all my spare time and all my money into my own travel experiences and I love that I can help people make their own investments into travel that pays the highest dividends!
Because I can speak from the heart and with passion each day about Uniworld as a travel company that truly delivers on it’s promises, it makes our role just so enjoyable. Everyone I speak to who has done a Uniworld loves it and believes in it. That is the best part of my job.
Why do you think the travel industry is the best place to work?
The people! Being surrounded by like-minded, passionate people who are motivated and driven to make sure their clients have the best possible holidays – this is something unique to our industry and I haven’t seen passion like it. Also, the camaraderie of the cruise industry is something truly special. I observed all the cruise lines execs, cruise sales teams and cruise travel agents come together at CLIA Cruise360 in Brisbane this year which cemented for me that this is just the best of the best industries to be part of. Everyone is motivated to deliver and to work alongside each other. It’s wonderful to see.
What are the biggest challenges for you in your profession?
Having a teenage son and being away from home regularly can make life tricky but I am really enjoying being on the road – it’s amazing how organised you can be when you need to be.
Being new to cruise, it’s true to say our Trade Partners currently know more than me! I am inspired by their expertise and passion for knowledge, and I am filling in my knowledge-gap by learning from them and asking as many questions as I can. I will experience my first Uniworld in the new year and can’t wait to see our ships in real life.
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
Recruitment and attracting the up and coming talent into our industry. Many of my travel agent friends tell me they are looking for staff and I think the travel industry needs some PR to make it appealing to young people – we know it’s the best place to be, but how do we share that down the line?
What do you think will be the biggest game changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months?
The rise of ChatGPT travel research. While travel advertising is focused on search optimisation in Google and the rise of Facebook adverts, it is the long form editorial and media articles that will appear in the AI search responses so we need to be on top of that. Guests are definitely using ChatGPT which makes me laugh – but it’s a trend we need to be on top of for sure.
What destination/travel trend do you think is the next big thing?
Egypt and the Nile is a huge trend we are seeing at Uniworld and I can understand why. Travelling with a professional Egyptologist makes all the difference in bringing the history of Egypt to life. I also think India is back in fashion and our Ganges itineraries are trending.
What are your thoughts on responsible travel and how do you try to implement this in your workplace?
One of the key things that attracted me to work at The Travel Corporation is their deep commitment to Treadright and to Make Travel Matter. Uniworld offers a Make Travel Matter experience on almost every single itinerary which makes me proud.
Who inspires you most and why?
My mum. She is inspirational.
Also the women of Reims in Champagne. I have spent years researching and studying the female influence on the Champagne industry in France. Women have quietly supported and rallied and connected their industry, through World Wars, through mergers and takeovers, always looking out for the families of the region. What a difference they made!
What is your must-pack travel item(s)?
I always pack a bottle of Murchison-Hume’s Garment Groom – a natural safe fabric refresh spray and a travel steamer.
Who would you invite on your next holiday if you could choose anyone and where would you go?
Definitely will be Burgundy & Provence river cruise and I will take my 16 year old son and my mum. We all speak French and I can’t wait to soak up the culture there, again.
