Canada's travel industry deserves to be celebrated. That's why TravelPulse Canada created the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame in 2018. Over the next few days we will profile the 2022 inductees to the Hall of Fame, as we prepare for the sold-out Readers' Choice Awards on May 19.
"I often remind my staff that the most exciting thing about our industry is that it is constantly changing and consistently challenging," says Bruce Hodge, who founded Goway Travel in 1970.
Coming off the past two years, this sounds like a massive understatement, but the global pandemic was only the most recent of a series of industry-shaking events Hodge has experienced during his long and successful career, one that richly deserves recognition in the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame.
Hodge and Goway have been witness to five decades of dramatic changes. The company launched at a time when airline tickets were handwritten and stored in safes. It was well before the internet and long before the tragic events of 9/11 changed the travel experience dramatically.
Being nimble - and slightly contrarian - has served Hodge and Goway well.
"I like to defy the status quo, and encourage the entire team at Goway to do the same, whether it is developing new product, or finding new and more efficient ways to do business. A favourite saying of mine is: 'If you always do what you always did, you will only get what you always got."
Hodge continues: "The reality is, if you don't keep changing you can be left behind in this industry. This, I believe, is how we have continued to grow, and now anticipate accelerated growth with upcoming developments we have planned."
From a company of one to a large family of more than 400 employees today, Goway Travel has survived and thrived through good times and bad.
Today, with a head office in Toronto and branches in Vancouver, Sydney, Los Angeles and Manila, the family-owned and operated Goway offers more than 100 destinations around the world. Its destination specialists are renowned for their knowledge and the enticing itineraries they create and customize.
"I am very proud to say that there are not many North American travel companies that have been in business since 1970 and even less that are still privately owned," Hodge says.
'In the world of business they say a company is only as good as its staff and Goway is living proof of that statement. Goway has survived and evolved within our dynamic and ever changing industry thanks to an incredible team of staff," he adds.
John Kirk, TravelPulse Canada founder and creator of the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame, says Hodge's ability to build relationships and adapt to a constantly evolving marketplace have been crucial to Goway's success.
"Bruce's deep knowledge of product, intuitive understanding of traveller desires and delivery on promises to partners helped Goway grow from a one-man operation to an international player," Kirk says. "As he passes the baton to a new generation, he should be very proud of what he has built, and he's a welcome addition to the industry-builders that comprise the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame."
Hodge says he is "exceedingly grateful" for the support of supplier partners, airlines, and tourist boards, "and of course the support of many travel agents in North America."
Hodge refers to Goway's clients as 'Globetrotters,' and says today's travellers are seeking authentic experiences and looking to lessen the environmental and social impact of their journeys, while increasing their knowledge and appreciation of a world that is still full of wonders.
"Our company mission is to empower our community of Globetrotters to realize a lifetime of travel. Our 'Customer Promise' is to ensure all of our travellers are so delighted with our services that they recommend us to their friends and travel with us the next time they go globetrotting," Hodge says.
"After 52 years, we continue to stand by our product," Hodge adds. And that's why Goway remains as vital today as it was in 1970, and why Bruce Hodge is a most-deserving person for Canadian Travel Hall of Fame recognition.
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