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SCOTLAND’S TOP AGENCY
Managing director Shona Thorne is not one to let an opportunity slip through her fingers. So, when employee Candice resigned from her role as a travel advisor at Thorne Travel to go and work at a special needs school, Shona enlisted her help to become the agency’s ambassador in the school, which caters for children and adults. “Candice now works for us on an ad hoc basis,” explains Shona. “She brings the parents in and works as a consultant on the booking. She also knows sign language so she has helped at consultations for customers in the local deaf community.” Through this entrepreneurial partnership, Thorne Travel has helped dozens of clients with accessible needs to go on holiday, even arranging for adjustable beds and medical care where needed. Another enterprising masterstroke has seen Thorne Travel recruit hand-picked clients as ambassadors, inviting them to informally share their travel experiences during “tipsy teas” hosted in the agency. The ambassadors can choose their own rewards, from money off future bookings to cases of wine.
Keen not to put all the agency’s eggs in the Facebook basket, the team have been experimenting with different social platforms, including Pinterest and WhatsApp. Sharing more unique video content has also been a business priority. A former BBC editor has made bespoke versions of supplier videos for the agency, while advisors have also been trained in film and editing – skills they use to make videos during their own travels that can be shared with customers. But Thorne Travel hasn’t lost faith in traditional marketing – working with Royal Mail, the agency rolled out a successful postcard campaign last year, targeting households in key postcode areas of potential customers. And the agency’s recent examples of going the extra mile include coming to the aid of some cruise clients with missing luggage. The team helped the clients gain early access to the ship’s boutiques and secured crew rates for their purchases. The luggage – which never made it out of Glasgow airport – was safely retrieved and stored by the Thorne Travel team member who then met the clients at the airport to reunite them with their belongings.
