TravelManagers has farewelled one of its longest serving employees with the retirement of Jacqui Lai.
With over 25 years spent working across various House of Travel brands, Lai has played a key part in the company’s evolution over the decades.
“I have held a variety of roles as the company has evolved,” Lai said. “Finishing my career as a member of TravelManagers’ fares and ticketing team is a lovely way to end this chapter.
“Being part of the company for so long, I’ve seen and experienced a lot of change, and built a strong rapport with a lot of our personal travel managers. I’ve always found the problem-solving side of the role incredibly rewarding.”
A chance encounter
Lai’s career in the travel industry began in the 1990s with a cleric role at China Travel Service.
By chance, in the early 2000s, she struck up a conversation with a stranger she’s seen on the train platform each morning. This stranger happened to be the managing director of Fiji Pacific Specialist Holidays, a precursor to Hoot Holidays and part of the House of Travel group.
Lai passed on her CV, and a few days later she had a job with Hoot Holidays. In 2018 she moved to the Fares & Ticketing team at TravelManagers, where she has been working up until now.
Fares and ticketing manager José Cañas said Lai is a beloved member of the TravelManagers family who will be greatly missed.
“Jacqui’s journey with TravelManagers has been remarkable, spanning decades of change, growth and innovation. She is deeply valued by everyone who has had the pleasure of working with her, and we wish her the very best for this next phase in her life,” he said.
As for her next steps, Lai says she plans to put her almost three decades of travel experience to use.
“It’s no secret that I’ve loved working in the travel industry for such a long time, so I’m thrilled to put all my expertise to good use by going travelling, with China and Tibet first-up on my bucket list.”
