Q&A with client and business owner, Lesley-Ann Birley
When did La Concordia Personal Travel first come into being?
I set up my business in 2008, just before the financial crisis.
What was your drive to become a personal travel adviser and how did you get your business started?
The drivers were my lifelong passion for travel and the inability, at the time, to find a truly personalised and independent travel provider. I left my career as a Chartered Accountant to follow my dream stepping into an industry I knew nothing about. But I learnt very quickly and travelled extensively to discover new properties and experiences and to build up my extensive network of trusted partners around the world.
Where is the company now? Do you have a vision for where the company is going?
I work with a fabulous list of clients many of whom use me to arrange all of their holidays. It’s great being able to map out their trips over months and years. I have been asked to arrange everything from a proposal in a palace in India to a six month family sabbatical around the world, to finding the perfect villa for a multi-generational gathering to fulfilling a client’s dream of discovering the mysteries of Easter Island.
In terms of the future, I only ever want to be at a scale where I can provide a personal one-to-one service for my clients.
What sort of clients do you usually work with?
I generally work with repeat or referred clients who are a mix of couples, families and with Personal Assistants for Corporate Executives. They are typically people who travel a lot, are often time poor or lack my knowledge and experience of countries and hotels. But most of all, my clients see the experience of travel and what I offer as a valuable service and not a commodity.
How do you tailor travel experiences to each client you work with?
My clients only ever deal with me personally and because I know that everyone’s different, I make sure I really get to know them – their likes, dislikes, hobbies, the types of hotels they enjoy to stay in, their favourite and least favourite holidays etc. I then blend this with my extensive travel experiences, attention to detail and creativity to deliver uniquely crafted trips.
What do you love most about your work?
Creating inspiring itineraries as individual as my clients that provide lifelong memories. There is nothing better than when a client returns from their travels and thanks me for the difference I made to their trip or that I gave them the courage to try somewhere or something different.
Of all the places you have visited, which has been your favourite experience?
In terms of one country where I felt totally privileged to experience its remote isolation, where I got access to a traditional way of life not many people get to see and where I travelled through pristine landscapes, it has to be the Kingdom of Bhutan.
What has been the biggest challenge the company has face?
Not unsurprisingly, the pandemic. My business stopped overnight and I had practically no income for nearly 2 years, despite working tirelessly to get clients back from travels and reposition trips. But I am very fortunate that I have wonderful clients and none of them cancelled their trips, they all rebooked and now business is booming.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Starting a business from scratch with no prior knowledge of the industry – just an idea that I was passionate about – and building a loyal client base that keep coming back.
How do you address the challenge of sustainability in travel?
Sustainability has many forms. I consciously collaborate with industry partners who are specialists in their country to provide luxury travel that’s immersive, authentic and champions local tourism.
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