November's Travel Agent of the Month

Name: Ronnie Abraham
Position: Branch manager
Overseas Travel Bureau, Doha, Qatar
Age: 45
Time in the travel industry: 21 years
Time at the company: 15 years

What’s the biggest booking you have ever made?
Time is more valuable than money. There are many instances where I facilitated in dire emergency situations to secure reservations.

What is your ambition?
To take up a major role as a team leader in the company with more responsibilities

What are the biggest challenges facing the travel trade today?
Online portals, the entry of budget carriers, and competition from offline carriers, are a few of the challenges. With the support and focus of ATN’s coverage of these issues the trade has a common platform to be updated and to provide feedback. Reading, updating and sharing knowledge is one solution.

Where’s your favourite place to travel to / and why?
A city which keeps innovating to outdo itself, Singapore is my number one choice. It’s a fine city, with everything to offer each individual.

How do you feel about being nominated ATN’s travel agent of the month?
I’m very much honoured. Recognition always means a leap in personality and self-confidence

have you ever gone ‘above and beyond’ for a client?
Yes indeed! It’s always a calculated risk, combining experience and skills when going above and beyond, and this of course has brought back memories from individual passengers. There have been no failures by the grace of God.

What do you love most about your job?
It’s the best opportunity to meet people from different countries, backgrounds and origins, which results in creating new friendship and business potential. The challenge lies in being more practical than theoretical.

What's the worst thing about being a travel agent?
Every travel agent should be fortunate enough to travel, see new places, learn and experience new cultures and traditions — but unfortunately this is not the case