An Interview With Pat Boadu-Darko, Principal Tour Organiser, PBD Travel International

1.       How did you get started in this business?

I am originally from Ghana and I have lived in London for thirteen years now.  I have a BBA in English and also a Diploma in Education. I obtained my Masters in Tourism Marketing from the University of Surrey in 1993. 

In Ghana we have national service which is not military in nature, and I spent one year teaching English in the country.  I have worked in the Ministry of Culture & Tourism in Ghana doing PR work, and also in a Ghana development company.  I then spent four years teaching in Papua New Guinea in 1996, and about eight months in Saudi Arabia in 2014.

Now that my children are grown up, I want to be involved in a tourism business, which is my passion. So I started this business PBD Travel International in October 2011 to bring residents around the country they live in because I realise that even though we live in this city, many of us have not visited the many attractions here. I am also involved in the mentoring programme with the University of Surrey and I have mentored a student from the university, whose project was to help me revamp my business including its website and propose new marketing strategies.

2.       What is your perception of Singapore?

I have not visited Singapore yet, but I have passed through its airport during a transit from Papua New Guinea. I feel that Singapore is known for its banking and finance service sectors, but many people here do not know it as a tourist destination. My impression of Singapore is that it is a beautiful city with friendly people.   

I have seen advertisements of Malaysia in UK, but none on Singapore. There are also flights to Ghana via Dubai which makes Dubai a good stopover destination for us.

3.       How do you think we can enhance the awareness of Singapore as a tourist destination?

You can perhaps organise events such as a travel quiz to get people together, create some excitement, provide a nice reception with food and cocktail, and get word out to people about the place. You can also leverage on key days such as National Day to get people in the community together to celebrate the destination, and indirectly creating awareness of the destination.

My company runs such events regularly, about twice a year.  It also provided us with a platform to connect with our potential customers to understand their concerns why they are not coming on-board with us. These events were hugely successful for us.

Thank you, Pat.