Celebrating 60 years, Chan Brothers’ executive director Chan Guat Cheng reflects on the agency's journey, outlines family succession, and details future strategies focusing on technology, emerging destinations, and deeper personalisation to ensure continued growth
Congratulations on the landmark 60th year! How is Chan Brothers Travel celebrating its 60th birthday?
For this special occasion, we are offering exclusive perks and thematic discounts such as a S$600 discount (US$460) for families of six. I’m also planning to plant 60 trees in Singapore as a symbol of our growth and commitment to sustainability. There will also be a celebratory gala dinner to celebrate this important milestone.
In December 2024, I met with the minister of industry, commerce and employment for Bhutan, and we came up with the idea of chartering 12 direct flights to the country. We usually charter about five flights each year for the past decade but this year it is more than double of that.
How do you ensure Chan Brothers Travel will be around for another 60 years or longer?
Currently, five siblings serve on our board. While occasional differences may arise over certain aspects of the business, we maintain strong family cohesion and prioritise unity and clear communication. The company will continue to be passed down through generations, as younger family members are working with us and learning the business. I expect Chan Brothers Travel to remain family-run, alongside professional managers.
We will also remain committed to fostering mutually beneficial relationships with all our stakeholders – customers, employees, partners and communities. By embracing a win-win approach, we can ensure shared success for everyone involved, ultimately driving the business to greater heights.
Chan Brothers Group of Companies now has four franchisees in Malaysia, two located in Kuala Lumpur and one each in Penang and Ipoh. In addition to our long-standing joint venture in Jakarta, Chan Brothers Indonesia, these offices are integral to our growth strategy. We will continue to explore opportunities to acquire companies both regionally and within Singapore.
Moving forward, I believe regional expansion is how the company – currently with a staff strength of around 250 – will continue to grow and remain successful for many 60 years to come.
Looking back, would you have done anything differently?
On hindsight, we could have embraced technological transformation even earlier; that was back in the year 2000, a time when the future was all about leveraging technology to understand your customers. Had I learned that earlier, I believe the company could have accelerated its innovation with even greater momentum at that time.
I have come to realise how important technology is and how we can leverage data analytics to better understand our customers. To reach those who are not yet our customers, we continue to advertise on social media platforms and other channels. We also have loyalty programmes in place, which are crucial for ensuring repeat business. Chan Brothers Travel Club is an integral part of our customer relationship management strategy, through which we introduce new products to these members first.
What emerging destinations are you most excited about?
We are seeing growing interest in more exotic destinations. South America, Mongolia, and Central Asia – including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – are trending, particularly among middle-aged travellers with higher spending power, as the packages tend to be more expensive.
Just this year, we began promoting Oman and Tunisia in response to customer demand. Even more exotic destinations, like Antarctica and Greenland, are gaining popularity, with 15 to 20 groups departing annually, though these are typically small groups of travellers with more time on their hands.
Interestingly, China has become more popular thanks to TikTok and Xiaohongshu. We used to have difficulty attracting younger travellers to China, but these days, they are actively asking for these packages!
Do you think there will be another crisis in the future?
We have navigated through many unexpected challenges: financial crises, September 11 attacks, Bali bombings, Japan earthquake and tsunami, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, SARS and most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic. While we can’t predict when or what the next crisis will be, we believe that being prepared is essential, with a robust business continuity plan and ample financial reserves.
How will the role of travel agents evolve?
Travel agents still have an important role to play and technology cannot replace personalised assistance and the human touch. This is especially true for families and older travellers, who need our help.
Take Covid-19 for example, we still had groups on the road, and our team worked round the clock to secure seats for our customers to return to Singapore before borders closed.
If you book tours through OTAs, you often can’t reach someone immediately when problems arise. With us, we typically have two tour staff for each group – a tour leader from Singapore and a local guide who can provide assistance. We also conduct thorough pre-departure briefings.
It all boils down to the personal touch. For example, in colder destinations, our tour managers go the extra mile by preparing hot water, instant coffee, and instant noodles to provide extra comfort and care. They also ensure that wheelchairs are available for older travellers if needed at the destination.
When the Internet first emerged, it was predicted that travel agents would disappear. That did not happen. In fact, travel agents are more important now than ever. You can see for yourself how busy it is out there. (Editor’s note: I visited on a weekday afternoon and the counters were all busy and the office was abuzz).
But yes, we must evolve, constantly developing packages to new destinations and creating tours that appeal to different segments. For example, we now offer Instagram-driven itineraries to destinations like Japan, with visits to pet shops, café hopping etc, targeted at the younger segment.
What challenges do you foresee in the future?
If travellers prefer not to have personalised assistance, they may choose to book their trips online instead. By coming to us in the first place, they typically have higher expectations from the start.
A key challenge is finding and retaining qualified staff. Attracting and keeping talented individuals who deliver exceptional service to meet and exceed these high expectations is becoming increasingly difficult.
We are also facing pricing and operational cost pressures. While there are many very cheap tours available these days, a closer look often reveals that the itineraries include numerous optional tours for which travellers would have to pay extra. For us, we do not operate that way and are fully transparent about what we include and what we do not. Transparency is crucial in running a successful business.
What business advice would you give to your successors at Chan Brothers Travel?
Do very well in what we are good at. Deliver what we promise, and more. This is a mantra I follow every day.
