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“Travel is all about connections,” says Virgin Voyages business development executive Layla Davies, who instantly sounds wiser than her 30 years suggests.
A chance conversation with a friend’s aunt – Vicky Hart-Edwards – diverted Davies from the path she was on and made the then-aspiring hairdresser start thinking about joining the travel industry.
“I actually went to college to do something completely unrelated – hairdressing,” she recalls. “It was the practical side of hairdressing I wasn’t sure about. I decided to take a leap of faith and join the travel industry.”
Following her chat, Hart-Edwards handed Davies her first job in travel when she was 18. “I realised quite quickly hairdressing was not for me,” she adds. “I did not know anything about the travel industry and how close knit it was but I could see Vicky’s love for travel.”
Davies joined The Global Travel Group’s bedbanks brand Triton Rooms, where Hart-Edwards also worked, before moving to Aviate, and then Virgin Atlantic Flightstore and then Virgin Voyages’ package distribution platform, Voyage Store.
“Every company I’ve worked for is solely agent focused,” says a smiling Davies, who has worked for Virgin Voyages since October 2021. “I absolutely love working with agents – and hearing how enthusiastic they are about growing their business.”
It’s no surprise therefore when Davies says she’s had “great success” developing new accounts, growing one agency’s Virgin Voyages sales by 765% in its first year of working with the line.
“As a business development executive, we work closely with new accounts looking to grow their Virgin Voyages business,” she adds. “I think it’s so important to build relationships with people in order for everyone to succeed.”
Davies has an eye-catching travel CV which starts in 2015. When I ask what’s her biggest career achievement is to date, Davies’s response catches me slightly off guard.
“Being selected as one of TTG’s 30 Under 30 is a huge milestone for me,” she stresses. “It feels great to be recognised within the industry and to be part of such an inspiring group.”
It’s Davies’s willingness to learn from others which really makes her stand out. I’m keen to know what’s been her biggest travel project – so far. Given her experience, it could have happened at any one of her four workplaces.
“Planning and executing Virgin Voyages’ ’Bring On’ experiential incentives programme for three consecutive years,” Davies says.
The programme which has helped Davies develop her event planning skills incentivises agents to book Virgin Voyages. “The programme has resulted in significant boost in both engagement and sales,” she insists.
Davies admits she did have one massive misconception about the travel industry before starting at Global. “I probably thought the industry was just high street travel agencies – but there are endless companies and opportunities,” she adds.
She also had misgivings about the cruise industry before joining Virgin Voyages. “Because I had never cruised before, I did have misconceptions – I thought that everyone was old,” she says.
“However, I’ve always loved the Virgin brand – I found it intriguing. Cruise was always something that I wanted to try.”
So, what would Davies say to a younger colleague coming into travel for the first time?
“My advice would be to just absorb as much information as possible,” insists Davies. “I learn something new every day – some of my colleagues have been in the industry for a long, long time.
“I’ve recently picked up on how different people learn. Remember, I have to be really direct when telling agents about our products at trade shows. They need to be engaged. Learning is a key focus within the industry.”
