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IGT International Group Travel Israel—Redefines the Travel Industry

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From left to right  Kim Melchior- Director of Business Development Yoav Sharon- CEO Lior Mahatabi-Director of Marketing How can the largest tour operator in Israel maintain a personal flavor and the highest level of “one on one” customer service? You have to meet the President, Founder and Father of IGT International Group Travel, Benny Sivan, to fully understand this achievement.

In a time of mega chain types of business that thrive on being as “impersonal” as possible, IGT’s personality is a ‘breath of fresh air.” Meeting “Benny” is truly an experience, his demeanor is charismatic and the story of IGT Travel is a lesson in business administration.

 

IGT was founded in 1991 by Sivan who came from a longtime history in the travel industry and who was executive manager of Marketing at the Inbal Hotel, formerly called the La Romme, when it opened in 1982. IGT has grown today to a tour conglomerate with five travel centers throughout Israel, each specializing in another aspect of the group travel business. The different divisions include, Individual Travel, Conventions and Event Management, Bar Mitzvah and Special Events and Incentives and Corporate Travel.

Sivan attributes IGT’s growth and success to its 70 employees, the majority who come from the hotel and travel industry. Sivan states: “A big percentage of our staff are ex hoteliers, it gives us a big advantage as we know both sides of the business”, to them customer service is second nature. Examples of this are Sivan’s history at the Inbal Hotel as well as that of Lior Mahtabi, IGT’s Director of Marketing, who was formerly director of sales and marketing for the David Citadel Hotel. It is for this reason that IGT has amongst its clients prestigious Jewish Organizations such as Birthright Taglit, State of Israel Bonds, Hadassah Women’s Organization,, United Israel Appeal, JOINT, Jewish National Fund, WIZO, Aish Hatorah and numerous Federation missions.

Benny Sivan

A rapidly growing area for IGT is family group travel and family event travel services. Many families come to Israel to celebrate family events such as Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s, Weddings, Anniversaries and other family celebrations. IGT can provide them with outstanding packages which include event planning and arranging of the event venue, catering at the venue, hotel accommodations, transportation, travel and tour guide services and all the needs that will enhance the family event and make it pleasure full. IGT’s size and buying power as a tour consolidator allow it to offer very competitive rates and the highest level of service. Sivan points out that it was a well known fact that the months of January to March were the worst months for tourism in Israel and those months have now been revitalized by family group travel and also from various other tour groups that now come to Israel from the United States.

Sivan mentions with pride that IGT has become the leader in family group travel for the Syrian Jewish Community. He has made special efforts to give them what they desire, the best Israel family travel packages, with top notch accommodations and excellent services at the best price. Sivan says that he has many requests from the Syrian Jewish Community that result from recommendations by “word of mouth”.

Many of the tour groups coming to Israel are from Christian Ministries. In addition to its Jewish clientele, IGT has a full division specializing in the rapidly growing Christian and Christian Evangelical tourism segment of the Israel travel market. Sivan points out that tourism to Israel has hit its historic peaks over the past two years, largely because of the Christian travelers to Israel. Today, almost two thirds of tourism to Israel is from non-Jewish travelers most of them Christian. IGT provides them with touring packages such as Pilgrim Holyland Tours and hotel, tour guide and other land services for Christian groups traveling all over Israel.

Sivan points to the various customer service systems that IGT has implemented to personalize the travel experience for its clients. Every hotel reservation is checked prior to and after check-in to make sure that the customers have received the proper accommodations and the service he deserves from the hotel. IGT employs three field operators whose sole job is to keep checking with hotels and travel venues that all arrangements are proper and timely.

This level of customer service has earned IGT high recognition by major worldwide providers of travel services such as Expedia, Hotel.com, Trip Advisor and Kuoni/GTA Division of Gulliver’s Travel Associates IGT is the exclusive representative in Israel of Expedia and makes travel arrangements for them as well as represents them to the various hotels in Israel.

IGT staff as well as its management has been with the company for many years. Yoav Sharon, CEO and former CFO of Keren Hayesod, runs a “tight ship” while Kim Melchior, Director of Business Development continues to build and expand the company. The company also continues to bring in fresh young talent to help management and to keep a good balance between experience and youthful motivation amongst the employees.

Sivan relates a story of a tour group a few years prior, where a woman thanked him for the great service and told him how happy she was that they used a “smaller company” for the arrangements, because she thought that a “small company can give better service”. Sivan states, that being the biggest tour operator in Israel allows him to present the best availability and cost options to his clients, and it is his unending goal to continue to provide “excellent personal service” along with the best tour and travel options available in Israel.

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