27th March 2021
We chat to Chris Scoble of Go Scoble about what the travel landscape looks like in 2021 and how the pandemic affected his independent business. We are proud to have Go Scoble in our leisure directory - for reward details click here.
Chris, tell us how you've been over the past year.
We have been booking travel at Go Scoble for 5 years and have been trading out of 113 Camden Road for the last 3 years. The last year has been very difficult for most businesses but the travel business has really suffered. By the middle of February 2020 our customer base enabled us to book a record number of holidays. For me, the last few years of building my travel business have given me great satisfaction especially as it looked as if we were going to make a profit by the end of 2020! I had a part time member of staff and the aim was to offer that person a full time position and onwards to grow the business to become the “go to” Travel Agent in the Town.
Sadly, as the pandemic took hold I quickly realised this was going to be a critical time for the business. Bookings cancelled and lots of hard work representing my customers (fighting for the refunds they demanded and deserved) made for long days and late nights. As a proud member of the Not Just Travel group and part of the Hays Travel buying group, the support Go Scoble received was simply second to none. Every customer was telephoned and given updates as to the progress of not only their specific booking but the overall travel situation as we saw it.
I certainly realised our worth as I took lots of calls from people that hadn’t booked with me. They sought advice as the online companies they'd booked with hadn’t been in touch, or they'd been holding on premium call centre phones lines for hours with no luck. I hope people remember the service they received and don’t just go back to these companies who care less about you. The internet and social media is a powerful tool but when spending thousands of pounds on a holiday people would be better advised interacting with a real expert.
What's next for Go Scoble?
With the roadmap to recovery firmly being rollout in the UK the vaccination program bringing down our infection rates and our hospitals emptying we are really encouraged about the future of travel. On the 6th April the travel taskforce is due to report to the Government and international travel due to recommence on the 17th May. We are sure people will travel in the summer. I think that testing and possible vaccination passports will be the shape of things to come but we will be heading to the sun very shortly.
Go Scoble has rebranded and we have smartened up out HQ at 113 Camden Road we are ready to move forward. I am determined to succeed in my business but can only do this with the fantastic support of my local customers.
Why did you join the TN card?
I live within a minute walk from my Go Scoble travel shop, and I love the local Tunbridge Wells life, where us local businesses all support each other - especially through these difficult times I'm glad to be able to reward members for supporting local - when you book with Go Scoble we give vouchers to spend with local businesses as well as £50 off any holiday. Member support will help us to survive and flourish in 2021!
Why book with Go Scoble?
Firstly, we need to dispel the rumour that it is more expensive to book through an Agent. Generally, we are as competitive in price as the online Travel companies. However, online companies don’t offer the same service and this can be backed up by looking at some of the big advertisers trust pilot reviews from the last year. As an independent Agent we offer you access to over 1,000 travel suppliers, many that are not available to the public as over 50% of travel is trade only. We have huge buying power as we are associated with Hays Travel, the largest independent Travel Agency in the UK.
We always react to your needs; the computer never says no! We create bespoke holidays and almost any request is catered . We advise you on your choice of destination and are always happy to recommend a particular resort or excursion, nothing is too much trouble. We offer the best value for money and one thing that we have learnt in our industry in the last year is that the best price is not always the best value for money.
At Go Scoble we truly care about your holiday and are always available to discuss even the smallest detail. Our Holidays are all ABTA and Atol protected which means when you book with us your money and Holiday is safe.
