Enhancing the Customer Journey
“I was at a point in my career where I had got comfortable in my day to day role – if it was to develop I felt it required me to have a wider understanding of the tourism industry and its challenges across the destination. I also felt I needed to widen my professional network. I wanted to have a deeper understanding of what affected the tourism industry on a more strategic level and I was looking for an opportunity to meet and mix with people within tourism but not necessarily working in the same sector as me”.
The student
Pete Duncan is Operations Manager (Business Operations) for Haggis Adventures. Based in Edinburgh and having worked for Haggis Adventures since 1998, Pete is responsible for all aspects of the visitor experience from operations of the retail outlet on the Royal Mile to service delivery on the tour coaches. Pete is also responsible for the Haggis Adventures accommodation unit at Fort Augustus in the Scottish Highlands which he usually visits three to four times a year.
The organisation
Haggis Adventures is Scotland's longest running and most popular tour operator for young independent travellers. With an emphasis of fun and entertainment, the company’s ethos is that a country's culture, history, myths and legends best comes to life when brought to you by a local and that you can still get great service and have an incredible time travelling on a budget. Haggis has built its reputation through word of mouth recommendation and having started with just one trip it now runs range of award-winning adventures from 1 to 10 days throughout Scotland, England and Wales. The organisation places a strong focus on service excellence through customer feedback and engagement, and it has won several awards, the most recent being National Winner of Visit Scotland Thistle Awards BestTour Operator Programme of the Year 2013.
Pete’s story
In this case study, Pete Duncan talks about his experience of being part of the first Edinburgh Napier Destination Leaders Programme and how this experience has led to him making strategic leadership contributions to the development of his organisation, Haggis Adventures, as well as the impact the course has had on his own personal and professional development.
Read/download the full case study below.