people profile

people profile

open to question: Neil Pettifer, Online Travel Company

profile

Job title: sales and marketing director.

Age: 43.

Born: Wanstead, London.

Lives: Richmond, Surrey.

Status: single.

Education: Buckhurst Hill County School andUniversity of East Anglia.

Path to career: joined Global in 1978 as passenger relations officer, left to join Hoverspeed in 1980 as sales executive. Joined Medina Holidays in 1987 as sales and marketing manager. In 1989 joined The Magic Travel Group as head of sales and communications. Took up current position of sales and marketing director at Online Travel Company in January this year.

industry talk

&#42 What was your first job in travel and how much did you get paid?

Passenger relations officer for Global earning £3,750 per annum.

&#42 What has been your biggest challenge in the travel industry?

Maintaining old-fashioned high standards in a fast moving world.

&#42 What has been your most embarrassing moment in the travel industry?

Packing my passport and not realising until my case had gone down the chute in front of a group of agents on a fam trip

&#42 What’s the best job you’ve had, apart from your current one?

Teaching in France.

&#42 Which company, apart from your own, do you most admire and why?

Tesco – a lesson in quality being the path to success.

&#42 If you weren’t in travel, what would you be doing?

Running a small restaurant.

&#42 What single thing have you achieved at work which has given you the most satisfaction?

It has been developing the Magic of Italy programme from a may-sell-if-asked product to the number one preferred choice of most travel agents.

&#42 What do you always carry with you?

My wallet and credit cards.

&#42 What advice would you give to someone starting out in the travel industry?

Ask yourself why you want to be in the industry. If you cannot think of three very positive reasons to be there then find something else where you can.

&#42 Do you have a Web site and if so how many bookings do you receive on it?

Yes, all our business is generated on the Web – the address is www.otc-uk.com.

&#42 How many travel agents do you estimate there will be left in the UK in five years’ time?

Probably fewer companies than now but a lot of them will not be on the high street.

&#42 Make one prediction about travel in the 21st century:

People will spend more on travel, go away more often and constantly look for new ideas.

personal talk

&#42 What is your star sign?

Pisces.

&#42 Which living person do you most respect and why?

Stephen Hawking – to have achieved what he has is just unbelievable.

&#42 What is your greatest regret?

Not travelling the world at the age of 18.

&#42 If you could be anyone for the day, who would you be and why?

John Prescott – to sort out this country’s transport policy once and for all.

&#42 Who, apart from your partner, would be your ideal holiday companion and where would you go?

Anyone with wit, charm and style. We would go to a farmhouse in Tuscany.

&#42 What is the most memorable destination you’ve visited and why?

India – the sights, the sounds, the food, the culture – all totally beyond my expectations.

&#42 What are your hobbies?

Food and wine, the theatre, the cinema, skiing and holidays.

&#42 What type of holiday would you avoid at all costs?

Anywhere with children.

&#42 What is your favourite TV programme/film/book?

The programme is Have I Got News For You, the film is Caberet and the book is Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin.

&#42 What would you have put on your gravestone?

He did it his way.