Turning Challenges into Exceptional Experiences on a Vietnam FAM Trip
Our North America Trade Manager, Troy Toms, recently travelled to Vietnam with a group of 10 US travel agents to showcase Discova’s range of purpose-driven, immersive journeys across this incredibly diverse country. The 11-day itinerary featured some of the usual suspects such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hoi An. There were also lesser-known gems like Ninh Binh, surrounded by majestic limestone cliffs, the UNESCO-listed My Son Sanctuary featuring ruins of ancient Hindu temples, and an exploration into the lives of people living in the Mekong Delta.
The agents were happy to experience a variety of tours, from a cooking class in the gorgeous setting of Ha Long Bay to Vespa tours in Saigon and a cycling trip to Hoi An’s countryside. This gave them an idea of the diversity of excursions on offer and how to utilise them for their guests’ travels.
However, a couple of days into the FAM trip, the weather threw a major spanner in the works when Da Nang and Hoi An were hit by some of the worst floods in recent years. Looking back at this experience, Troy says, “We were impacted by the flooding situation in Central Vietnam, but received great communication from our Tour Guide, the Customer Service, Product, and Operations teams regarding updates and changes.
“During this situation, our agents experienced firsthand how we deal with an emergency, and our agile teams adjust plans at the last minute.”
Echoing Troy’s sentiment, one of the agents, Andrea, adds, “The pivot from Hoi An turned out to be an excellent opportunity to showcase the service we depend on Discova to provide for our clients abroad.”
Another agent, Stacia, recalls this trip as one of the most enjoyable experiences of her life, where even last-minute changes were made with ease and professionalism from the Discova team.
She says, “Even with the pivots, it was one of the best FAMs I’ve been on, and your team showed exactly what you can do and why partnering with Discova is important. Vietnam has stolen a piece of my heart, and it’s a destination I’ll be going back to in the future!”
The effortless experience the agents had as travellers is exactly the one they want for their clients. Logistics flowed smoothly like clockwork, even when travelling to some of the most popular parts of Vietnam were made impossible due to torrential downpour over several days.
Travel agent Christine says, “Thank you again to you and the team for putting together such a thoughtful, educational, fun FAM and including me on it. I loved it, and you’ve set the bar high for future FAMs that I take!”
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