One of the best parts of being in the Tourism industry for many years has been the people I have met. Our industry has an endless list of talented, hardworking, fun-loving and creative professionals. I decided that I would interview my friends and give you a peek into their lives and careers. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section, and I will follow-up with the guest interviewed. This week we hear from my good friend Eric Gordon, of Beyond Times Square.
- Tell us a bit about how you got started in the tourism industry.
In a way you could say I was born into the tourism industry. My father and uncle started an African Safari Company Park East Tours in 1968. I was born in 1969 and was on my first trip to Kenya in 1971. I spent my youth traveling with my family to Africa and Europe. I work for my dad while in school and after college I entered the family business in 1993. After buying my dads half of the business in 1998, we sold the entire company to Grand Expeditions. I stay with them until 2003 when I decided I wanted head out on my own. In November 2003 I started Beyond Times Square.
- What is your current job and what are your primary responsibilities?
I guess you can my current job is president/owner of Beyond Times Square, but my title is New York City Expert. I oversee more sales and marketing more than anything else, but I still have a lot of my own clients and do plenty of sales. I work closely with my CFO on the financial health of the business and my office manager who overseas operations.
- What are some of the changes you have seen since you began your career? I am not going to mention the internet because that is the change we all know about and have overcome in many way and joined forces with in many ways. I think the biggest change I see is the peer-to-peer economy. Airbnb, Turo, Like a Local have all open new doors to travelers and created new small businesses with little start up money.Other trends I have seen is the growth of last minute purchases in travel. I am not talk about adding on an extra tour 2 days before arrival, but full trips being planned one to two weeks out. This is great for the Luxury FIT side of my business, but hard for groups because travelers want to wait and hotels do not always like that. I also think because so much can be on demand: Food, car service, hotel travelers just figure everything can be done at the last minute.
- What tourism trends are you seeing that will impact your job and how you work in the next 5 years?I think the items I mentioned above are going to continue to impact what we do. As travel companies we are going to have to keep changing and adapting to a changing landscape. I also think there will a continual growth in exclusivity. Those who can afford to be separate from others will pay for it and pay for privacy. More Private jet service, more private yacht, more private home with all the staff.
- It’s vacation time – where do you go?Every year I take two weeks and go Shelter Island NY. It is very quiet and relaxing. There is no one to impress and you can ride your bike everywhere. There is also plenty of fresh produce and meat. Otherwise my wife and I like outdoor vacation where we can hike, bike or kayak. No ironman kind of stuff but have fun and being active. We do want to go to mountain climbing school for two weeks
- What is your favorite app and tell us a bit about it.My favorite app is the SirusXm Satellite radio app. I love music and I always want to listen when I relax and sometimes when I am working. As long as I have wifi I have all the channels and can listen to whatever I want
- What is your favorite tradeshow and why?My favorite tradeshow is the one that makes me the most money. Of course the social aspect is fun and I love to see friends, but at the end of the day it is an investment so I do not mind spending $10K on a tradeshow if I know it is going to bring me $750,000.
- What advice do you have for someone just getting started in the tourism industry? Don’t. HAHA my advice is you need to know your product, so read, travel, watch video, talk to people, attend webinars. As you grow and build a base, start to specialize in a destination you have a passion for or a type of travel and learn everything about it. Be informed. You are a professional. “They” think travel agents are dead and are just order takers, prove them wrong, make yourself a pro and tell the world how much you know. Write, speak, blog, get in front of people. The second is DETAILS. In travel one wrong detail and a disaster can happen. If you are bad at details hire someone who loves them. This is the key.