Joanne Hilton-Blackman

Being a natural ‘people person’ with a thirst for travel, the luxury travel industry was always going to be the perfect fit for Jo! Her early years at Beachcomber Tours, along with her Agency background, provided an ideal platform for her life-long friendships and industry network. She’s come a long way since those early work trips to South Africa, Botswana and Mauritius – however her passion for travel and meeting like-minded people remains the same.

“I enjoy working closely with our travel agency and concierge partners to create the perfect holiday for valued clients. As our group is small and select, almost like a ‘private members club’, it’s so important to create mutual trust and respect, ensuring clients are placed in the safe hands of our dedicated Travel Managers.

Understanding how things work from an agent, tour operator and client perspective is hugely important. Visiting places first-hand on fam trips is vital, so you can experience destinations as a client. Then you can capture the ambience of a hotel, tell the whole story and inspire clients with your own personal experience.

Over the years I have formed strong relationships with the trade and many agents have become lifelong friends. We have travelled the world together on some amazing touring trips to Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand, and Bali and enjoyed beach destinations in Mauritius, Maldives, Greece, Cyprus, Spain and beyond. We’ve supported each other to reach business goals through mutual understanding and respect. I pride myself on being hugely passionate about the industry and I love putting trips together that I know will be remembered for a lifetime.

I personally have many special memories of fabulous places I have visited. Sri Lanka, South Africa, Mauritius, Maldives, and Prague are very close to my heart. In the future, I’m looking forward to visiting Australia, Turkey, and the Far East. As I’m often on the go, the thought of returning to the stunning Seychelles (with a good book) is very appealing!”