30 Under 30: Meet Kelly Joannides

As for all tour operators, navigating the Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge – one that Joannides says has been the biggest of all for her – but working alongside a knowledgeable team has made all the difference.

“I swear Lee Ainsworth [head of Advantage Holidays and former TTG 30 Under 30 winner] has a crystal ball!” she laughs. “It’s so great to work with a team that can make predictions that save our bacon down the line.”

Day to day, Joannides’ job is to help Advantage members drive revenue through email and social media channels, as well as strengthen existing relationships with suppliers and build marketing campaigns.

But it’s getting to know the Advantage agents that’s her favourite part of the job, she says, “because every member has different needs, different marketing strategies and different destinations that work for them, so it’s great to find out what works, how we can help them and what they need from us”.

ROOTED IN TRAVEL

Helping people and advising friends and family on the best holiday destinations and activities delivered her a lightbulb moment for embarking on a career in travel.

“I was always going the extra mile to fit as much as possible into a holiday, making itineraries, and then friends and family started coming to me for travel advice and I thought, ‘this is something I could do for a living’,” she remembers.

Spurred on in 2016 also by a desire to divert her career path away from art, which is what Joannides was studying at the time – “I was never going to see the world doing art,” she says – the young professional enrolled in a tourism course at the University of East London and landed her first travel job with Thomas Cook as a destination representative in Paphos, Cyprus, during her summer break.

Following graduation, she spent 10 months at UK inbound tour operator Golden Tours as a product development executive before settling in at Advantage Holidays in 2018.

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT

Going forwards, Joannides has further successes for Advantage Holidays in her sights.

“I’d love to get involved in a new project that helps Advantage members engage new customers, and also dip into digital marketing, then hopefully in the future I’ll move into a more senior role and contribute to budget decisions and strategic planning,” she says.

By helping to identify new customers for Advantage members, Joannides is hoping to capitalise on a change in consumer behaviour identified by a recent Advantage Travel Partnership survey – it revealed 36% of respondents who previously said they wouldn’t book through a travel agent now would.

“2020 really showed people how valuable face-to-face contact is, and you can only get that from a travel agent [when booking holidays],” explains Joannides.

In 2021 and beyond Joannides will be making the most of all networking opportunities, especially those brought about by the TTG 30 Under 30 initiative.

“I’m quite a sociable person, so I’d like to make up for the anti-social year that was 2020!” she laughs, while sharing some similar advice for young people hoping to get into travel. “Always look at all opportunities, whether it’s networking, university, apprenticeships or even just LinkedIn, and have confidence – aim high because you never know where you could end up.”