TRAVELLING THE PATHS OF SUCCESS
An unforgettable tour guide experience with an unexpected reward, accompanied by a strong passion for adventure has led Suki Chong, Founder of MYS Travel Sdn Bhd to set up her own travel and tour company. As her company became well known in the tourism industry, Suki has been featured in a few media channels. In a recent interview with AFT, Suki talks about her background, her journey in establishing MYS Travel Sdn Bhd and the plans she has for her company.
Suki Chong grew up in an upper middle class happy and loving family but after her father passed away when she was 10 years old, her family had to strive to earn a living. “Everyone, including me, contributed to supporting the family. I worked as a part time waitress at a young age,” says Suki as she recalls her childhood moment.
“As soon as I stepped into the working world, I was keen to build a successful career. I took up the challenge to work as a tour guide and during that time, it was a good experience as I had a lot to learn,” shares Suki. “I remembered an incident when I was guiding a tour, a talkative tourist was constantly communicating with me throughout the entire trip. It was a tiring but unique experience. At the end of the trip, the gentleman gave me a red envelope with lots of money to reward me for my dedication to my job during the whole journey. This truly motivated me so I decided to start my own travel and tour company in 2009,” laughs Suki. The name MYS was taken after the initials of her three children and the company is now her focus and it propels her to work with passion and dedication.
A few years ago, local travels were popular, but the demand for overseas travel started to arise too. “At MYS, we specialize in catering every single tour journey based on the personal needs and wants of our customers. For instance, a family of four would love a little adventure during their travels but not too much to the point of the parents having to worry about their children’s safety. However, a young couple wouldn’t mind experiencing a great adventure as they won’t be bringing along any little ones during the tour,” says Suki enthusiastically.
At MYS Travel, everyone is a professional at their jobs. “I strongly believe that a good leader is also an understanding and firm teacher. Someday, I hope to leave the leadership role to my subordinates, but they would need to learn and master the required skills for the job first,” explains Suki as she shares the secret of her company’s success.
In every business, challenge are inevitable. “As we are a service-oriented industry, the greatest challenge I face is recruiting talents who understand the importance of having the spirit of service to customers,” says Suki. “I would advise young people who are interested in obtaining a lifelong career in the tourism industry to learn and garner as much knowledge about the industry as possible, remain humble and never give up.”
Suki is happy and grateful for the success acquired and she attributes it to her mother and sister who have given her support and help when she needed it most. “It’s not easy for me to balance my time with work and family but I am thankful to my mother and sister, as they were always there for me when I needed a helping hand,” shares Suki with a sense of gratitude.
In spite of her success, Suki never forgets to give back to society and she is planning to establish a service center for charity purposes. She is also considering exploring her artistic side for further business expansions.
