Jas Anand, agency sales executive, Bermuda Tourism
Education: nine O’ levels, two A’ levels in Spanish and English. Bilingual secretarial course at Crawley College of Technology to gain a certificate in commercial Spanish and Institute of Linguistics final qualifications. Fluent written and spoken Spanish and Punjabi. Working knowledge of Italian and Greek.
First travel job: overseas representative for Thomson in 1984-1990 in Ibiza, Costa del Sol, Tenerife, Majorca, Crete, The Gambia, Halkidiki, Mojacar and Lanzarote.
Career path: moved from Thomson to Boyce Bilingual Agency as a Spanish recruitment consultant then to various temporary agency sales positions with The Network, Baxhor Travel and Grecian Holidays.
Joined Mundicolor Holidays as product executive in May 1992, involved in planning, pagination, copy writing and page displays. Also analysed sales statistics and developed and contracted new properties in Spain, Portugal, Canaries and Balearic Islands. Recruited by Bermuda Tourism in 1997 as agency sales executive.
Responsible for identifying UK market opportunities and recruiting specialist agents to promote the destination. Also to develop a distance-learning programme for agents, organise educationals and trade shows, control budget for UK promotional activities, plan and co-ordinate annual brochure.
Advice for people wishing to develop a career as an agency executive for a tourist board: “Be positive and self-motivated. Be quick to learn and don’t be frightened to ask questions. Always have a role model – I have had many. Always have a goal to work towards.”