There’s a lot to be done when you’re preparing to leave your home of six years and move 7,000 kilometres to another country.
Packing up your belongings, arranging shipping, booking flights and, importantly, making sure your cats get to their new home safely.
These are just some of the tasks occupying the time of Marc Letourneau as he prepares to head to Australia as the new General Manager of Club Med Pacific.
Having spent six years leading Club Med’s Japan and South Korea markets, Marc is succeeding Michelle Davies as the person overseeing Australia and New Zealand
During a lull in logistics he spoke with Traveltalk about the GM role and why the new posting is actually more of a homecoming.
Marc spent years Down Under in various roles with the company, so he knows its DNA and, helpfully, some of the people he’ll now be working with.
“In my previous role I was in charge of commercial for a couple of years and was based in Sydney so I already know the market and people in our team.
“It’s a small trade community so everyone kind of knows each other in Australia. I’m super happy to come back in my new role and with new responsibility.
“I’ve told my boss and my team in Sydney that I’m not connecting with people – I’m reconnecting.”
That connection has remained strong despite Marc’s time in Asia where he has overseen the company’s commercial and marketing strategy while driving the COVID-19 recovery and growth of both markets. A keen skier, he also led the development of Club Med’s two Kiroro resorts in Hokkaido.
“Even during the last few years that I’ve been in Asia I’ve had numerous travel agencies contacting me directly because they knew I was in Japan and they had questions about the resorts in Japan specifically, so I never really lost touch.
“It feels good to be going back and still have that connection. I must admit, it’s quite exciting.”
Marc has already begun the process of reaching out to travel agents and partners ahead of his return.
“Our trade partners are very important to us in Australia and that’s always been the case. The majority of our business comes from the trade and we have very loyal, established travel agents and travel agencies that have been working with us for decades.
“In the last couple of days I’ve been reconnecting with them from a distance, but it’s nice to hear all their feedback and to see how much their business has grown with us over time as well.”
Lessons Learnt
Originally from Montreal, Marc is now a dual Canadian-Australian citizen and believes that the business acumen he’s accumulated while abroad will stand in him good stead when ‘coming home’.
“I feel I have learnt a lot from living in Asia and working on different projects from an operational and commercial point of view on strategies that will definitely help me step into the GM role.”
Marc also realises that the market has grown significantly in the 11 years since he left Australia, particularly with Aussie skiers heading to the mountains of Japan.
“When I left Australia, we had good mountain business to Japan, but we only had one resort back then.
“The size of the ski business and the number of our Aussie guests that go to the mountains is significantly much larger than when I left.
“I feel that with my background in the last six years here and with that operational knowledge, I can definitely help make the product be better understood, not only by my team but also by the trade and by the guests, because we do offer a great guest experience.”
Facing The Future
Apart from developing Club Med’s ski business, Marc is also excited about the other projects on the company’s ‘coming-soon’ list, including new resorts in Borneo (above, opening Nov. 16), Koh Samui (2028) and Manado (2029) on the horizon.
“I think it’s also the right time for me to step into the GM role because I feel that the next three to four years will be especially exciting for our business and our market.
“The opening of Borneo will be the first Southeast Asia beach opening for us in more than 20 years, so it is a very significant moment.”
These openings are in part a direct response to feedback from Aussie customers that Marc affectionately calls “repeaters”.
“We have very loyal customers in Australia. Many of them were asking for new destinations within Asia and obviously we listened.”
As our time comes to an end, I ask Marc why he thinks Club Med’s brand of all-inclusive holidays continues to be so popular after 76 years.
“I think it’s the convenience. Everyone can find their own activities and enjoy their own pleasures. Some people want to relax while others want to be active so we organise ourselves to be able to offer that.”
Evolution is also part of a successful business and Club Med’s Exclusive Collection now offers a variety of product that Marc is also keen to promote in his new role.
The Collection offers exclusive spaces with spacious accommodation, personalised services, dedicated hosts and a range of premium experiences within an elevated all-inclusive package.
“I think some people don’t know that product yet or don’t quite understand exactly what it means, but it’s our response to the changing needs of travellers.
“Although they still want to have the ambience, the fun of Club Med and being together as a family, it’s fair to say that they also expect better comfort.
“So we have moved on that side of the business, which was maybe not necessarily the priority 30 years ago, and I think people will be surprised and happy to hear that.
“This is part of my mission to make sure that this is well known and understood in my role when coming back to Australia.”
