Claim OwnershipOffloaded - The Travel Industry Podcast
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© 2025 Offloaded - The Travel Industry Podcast
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Richard Taylor and Ann-Catherine Jones discuss the ever-evolving Australian travel industry with a diverse range of guests.
35 Episodes
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Angus “Gus” Pitkethley of Rosewood Hong Kong joins us for this episode — and fair warning: if you weren’t already thinking about a trip to Hong Kong, you will be after this one. Rosewood Hong Kong has just been named the No. 1 Hotel in the World (a coincidence after featuring this year on Offloaded Podcast? We think not!) , and Gus takes us behind the scenes of what it really takes to reach — and stay at — the top. From its “vertical estate” approach to design and art-led storytelling, ...
Malik Fernando of Resplendent Ceylon is our guest for this episode. And a word of warning before we continue...you're going to want to visit Sri Lanka after this one. This short video will paint the picture of what's discussed in this episode. Malik's father, Merrill J. Fernando, founded Dilmah Tea in the 1980s after realizing the need for a Sri Lankan-owned brand that celebrated single-origin Ceylon tea. Starting in Australia with Kamahl singing the jingles, Dilmah became a household n...
Nicole O’Sullivan is redefining how travel professionals sell. With over two decades in the industry that includes six years in the US, she has a sharp eye for what works and what doesn't. Nicole's unique offering to the industry begins with 'mystery calling', during which she assesses how wholesalers, tour operators and agents are communicating with agents, clients and each other. Could we all improve? You bet we can. In this terrific chat that’s brilliant for - well, every...
Club Med's Michelle Davies has a new and quite lengthy title of General Manager - Pacific & New Emerging ESAP Markets. Hired in June 2020 as Marketing Manager, Michelle later took on the General Manager role with a mission to lead Club Med's Australian office out of the pandemic and into the unchartered territory of a new industry landscape. This episode is a story of navigating new challenges and getting the very best from a dynamic team, whose collective efforts led to the brand p...
David "Dave-o" Kolner, Virtuoso's Executive Vice President, joins Offloaded to offer what AC describes as a health check for the luxury travel industry. "I want to be so much more than just the data guy", says Dave-o. And he is. He most certainly is. In this episode you'll learn about the trends that Virtuoso are currently seeing through the unparalleled sales data that the global luxury behemoth has unique access to. Richard and AC uncover why cool destinations are hot, why...
As the child of a father who was a founder of the US Tour Operators Association, it would come as no surprise for Matthew Upchurch to enter the travel industry and become one of it's iconic leaders. The founder of Virtuoso in the 1980's, as CEO Matthew has overseen the company become the leading global network of agencies specialising in luxury and experiential travel. Today Virtuoso comprises of more than 20,000 advisors across 58 countries who between them transact in the region of $5...
80.5 That's the number of years experience of selling cruises on today's episode, as we invited the icons that are Robyn Sinfield and Megan Caterall into The Room Residence in Sydney, which is a brand new space recently opened by Room Res that Co-Founders James Mooring and Nic Bryant were on hand to explain the space to us. With an eye towards helping both new and existing travel advisors sell cruise more effectively, it was the perhaps the words of Robyn that captured the interview - "it...
Melanie Whyte is a single parent with two special needs children who also happens to be one of Australia's most successful and highly decorated home-based travel advisors. In this episode Mel joins Richard and AC to share her story of how helping with the travel arrangements for parents adopting children overseas and those of 'neurospicy' families (her words) became the bedrock of her fledgling business. "It's not that hard", she says. We say that if you keep a list of peop...
Its 2025, and Richard and AC are back with a special episode to get you through those long Summer days. AC was asked to host a highly esteemed and very international discussion panel at the recent Goldman Travel Group Conference, and we have exclusive access to the audio right here for you! Following the panel, AC and Richard about the proliferation of travel industry events. All 5,627 of them. The panel features: - François Delahaye, COO of Dorchester Collection and GM of Pla...
In this episode we present part two of a live session from ATIA's 'Beyond Borders' summit held at the ICC in Sydney. This session covers the second part of the discussion around ATIA's 'A30' announcements, where ATIA CEO Dean Long speaks to several more of the association's directors. This time he's joined by David Hosking, Peter Muller, Rohan Moss, Katrina Barry and David Smith. The session is introduced by Roslyn Ranse, Founder of Travel Agent Achievers and who has a podcast of the very s...
In this special episode we present a live session from ATIA's 'Beyond Borders' summit held at the ICC in Sydney. In the first release from Beyond Borders (BB), this session covers the first hour of and specifically the key areas of focus that will lead the industry towards 2030. The project is called A30, and you'll hear from ATIA CEO Dean Long, Chair Christian Hunter, Vice Chairs Skroo Turner and Danielle Russom, and Director Brett Mitchell. The group outlined future-focused announc...
Offloaded is back for Season Three! To kick things off, Richard and AC are joined by possibly the most senior industry leader to appear on Offloaded thus far in the shape of James Kavanagh, Flight Centre Travel Group’s Global CEO of Leisure. We begin by covering leadership, change and the importance of having mentors and good people around you, before moving onto two of FCTG’s longer-term strategies of growth into luxury travel and forming new partnership options for independent agents ...
The final episode of Series 2 broke the mould before we change things up again for Series 3 that's coming in September. Erina Pindar, COO and Managing Partner of SmartFlyer, became our first international guest, our first live in-person podcast held at a luxury hotel, and the first guest who hijacked our Offloaded section with an Offload of her very own. Erina joined SmartFlyer when there were just 6 travel advisors connected to the brand. Celebrating it's 10th anniversay in 2025, ...
Andrew Young is the General Manager Sales for TTC Tour Brands Oceania, and the only person we know that performs a demanding industry role while living and helping out as the only son on a working farm. That topic is worthy of a podcast all by itself, but the reason for asking Andy to join us on this occasion was to talk about travel industry sales. We were also joined by Karen Macmillan, Director Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific for Hong Kong Tourism Board. A sales 'nerd', as h...
"Get the country open". These were the suggestions from the Fijiian Prime Minister, Attorney General and Chair of Tourism Fiji to Brent Hill , the new CEO who had taken up the role at a time when the island was closed for visitation. AC and Richard quizzed Brent about this interesting life and career choice, before moving on to discussing Fiji's unique charms, character and challenges that make it a favourite for Australian travellers. ___________ Our series sponsor is Numinous ...
A packed episode that includes AC howling at the moon. Parris Fotias, Regional Sales Director APAC for Dorchester Collection was our guest for this episode, interviewed by AC and stand-in presenter Sonia Jones. Our interviewers were very excited to get a hotelier onto the podcast in Richard’s absence, and immediately set about discussing some of the reasons why advisor relationships with properties can make so much difference for their travellers, both in planning the perfect itin...
Part TWO! Listen to part one first! Michael Gazal and Tania Myles of TravelManagers Australia return for Part Two of a 2024 travel industry take on the famous book 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen R. Covey. Working daily with a network of 450+ travel advisors (or in their terminology Personal Travel Managers), Michael and Tania are brilliantly positioned to talk about the common qualities they're seeing in advisors that are successfully navigating the current landscape. ...
Michael Gazal and Tania Myles of TravelManagers Australia were our guests this week to discuss a 2024 travel industry take on the famous book 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen R. Covey. Working daily with a network of 450+ travel advisors (or in their terminology Personal Travel Managers), Michael and Tania are brilliantly positioned to talk about the common qualities they're seeing in advisors that are successfully navigating the current landscape. But what does ...
With AC away, Richard was joined by Nicola Strudwick to interview Isabel Limn, Key Partnerships Manager for Intrepid. Issy (she insists you call her this because it’s ‘Issy to remember’ – her gag not ours) is the most recent arrival to the industry among Offloaded guests thus far, having begun her journey in 2016. This is an episode that’s a break from the norm, and one that aims to scratch the surface of the mindset of our forthcoming generations of employees, leaders and indeed ...
From Contiki tour guide to General Manager of the Luxury Travel Collection Member Portfolio, Nikki Glading has had quite the travel industry career. In a frank and introspective interview, Nikki talks about her leadership journey that has included healthy doses of vulnerability, honesty and self-awareness along the way. Now in what she calls her “dream job”, Nikki is perhaps uniquely qualified to bring high-performing luxury and boutique travel agencies into an ecosystem that focuses on...
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