Nina Nizar - Sales & Marketing Manager, Sun Travels & Tours


Maldives
Interviews
Nina Nizar - Sales & Marketing Manager, Sun Travels & Tours
PUBLISHED March 01, 2019

From the wonder years as a receptionist to the loftiest heights of hospitality, Nina, a strong woman with an evident passion for the Maldives tourism industry shares the secret behind her on-going and ever-burgeoning success.

Tell us about your “journey to Sun Travels & Tours” how did it all begin?

I began my first job as a receptionist at the age of eighteen at Bandos Island Resort. I was inspired and drawn interest towards the tourism industry through my father, who worked at several resorts during the 80’s, and my sister Nazneen, who was a student at the hotel school at that time.

I have always been a people oriented and extremely sociable person, and loved interacting and networking, which unfortunately was not something quite acceptable from a Maldivian woman back in the 90s, especially been employed at a resort. Even my parents were very conservative and were not happy about the idea of me working at a resort.

Nonetheless, I pursued my dreams and soon found myself promoted as a Crew Coordinator, where my interest for the marketing aspect of the industry was born. This allowed me even more scope of networking globally, while the travel opportunities this afforded were an additional and welcome bonus, spearing my interest in seeing the wonders and diversity of the world.

My 7 years at Bandos Island Resort was where my foundations in the industry were laid and upon which I have built myself over the years until now.

Subsequently I decided to change my postures, yearning for further growth and experience, and thus joined White Sands Resort, where I commenced my second job, as a Front Office Supervisor. I received so many opportunities and was promoted as the Assistant Activity Manager. My job was to develop, organize and manage daily actives for the in-house guests, including all excursions to entertainment provided.

 After 3 years at White Sands, I made the decision to leave the Maldives to work abroad for an international hotel chain. My prime goal at the time was to be in a managerial position before I attained the age of 30, which I had accomplished at White Sands Resort.

I began searching for an overseas job and applied for the position of a Guest Relations Officer at LeMéridien, Dubai. I was selected and immediately accepted the position, though the wages was much lower in comparison to what I earned at the White Sands Resort, I accepted the offer as I craved the experience at an international hotel chain. I worked for an year in Dubai and during that time came to the realization that it wasn’t the place for me. I returned to the Maldives determined to join and contribute towards the local industry which had given me so much.

I was recommended by a friend for a vacant position at Sun Travels and Tours in the Sales and Marketing division. Though I did not have a background in sales, I think it was my personality and drive that convinced the then Director of Sales and Marketing at Sun Travels, Ms. Diana Dowling to take me in. Two years later, I found myself promoted as the Sales and Marketing Manager. While I am now in my twelfth year with Sun Travels, my scope of responsibility now entails the entire management of the DMC operation, to include Sales and marketing administration and overseas promotion and growth. I have 5 staff who assist me in my day to day activities and role. If you ask me if I enjoy my work, I would still say I am still as excited as my first day at Sun Travels and love every minute of it! 

From where do you draw your inspiration in the tourism industry?

I am mainly inspired by my love for the service industry as well as certain key people who have played a part throughout my career progress, who have guided me and shown me the best practices of the industry.

Is there a luxury travel trend you think will be particularly surprising in the coming five years?

Yes! There could be more than a few things that might trend in the coming 5 years; luxury yachts and marinas which are very popular in places like Monaco. Also time share sales (sales of private villas, bungalows and retreats), where the super- rich can even bring their Super luxury yachts and moor them in front of their own private bungalows /villas. There may be many others that may come in with the maturation of the global service industry.

Sun Siyam Resort Collection launched its fourth property, “Sun Aqua Iru Veli Resort” in December 2018, one of the notable feature been a five-star premium all-inclusive resort, could you tell us more about it?

There are many five-star and five-star all-inclusive resorts in the Maldives. However, Sun Aqua Iru Veli Resort will be one of the few, if not the only, to offer their guests a premium all-inclusive experience which will offer them everything they need during their stay. It will include a variety of dining experiences and plethora of premium beverages for their selection, shisha experience and a wide selection of top of the range wines and champagnes from the exclusive cellar. It will also include diving, excursions and bespoke spa treatments within the stay package, which are usually not included in most of the all-inclusive packages among the Maldivian resorts. In short, everything being included will get them a cashless and seamless experience during their stay.

In a fiercely competitive market, how do you plan remaining at the forefront of the destination management game?

Being in the service industry, impeccable service is key in whatever we do at Sun Travels, which by itself is the basic and major edge in staying ahead of the game. Every client is afforded the curtsy of a reply within 12 hour at the maximum.

Speaking of the company itself, established in 1990, we have 29 years of expertise in the Maldivian tourism industry, which has gained us a wealth of trust and loyalty with our customers. Further, we are perceived as a financially stable and reliable company of the industry, which by itself is a great strength.

We have also made some exceptional gestures, in the interest of going the extra mile in welcoming our clients and ensuring they are happy with our services. We give out a customized arrival card to each customer that books a holiday with us, upon arrival, offering them our personal welcome, something most travel agents do not practice in the Maldives. The arrival card includes their name and a small thank you note for choosing us as their preferred partner in the Maldives. We also follow-up with our customers to see if they were satisfied with our services and if there are any areas that we could improve to give a better service in the future.

We have also been working with resorts to give away Sun Travels branded amenities (such as cookies, personalized cards) for our customers, with compliments of Sun Travels. These small things matter very much when it comes to a competitive market, and we are very happy that the resorts have been supporting us in our efforts of reaching the pinnacle of service.

How would you describe the current status of the Maldivian tourism sector and what changes are you anticipating for the future?

It is very blurry, especially with the amount of new resorts opening up and by 2020, whereby the number of resorts across the Maldives will double from 150 to 300, thereby increasing the beds on offer considerably. At this point in time, it is very uncertain how we will sustain Maldives as a premium holiday destination with the influx of such capacity. As a travel agent, this is something very concerning.

Today, the majority of the Maldives resorts are members of International chains of properties, and there are hardly any new four-star properties opening up. With the majority being of a higher category, it becomes rather difficult to sell to middle and lower end travelers. We have to thus be very selective on how and what we promote from our end, ensuring we still offer value for money to the client.

“If you ask me if I enjoy my work, I would still say I am still as excited as my first day at Sun Travels and love every minute of it!”

OTAs have become an inseparable part of travel with permanent bonding with the hotel industry. How has the increased usage of OTAs impacted the local travel agents and tour operators?

Someone told me five years ago that local DMCs and travel agents would be pushed out of business with the strengthening of OTAs, who use their strengths of lower cost, service 24/7 and global reach to gather in larger numbers. Hotels too are very keen to work with them and sometimes even offer better rates through the OTAs. This has of course resulted in periodical clashes with local travel agents. Nonetheless, we have still managed to maintain great relationships with the OTA and have even levered them in promoting our resorts. We are exploring ways that we can lever the strengths of the OTAs in the future. I think we still need policies to protect local travel agents and DMCs, which needs to be implemented and enforced at government level. I believe a similar methodology is practiced in Sri Lanka. Though there has been no major breakthrough, NGOs like MATATO has been doing a lot of work on various platforms to address this and protect the local travel agent’s industry.

You have been an Executive Board Member of Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) since 2016 and have been re-elected for a second term in December 2018. What “key contributions” have you made at MATATO?

This is something that I am very proud and passionate about, especially for having been elected as the first female Board Member of MATATO.

Sun Travels has always been a key contributor of MATATO. We have hosted two Gala Awards and sponsored several publications of MATATO, both by Sun Travels and Sun Siyam Resorts. MATATO has always appreciated our support and has always reached out to me for my opinion during many occasions.

We initiated programs for MATATO on women empowerment with the support of “Women on Board”, an NGO working for women’s development and empowerment in the Maldives.

Furthermore, I believe we have to encourage fresh blood within the board of MATATO as well as its membership, thus ensuring we have fresh ideas and vigor in pushing the best agendas to benefit the local industry. Thus, in ensuring new membership, I have already proposed an amendment to the constitution to limit the term of a board member to a maximum of 2 terms, which should make room for those fresh thoughts and ideas to flow.

What were some of the challenges you faced as a woman in this profession?

As I have previously mentioned, it was very difficult to work in a male dominant environment during the 90s. This of course forced me to be stronger and stand tall and equivalent to any man I worked with. Sometimes I feel I may have got tougher than I needed to be. Nonetheless, my strength has been a boon to getting me to where I am today, both in my professional career and personal life.

On a more personal note, what do you enjoy doing in your free time when you are not in the work environment?

I am bad at finding free time, and that makes me a workaholic. I used to start work from 8am to 11pm until I got pregnant with my daughter. Some people say that productive people would manage time and finish work early, but the e-mails don’t stop coming, no matter how efficient or organized I am, the e-mails don’t stop.

I used to play badminton when I worked at the resort and I was very good at it. I used to beat the

guys at so many games. It all started when we  had an overseas badminton coach to train us, I participated it and excelled at it. I do not find a lot of time for leisure now, I finish work at about 7pm and then it is purely family time.

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