Deborah Dickson-Smith is the Business Development Manager at Diveplanit Travel, and also a writer here at Travel Monitor. Deb focuses on sustainable travel, and her specialty – dive travel.
Deb says, “If the travel industry has a future, all aspects of it need to be sustainable. There is a great (and ongoing) need and desire for education on how to travel more responsibly. This presents a great opportunity for tourism operators – and travel agents – to provide information to their clients. Your clients will be grateful for the advice and you’ll help secure a future for the industry we all love.”
Find out what else they had to say in this week’s Talking Travel.
What does your job involve?
Diveplanit Travel is a niche agency and wholesaler specialising in scuba diving holidays. We’re a small company so most of the team wears several hats! My job involves everything from product development to sales and marketing, and ultimately curating creative amazing itineraries for my clients, both for groups and FIT travellers.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
I enjoy creating the perfect diving and snorkelling itineraries for my clients, researching new destinations for my repeat clients who keep coming back to say “where to next?”
Why do you think the travel industry is the best place to work?
We get to explore the world, in all its complexities and discover new and beautiful destinations, hidden treasures, fascinating cultures and welcoming communities.
What are the biggest challenges for you in your profession?
Climate change is our biggest challenge. What were once predictable weather conditions are no longer, making it difficult to recommend simple things like; “When is the best time of year to dive in this destination?”
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
The biggest challenge the industry faces is climate change and the overconsumption of natural resources – there are not ‘plenty more fish in the sea’.
What do you think will be the biggest game changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months?
AI is of course changing the way people research travel plans, so the sooner we as agents can embrace and harness this new technology to enhance our service offering, the better.
What destination/travel trend do you think is the next big thing?
Free diving and ocean swimming are definitely the fastest growing sectors of the dive travel industry, and with them a new mindfulness component to dive holidays. As to destinations, divers, much like surfers, discover and explore remote corners of the world years before main stream travel. We’ve been diving in places like Palau and Raja Ampat for over 20 years. The expedition cruise industry is only now catching up. And we’ve moved on, exploring remote islands in the Pacific such Colombia’s Malpelo Island, the island of St Helena in the Atlantic and remote areas in northern Indonesia such as Halmahera.
What are your thoughts on responsible travel and how do you try to implement this in your workplace?
All travel needs to be responsible for there to be a future in travel for any of us. Luckily, most divers think this way – ocean lovers naturally want to protect and conserve the marine environment that brings them so much joy. We promote responsible and sustainable operators to our clients and provide tips and ideas with their travel documentation on how they can make their visit sustainable and how they can give back to the communities that host them.
Who inspires you most and why?
Tough question. There are so many wonderful dive travel operators and ocean advocates out there, fighting for the protection of our oceans and educating their guests. People like Max Amer, who pioneered dive travel in Raja Ampat back in the 1990s, who now devotes his time to fighting for better protection of this wild remote destination. Janine Duffy, co-owner of Echidna Walkabout Tours, a fantastic wildlife tour company, devoted to fighting for the protection of our critically endangered koalas, on a mission to help restore their dwindling habitat, organising tree planting events, educating tourists and lobbying for better protection. Just two of so many admirable tourism operators!
What is your must-pack travel item(s)?
Mask and snorkel, shampoo and conditioner bars, water bottle, keep cup and reef-safe sunscreen.
Who would you invite on your next holiday if you could choose anyone and where would you go?
If I had to single one person out that inspires me, it is the Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr – a better custodian of his island nation than any other leader. Palau’s marine – and topside environment is pristine, and the Palauan government has made many bold decisions to keep it that way: establishing vast marine reserves, banning fishing trawlers, single-use plastics and e-cigarette.. Not to mention his continued support of the Palau Pledge, a pledge designed to protect Palau from over-tourism and educate visitors on the importance of protecting pristine pockets of the world like this. So I guess he doesn’t need to travel, because I’d want to visit Palau!
