The changing face of travel
ONE of the most
challenging aspects
of being a travel agent
is taking responsibility for
other people’s money. “It
is really daunting,” says
Linda Steenekamp, gm of
XL Rosebank Travel. “Luckily,
I’ve got a lot of experience
working with finances,” she
adds.
Linda has been in the travel
industry for 35 years. She
started her travel career in
the finance department at
Rent-a-Bakkie – a bakkie
rental company which has
since closed down. “I next
managed the finances for a
few smaller travel agencies
before spending eight years
with Sure Travel Management
where I served as a managing
director and partner,” she
says.
Once Sure Travel
Management’s owners
retired, the company was
sold and Linda was unable
to work alongside the new
management. She then
moved to XL Rosebank Travel
where she has remained for
the past 13 years.
“I don’t think travel is the
type of industry in which
people are happy all the
time because it is extremely
stressful,” she says. “Being
responsible for someone
else’s money and relying on
various suppliers to ensure
nothing goes wrong can
be nerve-racking, but I love
working with my colleagues,
and interacting with different
personalities, and you have to
be in a place that makes you
happy,” she says.
Linda says many graduates
come out of university or
college thinking they will
enter the industry in a senior
position. “But it’s a lot of
hard work and you have to
work your way up,” she says.
For instance, many agencies
employ graduates as
administration assistants or
receptionists. “This is why
it is so important for new
entrants into the industry to
make use of learnerships and
internships that are available
for them to gain experience,”
Linda says.
She further encourages
young professionals to go into
a travel agency and work free
for a few days so they can
see exactly what goes into
it and decide whether it is
the job for them before going
through to tertiary education
and choosing it as a career.
Industry professionals also
need to spread the word and
inform the public that agents
are no longer compensated
by airlines, adds Linda. “Many
people think we are still being
paid by the airlines and I
often have to explain to my
clients that while we earn a
very small commission on
only certain airlines, and a
slightly better commission on
added services like insurance
policies and car rental, we
actually recoup our money
from our customers in the
form of a service fee.”
A turning point in travel
The decision by airlines to
stop paying commission to
travel agents was one of the
biggest turning points in the
history of travel, according
to Linda. “In the past,
most airlines paid us 9%
commission on international
flights. So if, for instance, the
price of a particular ticket
was R100 000, we would’ve
received R9 000 commission.
Now, the highest service fee
I will charge my customer for
that sort of ticket will not be
more than R1 000. Without
that commission, that leaves
R8 000 that I used to get
but I am not getting any
more – and that needs to
be made up somehow.”
The only way travel agents
can make up that difference
is by ensuring they secure as
many bookings as possible,
says Linda. “That is why
there is so much cut-throat
competition in the industry.
Everyone is fighting for a
piece of the pie and trying
hard to reach their targets
and get their overrides.
Many of the youngsters can’t
handle it and they change
careers or they switch
agencies.” But Linda says, as
tough as the industry is, she
enjoys it with all its up and
downs. “I know this is what I
want to do,” she concludes.
Getting to know Linda
A few years ago, a client
asked Linda if she would
be able to book them a
flight from Pretoria to Cape
Town. Linda laughed at
the then-ludicrous request
but now smiles when she
looks back on this. “It’s
ironic that you can now fly
from Wonderboom to Cape
Town with Airlink,” she
says.
Of all the destinations
she has visited, Linda’s
favourite is Argentina. “I
watched an Argentinian
tango when I was there
and it was one of the
most amazing evenings of
my life,” she says.
If she could live anywhere
else in the world, Linda
would choose Canada. “I
love architecture and the
buildings in Canada are
absolutely beautiful,” she
says.
In her spare time, Linda
enjoys wine tasting. “I
enjoy getting to grips with
the taste and smell of the
wines and the ingredients
used to make them. I also
have quite an impressive
wine collection,” she says.
Linda is a qualified
tap and modern dance
teacher.
She has three children
and one grandchild.
