Midweek Catch-up with SKYE Suites’ Ari Foo

By Alexandra Coulton

It turns out SKYE Suites’ sales and marketing director is a budding animal photographer. However, he politely declined when our editor offered up her obese ginger cat for any upcoming projects.

What’s your main goal for this year?

I’ve made a big investment in my photography hobby during recent months and I want to devote a day a week purely to furthering my skills in this arena.

What’s your favourite thing about working in the travel industry?

It’s an incredibly dynamic industry where you find yourself surrounded by people who are just as passionate about the industry as I am. There are so many opportunities to learn and grow and it’s a key reason why people who come from travel and hospitality are so in demand by other industries.

No day is ever the same and you have to be incredibly adaptable

How do you like to spend your free time?

Travel, whether that be overseas or domestically and going hiking or mountain bike riding and engaging in my major hobby being photography.

Have you managed to do any travelling since restrictions began to ease (domestic or international)?

Only some limited domestic travel. It has been a huge difference to pre covid when I spent a large proportion of my time travelling.

What’s your favourite travel company, besides the one you work for?

Aka Hotels & Residences. I love the product and its incorporation of The Makers into every aspect of their product and the activities they offer as part of their “Live It” program.

Memorable stays come from the experiences you have and the integration of all of these things create an overall experience that won’t be forgotten.

If you could invite three famous guests (dead or alive) to a dinner party, who would you choose?

Chef, Josh Niland – I love the philosophy of using every part of the fish we consume. It is truly inspired to create a Chocolate Caramel Slice from fish fat.

Photographer, Frans Lanting – my own photography is focused on animals and landscapes and Frans is amongst the worlds best as far as animal photography goes.

Naturalist, Sir David Attenborough – I think one of the most interesting people you could have the opportunity to meet. What an amazing life lived so far and such an intense passion for the planet we live on and such concern for the incredible damage we continue to make.

What’s something positive you’ve witnessed or experienced since the global pandemic hit?

A greater focus on caring for others. Particularly during lockdown, so many people were struggling with isolation and lack of human interaction. It was fantastic to see people reaching out to check on family and friends, making sure they were okay.

What’s your advice for others in the travel industry on coping with the global pandemic?

Time and time again the industry shows resilience. As dire as it has felt at times, as soon as restrictions and people feel comfortable about travelling, they do so at similar and sometimes higher levels.

What book and/or TV show can you not get enough of lately?

Right now it would have to be the latest Star Wars TV series, The Book of Boba Fett.

Do you have any travel goals for 2022?

Probably keep it to domestic destinations. As much as I would like to go overseas it just seems all too difficult for now with the required PCR testing pre, during and post as well and the ongoing risk of getting stuck somewhere in isolation.

Australia has so many fantastic destinations that I have yet to explore. At the moment I am focussing on seeing as much as regional NSW as I can.

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Ari Foo midweek catch-up midweek interview profile sales and marketing Skye Suites