Monday Minute: Tuxedo Travel's Joseph Lacroix

The 'Monday Minute' is a weekly feature at PAX dedicated to highlighting the movers, shakers, leaders and rule-breakers in Canada's travel agent community. Wanna be profiled? Wanna nominate someone? Email newsroom@paxglobalmedia.com! 

Name: Joseph Lacroix

Company: Tuxedo Travel (in partnership with Brenda O’Hara)

Where do you live? Mississauga, ON

How long have you been a travel agent? Four years

What is your specialty? Cruising, F.I.T., family groups and Australia

What do you love most about being a travel agent? I love making my customers happy. Like when they come back and can’t stop talking about how fantastic their trip was because of the great advice and service they received from Tuxedo Travel.

What's one travel trend you've noticed as of late? 

I find that more and more people are willing to try something out of their comfort zone. They seem to be more adventurous and traveling to places that test their resolve. Most seem to have genuine interest in cultural emergence. People also seem to be in a hurry to visit natural phenomenon’s before they all disappear.  

I am so new that I haven’t experience any real changes in the industry, however I found that a big push in social media is needed to have your name recognized. But once you have made a connection and a sale, that doesn’t mean it stops. Now you must nurture the relationship with well-timed and thought out moments of gesture. Whether it be a congratulations on a wedding or anniversary or maybe a small surprise at destination as a thank you for booking with Tuxedo Travel. No matter what you do, stay connected.

Of all the bookings you’ve made, which itinerary and/or travel package are you most proud of?

I once sent a visually impaired client to Scotland to join the Australian blind sailboat race team for a competition. We set her up with transportation, hotels, transfers and most important of all, a guide to escort her everywhere she needed to go.

What's your number one piece of advice to other travel agents? 

In a word, network. Tell everyone what you do and that you are proud of it. But networking is more than telling people about your business. It's about connecting with others. It’s about having an interest in people’s lives. Try to be their problem solver. If you are able to help them with their problems, then they will see you as knowledgeable and seek your advice when it comes time to travel.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!