As Malta’s leading leisure travel company, ROCS Travel – a member of the ROCS Group – ensures clients enjoy an unforgettable travel experience. However, it isn’t just holidays that are made magic at ROCS, but professions too. Here, one of ROCS’ Travel Division Managers, Bjorn Vassallo, explains how being part of the ROCS Group can help forge a world-class career.
Bought and never sold, travel offers a lasting experience: a literal vacation from real life and a chance to explore different cultures, cities, countries and communities. For Bjorn Vassallo, Manager of ROCS Group’s renowned Travel Division, seeing the world is just one of the many perks of travel – as well as of building a career at the top of Malta’s booming travel industry.
“Travel helps you see everything when you return home from a new perspective,” he says. “As part of ROCS Travel, we travel regularly on familiarisation trips so that we can speak from personal experience about a destination. I’ve been to various countries with ROCS, including Sri Lanka, Maldives, South Africa, Cyprus, Australia, New Zealand, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai several times. We aim to offer something more than a brochure – we strive to become travel experts that can help curate a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with our first-hand experience.”
Vassallo has worked in the travel sector for more than 22 years – 12 of them with ROCS Travel, after years with Air Malta and Egyptair. Across those two decades, he has had a front-row-seat to the evolution of the ever-changing travel industry, both in Malta and across the globe.
“Travel was always my passion,” he continues. “When ROCS approached me in 2011 to join the Group, it was an easy decision – here was the best and the biggest company in travel, and you can’t get better than that! But even with my experience in the industry, there is a constant learning curve as the world of travel changes, which is why ROCS prioritises familiarisation trips, in-house training and hands-on research. 22 years ago, people were not that adventurous, often travelling repeatedly to the same short-haul destination. Today, travellers want to see more of the world on longer, long-haul trips. As Malta’s leading leisure travel company, we must be ready to adapt to their changing needs, and those of the sector. We need to have taken those trips ourselves.”
ROCS Group has itself already travelled a 50-year journey. Established by the Vella family alongside founder and chairman Charles Alexander Vella, the Group began in hospitality before becoming a leader in many different sectors beyond travel, including real estate, media, insurance, financial services, leisure, recruitment and retail. Meanwhile, ROCS has been the top passenger sales agent for Emirates Airlines since the first EK flight landed in Malta – charting the path for ROCS Group to also become a household name in Libya and the UAE.
“We are proud of our ongoing partnership with Emirates, which started hand-in-hand with ROCS Travel 25 years ago. ROCS was the first company in Malta to offer customers the chance to visit Dubai, at a time when very few people knew anything about the destination. Ms Vella took a chance and bought 500 seats,” Vassallo recalls, referring to pioneering ROCS Group Director Rachel Vella. “In the end, she sold a thousand. Today, ROCS Travel is still the main agents for Emirates Holidays, with individual and tour packages, special prices and unique expertise. If you want to go to Dubai, you go with ROCS.”
Malta’s enviable location at the heart of the Mediterranean makes it well-connected, both to the rest of Europe and the UAE. Plus, as an island, travel is an essential industry for both visitors and locals in Malta – and, as such, it offers unparalleled career opportunities, highlights Vassallo: “One of my favourite aspects of my role is meeting different clients, from businessmen to families, and creating tailor-made packages according to their needs. I love the challenge of a complicated package request, as it’s a chance to research and sometimes learn about new destinations. Our goal is to provide travel with passion, to give expert help to travellers from someone they can trust and rely upon – especially for those long-haul destinations – with special prices and guidance throughout, before, during and after the trip.”
In fact, those visiting the ROCS Group stand at the MFCC Trade Fair between June 23 and July 2, 2023 will discover the latest unbeatable ROCS Travel promotion: book a ROCS holiday package at the event and receive two free flights to one of Air Malta’s hottest destinations: Geneva or Prague, plus a complimentary suitcase! “We love the idea that, with ROCS, people can fly for free and experience the magic of one of these two remarkable European cities, as well as enjoy a great holiday package. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for us to connect with our clients, exchange ideas and explore exciting possibilities over a glass of bubbly together,” says Vassallo.
The chance to reconnect in person with clients is especially appreciated, after arguably one of the hardest times for the global travel industry, which ROCS Group overcame by channelling its top service standards and core values of trust, quality, loyalty, transparency and commitment.
“The hands-on team ethic at ROCS starts from the top, and that was especially evident during the pandemic when the Group ensured all staff remained in employment for as long as it took, while at the same time processing millions of euros in refunds to passengers who could not travel due to COVID-19,” he continues. “We worked as a team, from home, putting our clients’ minds at rest that we were still available. Our focus shifted from sales to client service and retention, who appreciated speaking to humans rather than bots. This strengthened our client relationships, and their trust in us grew more than ever before.”
Now with ROCS Travel busier than ever, and with a firm eye on Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East as increasingly popular destinations, life as part of the ROCS Group remains exciting and rewarding. “I’m hugely proud to work with ROCS,” concludes Vassallo. “This is the best place in Malta for a career, not a job – and the Group is constantly expanding into new divisions, products and destinations, so the sky’s the limit in terms of opportunities. I’m a proud ROCStar!”
For more information about ROCS Group and the career opportunities currently available at ROCS Travel, visit www.rocsgrp.com/careers. Visit the ROCS Group stand at the MFCC Trade Fair from June 23 to July 2, 2023.