Anna Soteriou, sales executive, Le Meridien Limassol
Education: five O’ levels, one A’ level, and a diploma in travel and tourism.
Training: British Airways fares and ticketing course; work experience at Krislan Travel, Goodge Street, London.
First travel job: Travel Leisure, Charlotte Place, London, which has now closed down.
Career path: at Travel Leisure, Anna learned the basics of working in a travel agency, including booking flights using Galileo and issuing automated tickets and working on business travel accounts. Although she enjoyed working at the agency, she decided to branch out into the hotel industry and joined the sales and marketing department at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London. As Anna is half Cypriot, she decided to move to Cyprus, and so, in May 1998, she joined Le Meridien Limassol Spa and Resort, in the business development department.
Advice for people wishing to develop a career in travel: “This is a wonderful and challenging industry to be in. If you enjoy dealing with the public and like variety in your day-to-day duties, this is definitely for you. I believe you have to focus on detail and always ask all the right questions in order to deliver the clients requirements. Never presume – always ask the questions.”
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