"I started my career working for the Philippines tourism board. At that time, the Philippines - and its 7,000 islands - as a destination was relatively unknown in UK and Europe. In my 10 and a half years there, I had all sorts of roles learning about the industry and learning about marketing in general. My first task was to build the website, at a time when online travel portals were pretty much in their infancy."
"I covered all the industry marketing intricacies - from learning PR to travel trade. I was meeting and building relationships with the travel industry in the UK and across Europe too. I had to not only convince tour operators to build holiday packages to the Philippines but also run supporting campaigns and build brand awareness for the destination. After my 10 years, I was looking for a new challenge and moved to Malaysia Airlines."
Richard De Villa has nearly 20 years' experience in the travel and hospitality industry and serves as Club Med's marketing director for the UK, Ireland and Nordics. He began his career at the Philippines tourism board, promoting the archipelago and building its first website while establishing PR and travel trade relationships across the UK and Europe. He convinced tour operators to create Philippines packages and ran supporting brand-awareness campaigns. He later joined Malaysia Airlines to help restore public confidence after major flight incidents, focusing on safety, hospitality and returning routes to profitability. Club Med employs digital wristbands and WhatsApp bots to enhance guest experience.
Read at The Drum
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