Over the past few years, STA Travel Australia has re-examined and refreshed its customer and product strategy, investing in new technologies and strategic initiatives to ensure it retains its prominent place in the Australian market.
David Green, Managing Director of STA Travel Australia, sparked this transformation three years ago when he took the reins of this iconic company. He recently spoke to The CEO Magazine about how STA Travel has evolved in Australia with its customers and the marketplace.
The CEO Magazine: Since becoming MD of STA Travel Australia, how have you transformed its operations and refocused on customer strategy?
David: We’ve broken it down into three key areas. One is looking at our team and what we do. A big focus is on service and how we attract and retain a team that is genuinely passionate about travel; second, ensuring we keep things simple whilst being willing to evolve with change. The other area is a real focus on the relationships we have with our suppliers and how we tie that into what our customers are looking for.
It’s our thirty-fifth anniversary this year. Over the past three years, we’ve been working really hard on our brand proposition and re-establishing what were famous for, which is the student and youth market. We’ve also worked to broaden the brand and appeal to more people, particularly young professionals. Globally, we’ve relaunched our brand around the tagline of Start the adventure, which again broadens who we are, what we do, and what we stand for, particularly in the adventure travel space.