Datuk Syed Mohd Razif Syed Yasin, 53, group managing director/group chief executive officer of Sutra Travel Management Group, had a mission when he first bought over Sri Sutra Travel in 1992. His aim was to give business travellers the best travel arrangements possible. Today, Sutra is one of Malaysia’s leading travel consultancy and has more than 70 staff working at its RM3.6mil two-block Pekeliling Business Center, reports ZIEMAN.
What excites you most about being in the travel line?
Tourism is a powerful industry, one of the most dynamic and competitive industries in the world. It allows me to interact with all kinds of people around the globe. I have always loved travelling and meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds. This has been my wish since I was a kid and owning a travel agency has made this possible.
What are your plans for Sutra Travel?
Sri Sutra Travel was established in 1998 and is an award-winning travel agency in business and leisure travel. With over 30 years’ industry experience, it has the most feasible booking options. We understand that any mode of travel require a different set of discipline, service level, experience and the convenience of technology-assisted innovation. As such, we have created the perfect combination of travel, which includes airport transfers, accommodation, car hire, tailor-made tours, bus and rail ticket reservations, acquiring concert and sporting tickets and other related services that make us stand out from the rest. I hope to strengthen Sutra’s position as the leading tourism company providing quality, creative and competitive services, and global connectivity to our clients through our one-stop travel booking portal www.sutra.my. We are the first and only travel agency in Malaysia to have a portal, which integrates all travel needs under one platform.
How has your work experience prepared you for this position?
I started as a sales executive in a travel agency in 1983. After 10 years, I was entrusted to set up our company’s new office and promoted to general manager. I realised my capability to set up my own travel agency and decided to buy over one. With more than 33 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry, I know the business pretty well, so I used this to shape Sutra. My team and I are ready for any challenges and opportunities.
What has been your biggest challenge?
When I wanted to buy over Sri Sutra Travel, I had many plans, but not enough money. In order to realise my wish, I had to borrow from my brother-in-law and close friends to buy the company for RM100,000 in 1992. I was adamant to take over Sri Sutra, as I knew its huge potential, and how it would allow me to expand my vision and passion. I knew it was not going to be easy, so I was prepared to face many obstacles and suffer a lot of setbacks before I could achieve my goal. I went through a lot to build Sutra, but I never gave up.
How does Sutra Travel stay ahead of its competitors?
Tourism Malaysia should look into changing the way it promotes Malaysia to the world. In this era of digital, tourists/ travellers today are mostly Internet driven. They are just a click away from their preferred holiday or destination. Everything is 24/7 in this digital age, even tourism. Those who can’t adapt will be in trouble. Sutra has taken a step ahead.
We are different from other travel agencies because we have something that others do not have. We have our own travel management solutions through our sutra.my portal, which integrates all bookings for transportation, accommodation, tour packages, insurance and other travel-related services. Booking through our portal makes things so much easier and convenient.
What is the most attractive package Sutra Travel has to offer and how would you rank your travel agent?
Our portal has more than one million products. We also offer exclusive deals only for our clients such as the Jawa Timur Park (JATIM Park), a recreation tourism package (world class theme park) and Europamundo Holiday, a flexible Europe Holiday package with affordable prices. Our customers love us because of the emotional connections which have made them loyal to us.
How do you manage your team?
I would communicate my ideas with my senior management team and relay what I want and how they can help me achieve the company’s vision and goals. They each have their own designated tasks and missions, which should be aligned with my ideas. They then communicate the same to the other employees. We also have weekly and monthly meetings with the respective heads and staff member to evaluate our operations and performance, brainstorm and solve problems.
How do you find the lowest fares for your client?
We have a travel management solutions platform, which offers a competitive rate to all our clients, be it government, corporate or business owners. We can give savings between 10% and 40%. We are continuously innovating and transforming our performance management to improve our business.
What if your customer can’t afford the package you suggested?
We can design a package according to the customer’s needs and budget. We manage and plan vacation itineraries from start to finish, be it an educational voyage or quick city break. We will help to mould the perfect holiday to our customers travel requirements.
Any interesting projects in the pipeline?
We will introduce sutra.my mobile app soon and there are a few other interesting projects which we are working on, but can’t reveal yet.
Your favourite past time?
Reading, playing badminton and spending time with my family and my adorable grandchildren.
Any quote that inspires you and why?
“Don’t see obstacles but see the solutions.” Too often, we tend to focus on problems and difficulties along our path. We should stop doing that, and instead look for the solutions because the bigger your dreams, the tougher your challenge; you are bound to face difficulties along the way. If we seek excuses to fail, we will find them in the form of setbacks, constraints and limitations. But if we are determined to succeed, we will somehow find the solution.
