IFTM Daily Review Edition

18 TRADE TALK :: PAROLES DE PROFESSIONNELS
Passion - The Driving Force Behind the
Winners of The 2015 Travel Agents’ Cup
An exciting Grand Finale for the 2015 Travel Agents’ Cup –
revealing the winner from a group of 10 agents
The atmosphere was electric around the eventual winners of the third edition
of the Travel Agents Cup 2015 at IFTM Top Resa. Ten candidates – down
from 32 at the start of the contest – competed by “selling” a jury on the
assets of three pre-selected destinations: the Ivory Coast, Guadeloupe and
the Californian wine trail. A common factor for the candidates from all
around France: a sense of passion and a real love for their job. The jury was
under the leadership of Sophie Jovillard, a French TV travel show presenter,
along with nine other members including SNAV, Adonet, Air France, SNCF,
Avis and Paris Cityvision. The winner was Pascal Etcheverry, working at
Evasion 2000 - Prêt à Partir in Anglet in the Southwest. We asked him how
he approached his chosen destination; the trail of Californian wines.
I was actually very lucky
because I just came back
from fifteen days in the
West. I was fascinated
during my trip by Franciscan
missions of Spanish origin
and this allowed me to
link the theme of wine to
that of the missionaries’
history, as they were the first
to introduce wine culture
along the Camino Real. It
was exciting to talk about
this destination because
I already sold it dozens of
times without going there ...
until recently!
What's the secret to selling
a destination without
knowing it?
I think there's a word that
summarises it: passion.
Passion to communicate
what we love, passion to
discover, but especially
the passion to share with
others. When I prepare an
itinerary for a client and
when I show him later
my proposal, it’s as if I’d
designed it for myself!
How do you feel about
winning the Travel Agents
Cup 2015?
It’s a lot of joy and
excitement, especially due
to the fact that I challenged
myself. I love that. Two
years ago I already attended
the Mega Mascarun sports
challenge for travel agents
around the Reunion Island
and I won it! Having a
challenge is part of my
DNA. I consider also as a
challenge when I switched
eight years ago my job in
graphic communication to a
job of travel agent ...
What was the most difficult
part of the Travel Agents
Cup?
I think that it was time
management. Five minutes
is very short and it is true
that it forces one to make
difficult choices. That is why
I chose only a circuit along
the Pacific Coast.
For which destination
would you like to be judged
if you had the choice?
I think that would have been
Namibia. For me it sounds
like a dream...
Pascal Etcheverry, Agence E
Best French Travel Agent 2015
:::: Meilleur Agent de Voyages Français 2015
Jury members’
opinions
Laurent Bijaoui, National
Director of Travel Agency
Sales, Voyages SNCF
“What impressed me the most was that
none of the candidates had a watch which
proved their skill to master their speaking
time and subject. I wish presentations
could have been more thematic like
candidate Alexandre Manez, who built his
circuit proposal around the character of
the wines.”
Marie Allantaz, General Manager of
ESCAET, training and consulting
“It has been three years since I have been a
jury member, and I can see an interesting
development. The Travel Agents Cup
has finally gained recognition from the
profession. We now know that it is also a
step to a certain professional awareness.
And I'm sure the Cup will become even
more important in the future.”
Five Minutes is Too Short!
Respectively second and third winners during the Travel Agents Cup, Stephanie Schmitt from
Nouvelles Frontières Thionville and Sonia Faris, OCV Voyages Paris, both tell us about their
feelings following the announcement of the results.
Stephanie Schmitt: "It's an
award that allowed me to test
myself and see my progress.
I participated three times.
The first time I was shaking
with the stress. I felt totally
comfortable this year, without
any fear of the jury. Speaking
about Guadeloupe was easy
for me. If I had to talk about
the destination of my dreams
for the Cup, I had chosen it for
sure. It is a passion, but when
you love a place, five minutes
is too short! "
Sonia Faris: "Winning
third place is a fabulous
progression, a spectacular
one. It was a consecration
to be on the podium. In fact,
my job is a passion. I am
always looking for new ideas
for travel, and information. I
collect everything that relates
to the profession. I think it is
a job where curiosity has to
be full time. As for the Ivory
Coast, I had this wonderful
opportunity to be invited to the
embassy in Paris a few days
ago and spent long moments
with employees of the
Embassy to immerge myself
into the country’s soul. Me
too, I would have liked more
than 5 minutes to say what
fascinated me ... "
IFTM Daily • Thursday 15 th October 2015
www.iftmdaily.com