Jose Valentin, TRANSEAGLE VACATIONS, FL, USA
CEO & General Manager for TransEagle Vacations, a wholesale tour operator located in Hialeah, Florida, USA, working in the travel industry since 1977, with a Bachelor degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre & Maestra, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. My career started in the hotel business working for different hotel companies, as Sheraton Hotels, Howard Johnson, and my final position as hotel executive was Director of Sales Northeast USA for Barcelo Hotel Group, in New York. I later transferred to Miami, Florida, to take the position of Director of Sales for MK Tours, the leading Florida tour operator by then, staying in that position for 5 years, after which I decided to run my own tour operation under the name of TransEagle Vacations, established in June of 2008, with non-interrupted services to date. I am currently an Active Past President of The Travel Industry Association, where I served as President for three consecutive terms (2015-2018).
My opinion on rebuilding our industry is that the most affordable tools to bounce back is by joining forces and plan the proper strategies for each market segment. It is clear to me and surely for most of the members of this selected group of professionals that it will take some time to earn the confidence of potential travelers to travel. We will have to come up with ideas that will entice and convince people that travel continues to be safe, and experiences gained while traveling remain in their memories forever. At the same time, even though operational costs will definitely increase for our industry, in order to attract potential travelers, it will be necessary to reduce our profit margins by creating offers appealing to avid and frequent travelers, always considering that health prevention is properly in place, backed up by good value for their money.
