Ultimate Ambassadors

In travel and tourism, there are five A’s visitors to a tourist destination look for: attractions, accessibility, accommodations, activities and amenities. But these 5 A’s alone aren’t enough.

Regardless of why visitors have chosen your destination for their next trip, tourism experts agree that there are fundamental expectations your destination must meet in order for visitors to recommend their experience to others.

Fulfilling that expectation - in terms of stewardship by the different actors in tourist destinations is one of the most important dynamic. When the overall expectation of a tourist is exceeded, the likelihood of returning to your destination with friends or family is high.

To those who have traveled to various destinations, stayed in hotels, dined at some of the local eateries, visited nearby attractions, and maybe taken a ride in a local taxi. The question I have is “what are your “must haves” for any of the abovementioned to be rated good?”

Some of your answers will no doubt include; a sense of welcome and warmth, genuinely hospitable behaviour, clean, comfortable and cost-effective accommodations, well prepared flavoursome food, value for money, safety and security and visitor centres that are staffed with people who are both helpful and knowledgeable, and equipped by well-let, clean washrooms.

Hotel staffs are some of the first people visitors encounter when they arrive in one’s city. Their professionalism and ability to accommodate visitor requests play a crucial role in shaping overall perceptions of your destination. But there are several other types of persons in the hospitality landscape that tourists would encounter – for example, the taxi driver.

Recently, reading Bryan K. Williams Blog titled “Ultimate Ambassadors” simply blew my mind. Let me share with you what he wrote

“Ultimate Ambassadors: Those are the two words that were branded on my brain recently. My family and I returned from a week-long trip to Bermuda and I will never forget the taxi drivers. We didn’t rent a car so we relied on taxis whenever we ventured off property. In total, we must have taken, at least, six different taxis and each one was memorable.

So here are 3.5 things the Bermuda taxi drivers excelled at that anyone (in any industry) can benchmark:

1. They were proud of what they were representing. From the first driver who picked us up at the airport…to the ones who took us into Hamilton (downtown), I heard things like “Welcome to OUR beautiful island”, and “I hope you get to explore what WE have to offer.
2. They were eager to share nuggets about what they were representing.Each driver was equipped with interesting tidbits on Bermuda. For example, we were explained why (and how) some of the beaches have pink sand, the history of the Royal Naval Dockyard, the island’s three largest industries, and the rich heritage of the Bermudian people, to name a few.
3. They were all interested in if we were having a great time.Every driver said “I hope you are enjoying your stay on our island” or “How have you been enjoying your stay?” or “What have you done since you’ve been on our island?” If we were interested, each driver had recommendations for restaurants, things-to-do, and places to visit. Nothing ever came off as pushy.

Whether the trip was $5 or $60, the level of professionalism and hospitality NEVER wavered. Service is service and professionalism is professionalism. An exceptional short taxi fare can easily turn into a long-term relationship with several long taxi fares by that same driver.”

Wow, you simply can’t expect better from your local taxi drivers. They indeed are a force to be reckoned with in the drive towards making every tourist’s visit memorable – even when they take a ride from point A to point B.

Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Customer Service Trainer and Ex-Hotelier

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