Travel & Tourism Awards 2021

Page 28 www.lux-review.com LUX 2021 Travel & Tourism Awards Bespoke and specialty tour operators based in Chigwell, Essex, Chigwell Tours is a company that strives to be the best. It takes great pride in its ability for innovation, having developed a wide variety of rich experiences for its guests that make it a cut above the competition. It launched in 2012 just before the London Olympics. During this time, it ran historical tour showcases of both Essex and Chigwell to give its clients an educational and enthralling tour that will stay with them long afterwards. Its London tours take clients around the history of Charles Dickens, Sir Winston Churchill MP, the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge, and the celebrity culture of the area. Today, Chigwell Tours runs over 30 tours across England, having enjoyed exponential growth since its inception. Such services now include award winning nostalgic and classic tours like steam train rides, afternoon tea, boat cruises on the Black Water estuary, its Bristol City British Airways Concorde Museum tour, and walking tours around Somerset and Bath. In terms of its client base, it takes great pride in the diversity of people who partake, and over its years in operation it has developed an inclusive and welcoming environment. Its local communities and customers overall seem to thoroughly enjoy its walking and birdwatching tours in Hainault forest; such services have had a massively positive impact on their client’s lives. During lockdown, such things became a lifeline for some people, its outdoor tours becoming a part of maintaining good mental health hygiene. At present, over 50% of its customers are older people and seasoned travellers, and such guests are the supporters behind its more traditional and leisurely services. Following this group are professionals with disposable income, international tourists, students, and those seeking something a little different to do with their weekends. Due to the wide range of people it caters to, it seeks to prioritise the creation of a service where minority groups feel welcome. Championing this core tenant of inclusivity has seen gradually more representation of different racial and social groups in its client base. Bringing positive social responsibility to its industry, Chigwell Tours is a company offering both leisure and education in its tours across England. Dec20584 Chigwell Tours Best Bespoke Tours Operator - Essex, England The founder, Salome Ahenkora, started Chigwell tours after a transition from her role as Senior Consultant for Concept Consulting RMT, which is a research, management, and training business. That business was also something she started, working in partnership with her husband. She graduated from Brunel University and the London School of Economics with two Master’s Degrees, is a former teacher, local government officer, and Home Office Advisor. She also worked in Ghana’s World Bank as a local consultant for a time. Although she started Chigwell Tours with no formal qualifications in travel and tourism, she had by that point travelled across four continents, and began the business with the support of two well-known local historians as well as making us of local knowledge from residents and universities. Internally, it has a dedication to cultivating an excellent environment within its ranks as well as with its clients. It focuses on a candidate’s teamwork skills, their leadership acumen, and how good their communication skills are. These transferrable skills underpin every aspect of its work. Additionally, staff development, up-skilling, and blazing a bright path into the future of its industry – leading by example – are all pillars of its business. It prizes a positive and can-do attitude in its staff. In the past year with the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, this was especially crucial to drive the morale needed to keep going. It plans to enter the international tourism market with a bang; Ghana Tour: will be offering 13 day winter escape tours to Ghana at the end of 2022, giving guests an authentic cultural experience of the beautiful country from its beaches and food to its eco-tourism and music. Additionally, to come in 2021, it will be introducing its corporate tours and exclusive tour packages for high end clients. This is a project that has been in the making since 2019 to target the ‘ladies who lunch’ target market. The services it will offer as a part of this will include its Royal Windsor tour repackaged to include prosecco, a guided tour of the Castle with evening and sunset walks, and evening dining. Eventually this will include overnight stay. In tandem with this, it will be offering museum tours of the Wallace Collection with afternoon tea, visits to the Black Cultural Archives, Wind Rush Square, and the Kelveden Hatch Nuclear Bunker. In the winter it also has plans to enthral its guests with a Waddesdon Manor, the French chateau in the English countryside, Bucks, Christmas tour and a Christmas mystery tour of Essex village, complete with dinner in a 400-year-old inn in front of a roaring log fire. Company: Chigwell Tours (parent name Concept Consulting RMT Ltd) Contact: Salome Ahenkora Website: Chigwelltours .co.uk