Neetu Singh is the Marketing Director at Sky Bird Travel & Tours’ headquarters in Southfield, MI. Born in Shimla, India and raised in Michigan, Neetu earned her undergraduate degree in psychology followed by an MBA with a marketing concentration from Walsh College.
Neetu began at Sky Bird in 2017, saying it was “the right opportunity at the right time!” Her innate love for travel – with excursions like Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and Croatia stamped in her passport – and 14-years of marketing experience made taking on the role as head of Sky Bird’s marketing department an easy transition. Neetu enjoys every aspect of marketing and using consumer research, strategy alignment, and product development to answer client needs and enhance user experience. She values making a positive impact and adding to the legacy of a company like Sky Bird. In an industry that is always changing and updating, Neetu consistently challenges her team to learn and experiment, giving them permission to try and fail so that they can grow from each experience.
Being able to explore the world, experience different cultures and learn from them is something Neetu says helps her grow as a person. She feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to so many places and to work for a company that fosters accessible travel for all.
Travel Research Online (TRO): Hello, Neetu. How are you today?
Neetu Singh (NS): Very well, thank you.
TRO: You have made marketing your field of expertise for about 17 years now. What originally drew you to studying how a company can research and match the client’s expectations of experience?
NS: I have always been intrigued by consumer behavior. What motivates people to choose one product over another. Research on consumer preferences and behaviors can help in creating marketing strategies that will meet the expectation of the client and can help them build a successful business.
TRO: Sky Bird has been around since 1976, which makes it quite a mainstay in the travel industry. What do you think gives it this longevity in a consistently changing market such as the industry?
NS: The leadership of our Chairman & CEO Mr. Arvin Shah, I would have to say. He is a visionary leader. His foresight to change with times, adapting, and investing in new technology has positioned Sky Bird to what we have achieved today in the travel industry. He has placed and continuously puts the needs of our customers first, and made decisions that lead the team of Sky Bird employees to be able to provide excellent service to our customers.
TRO: You’ve been with Sky Bird since 2017. Was it an easy transition from your previous job, and what were the positive aspects for you when joining one of the cornerstone businesses in the travel industry?
NS: Yes, the leadership and my current team made it easy. I’m truly blessed to be surrounded by people and the culture that supports one another. My passion for travel along with marketing experience made this a great career move for me.
TRO: Failing is a vital component of learning, which ultimately leads to growth and success. How do you encourage your team to experiment with this path?
NS: I’m a true believer in inspiring my team to experiment, expand their knowledge and if they fail, which we all do if we have the guts to take chances, learn from what worked and what didn’t work. Marketing is all about generating new ideas and testing, we have to adapt to the changing and growing needs of our customers. If we don’t experiment, we won’t get results to succeed.
TRO: Of course, we in the travel industry are facing an unprecedented speed bump with the spread of COVID-19 across the world. Given the information we have now, how do you see travel recovering from this event?
NS: Yes, it will pick up, but I think people will be more comfortable traveling once a vaccine is developed. During this pandemic, many have missed out on a lot of life events and special travel. We, as an industry, must be ready once people feel comfortable to travel we must be ready to craft travel packages that bring people back to travel.
TRO: WINGS is an award-winning service provided by Sky Bird that gives agents, agencies, and consortiums access to flights and customized activities that let them create the perfect vacation for clients. How do our readers access this useful tool?
NS: We are all familiar with the term “continuous improvement.” We are excited to announce the new WINGS Booking Engine, which was in the pipeline well before the current crisis. Again, it was Mr. Shah’s vision that has brought the industry a booking engine that will help agents recover quickly from this drastic downturn. Now agents will book Flight, Hotels, Cars, and Activities, a one-stop-shop for travel bookings for their clients by visiting skybirdtravel.com. To name a few… this booking engine will give agents more options to earn more commission, the collaboration between clients, and coworkers are seamless and self-branding website, that will increase their visibility and book a perfect for their clients. And, not to mention, the 24-7 network of expert customer service for agents.
TRO: You’ve traveled to such destinations as Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and Croatia. Which destination has been your favorite so far? And what destinations are on your “live it up” list?
NS: All the destinations that I have traveled to have been incredible and make it extremely hard to pick one. I have enjoyed the uniqueness and cultures of each location. But, I would love to travel soon to Budapest, Greece, Rome, Italy also explore India.
TRO: Does Sky Bird have any announcements coming up that our readers should know about?
NS: Yes, as I mentioned earlier our New WINGS Booking Engine, I encourage the agents to visit our website skybirdtravel.com and explore the one-stop-shop booking experience for themselves. I’m also excited to share that Sky Bird Travel will soon be providing the most sources for the lowest available fares – in any class of service. Some fare sources have greater RBD availability than others.
TRO: Neetu, thank you for your time. We look forward to seeing what Sky Bird Travel & Tours has in store for the future of travel.
NS: Thank you, it was a pleasure.