Rajah travel: Serving travelers like kings in the time of social media

MANILA, Philippines - Forty-five years ago, in 1972, husband and wife Joe and Alejandra “Dading” Clemente started what would, through the years, become the country’s biggest travel agency for travelers from and to the Philippines. The Clementes’ journey was made even more incredible when you think that they started their business with a capital of only P10,000 (or $2,000 in today’s rates, which is barely enough for a round-trip ticket to Boracay).

They called their travel agency: Rajah. “We wanted to embody travel service fit for a king, “ says Dading Clemente, who has now retired from the family business. “It was a natural choice to use the name Rajah — the highest ranking royal figure in the Philippines during the pre-colonial period.”

The logo is a kris dagger and an orb inside an orange halo. The kris represents the pinnacle of the art of metallurgy and at one time was the most important symbol of rank and power.

“The kris is also an intrinsic part of the aristocratic heirloom, perceived to be a gift from the gods in which the cumulative strength of all the ancestors still resided,” says Dading.

The Clementes wanted to preserve the legacy and culture of the Philippines and make the country known abroad by bringing in more foreign tourists.

The timing was right. In 1972, the Department of Tourism was created and headed by Secretary Jose D. Aspiras.  “From 187,000 tourist arrivals, it went up to more than a million in less than two years and this is where Rajah Tours had its break. Marketing the Philippines in the international market was made easy with the opening of doors for foreign tourists by allowing charter operations from nearby markets like Japan and Hong Kong, and the launch of the Balikbayan Program in the US; liberalizing travel entry of restricted nationals that resulted to the influx of Hong Kong tourist arrivals to the Philippines with seven days of stay without visa, and the inclusion of the Philippines in the cruise market.”

This year, Rajah celebrates its 45th year in the business. It wasn’t always easy for Dading, especially when she became a widow, but this tough, always perfectly coiffed lady has weathered all the changes in the travel industry, the challenges of selling a country that was plagued by an assassination, coup attempts, changes in tourism policies and heads, and today’s online world. 

Today, Rajah has a staff of more than 230 people with offices in Makati and Manila. It also continues to keep its international office in San Francisco and servicing a network of the biggest companies in Japan, Europe and North America.

Dading’s children now run the offices, with Aileen Clemente as president of Rajah Travel Corporation and Jojo Clemente as president of Rajah Tours Philippines.

Under Aileen, Rajah Travel is continuously receiving international recognition awards as well as airline awards. It was also recently awarded as top producer by Insight Vacations in Asia.

While it seems so easy now for Filipinos to travel around the Philippines and abroad with online booking, travel agencies like Rajah are here to stay. Rajah provides the human touch that travelers still look for — planning itineraries with experts, having someone to fix travel hitches, and for group travel such as pilgrimages, nothing beats having a Filipino tour director or tour guide to ensure a hassle-free journey, especially if it’s a multi-country tour abroad.

Excerpts of our interview with Dading, Jojo and Aileen Clemente.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR: Dading, now that you’re retired, what do you enjoy doing most?

DADING CLEMENTE: New York is an alternate home for me, where my daughter Marilen resides. There are so many things and places to enjoy — there’s Broadway, the baseball parks in New York and Boston (my favorites being the Yankees and the Red Sox), and watching the US Open and seeing Rafael Nadal play.

What are your favorite travel destinations apart from New York?

DADING: Spain and London.

Where are Filipinos traveling these days, are there new destinations opening up?

AILEEN CLEMENTE: There are just so many places now that the Philippines has more flights, and more direct flights and low-cost flights going to numerous destinations. One that’s grown a lot is Japan, followed by New Zealand, apart from ASEAN destinations.

What about for the inbound market, what are the favorite destinations in the Philippines?

JOJO CLEMENTE:  It varies by market. For instance, the North Americans like going to El Nido, Boracay, as well as Cebu and Bohol. The Europeans usually have a long tour component, which includes places like Banaue, Sagada, Ilocos, Puerto Princesa, Bohol and Coron. The Japanese still consider Cebu and Bohol as their main destinations along with Palawan.

What are the challenges Rajah faces now that people are booking online?

AILEEN: There’s definitely the new group that does booking online, but Rajah Travel also has its online booking tool to cater to that DIY (Do-It-Yourself) market. As they mature as travelers, they also learn how to value the service and knowledge of agents. Rajah caters to each market type. Travelers learn that they should make use of an agent to put their trip together. Second, they know that a travel agent will know how to provide better value than what a consumer would usually get if they did the booking themselves, like getting club floors in hotels, getting tours that you wouldn’t be able to get if you did it on your own, and so on.

What services do you offer that travelers can never get from booking online?

AILEEN: There’s the expertise of travel agents that isn’t available to the general public. For example, our Insight Vacations tours are premium tours that include in its Luxury Gold category dining in a Michelin-starred restaurant. If one would do this on their own, they would probably have to queue for six months just to get a table. Special VIP slots in museums is another. Our tours go in earlier— and this is earlier than even other group tours. We even have one tour where we have dinner inside the Vatican. We make sure that experience is key to travelers. It’s not always about travelling on a budget, but rather taking on the intangible value of the experience of travelling.

JOJO: While it has become a challenge to compete with online companies at times, brick-and-mortar companies like ours still have some advantages. What online companies cannot provide is the human touch. There is still a sense of reassurance that clients feel when they are talking to someone on the other line when they make decisions about where to go, how to go about it and what information is available. Dealing with an actual person makes troubleshooting easier as well. When a problem arises, a client can usually get in touch with the people who organized their trip and get resolution almost immediately.

For Philippine tourism, what challenges do you face selling the country to both balikbayans and foreign travelers?

JOJO: Where do I begin? Infrastructure is still the primary challenge we are facing at the moment. Infrastructure in terms of airports, hotels and adequate transportation, among others. Of those, the higher priority would be the airports, especially in Manila. The constant delays of flights are now beyond laughable and serve to turn off our tourists. Addressing this problem of congestion will go a long way in further improving our image as a desirable destination. Furthermore, opening more airports will make lesser-known destinations accessible and diffuse the overpopulation of our more popular places of interest.

 With regard to hotels, a wide selection of accommodations has become available in the main destinations such as Boracay, Cebu and Bohol. However, in places like Ilocos, Banaue, Dumaguete and others, there is still a need to build hotels to cater to all kinds of demand. Of course, building hotels is a function of demand as there needs to be a constant flow of tourists to support them.

What are your memorable travel experiences traveling abroad and your favorite destinations?

DADING: I enjoy traveling with friends on our Insight Vacations and pilgrimage tours. It’s always fun to travel with Alice San Juan, former president of Rajah Travel. We’ve had so many unbelievable experiences and accidents traveling together, and she always takes care of me.

One of my most memorable was celebrating my birthday on an Insight fam tour in Spain and Portugal with my two daughters and with our dear friend Robin Yap, president of The Travel Corporation for the Asian region, together with the GSAs of Insight in Asia. Also, seeing plays in London like Ms. Saigon, Evita and Sunset Boulevard, which were included in the tour.

AILEEN: I always appreciate each and every blessing of travelling. But more than the destination, it is travelling with people that mean so much to me. My father used to tell me his exploits in the places that we would travel together and these are really special moments.  I also love places that have palaces and castles as I always dream of those who have lived there in the past. I also like going to UN World Heritage Sites and tick them off my bucket list. Or sometimes, I even just enjoy the grandness of the hotel that I am staying at.

I have also been travelling to unexplored places in the Philippines which we want to develop further into sustainable tourism destinations, so watch out for those too!

Which destinations in the Philippines do you enjoy the most?

JOJO: I’m a bit old school, so I still love going to Baguio from time to time. It’s not the Baguio of my youth but it still has that hold on me. Coron is also one of my preferred places. I’m a Pisces so the sea calls out to me. Coron is one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines — clear waters, fresh air and so much natural beauty. This is one of the places to go to detoxify. I was also in Ilocos recently after 10 years of not going and I’m glad I went. The food was fantastic, the history and culture is so rich and the people very warm. Bohol is also a place I like going to as it is quiet and the beaches are fantastic. Life is laid-back and the seafood is just amazing.

What are your top travel tips to people wanting to explore the Philippines?

JOJO: I always advise them not to believe everything they read or watch about the Philippines. We have a beautiful country and kind people waiting to be discovered. I also steer them to places that are not touristy or stay in places that have a native element to them. Those places give a better image of what the country is about. I also advise them to try the local cuisine wherever they go. Filipino food is not as well known but is as delicious or better than other Asian cuisines.

And for Filipinos traveling abroad?

AILEEN: Don’t always go for budget prices because you will probably end up spending more when you get to the destination. Get your bucket list out and prepare to book them prior to going on your trip. Get a travel insurance. Have fun!

What do you think is the influence of social media in the travel industry today?

JOJO: A destination can be made or broken with one post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. This is good in the sense that if people enjoy where they are, the bigger the chance that their friends or followers can be influenced to come and visit. On the other hand, an unflattering post may also lead to creating a negative impression for people who may not have been here or have planned to visit. As with all things, there is a good and bad side to social media.

* * *

Check out the author’s travel blog at www.findingmyway.net. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @iamtanyalara.