Suryadi Oentara

University Experiences Opens Up Success Route for Tour & Travel Buiness

What started as an interest in tour & travel and airlines management ushers Suryadi, UPH’s Tourism alumni cohort 2006 renowned in the same business. Suryadi go all the way when it comes to tour & travel – he is now leading PT. Saung Bulian Tour & Travel (2013), IndoTravelStore Wholesaler (2017), and Sales Touch For Trip Korea - Korea Land Operator (2018). As it turns out, Suryadi’s successful business stared as the major he chose at UPH. He admits that his career is highly relevant to what he gets back then. It is no surprise that he adapts quickly as he dives into the industry.

“Almost 70% of my classes were practice-based. Furthermore, I was chosen as the head of Student’s Association at 2007-2008. When I serve, I was the youngest student associate to ever lead in the history of UPH’s organization. The opportunity only increases my chance of learning how to socialize, increase leadership, making decision, and strengthen my networking abilities,” he recalled.

Through his career in tour & travel, his leadership is sharpened even further. Suryadi holds a few secrets that made him succeed in leading his business line, which are creating consumer loyalty, innovate products according to the market trend, integrity, and trust.

“Honesty is no less important than the values I’ve shared. It is as important as the quality that we give our consumers. There are a lot of similar products sold in the tour & travel business, but let not those similarities became a threat, but rather motivation to increase your customer service. It’s like… if your consumer is satisfied, he/she will bring a minimum of 10 new consumers for you,” he explains.

Suryadi believed that in Indonesia, the tourism business has a huge opportunity and it needed specialization and professionalism from each one to succeed.

“With these two key, we’ll be able to gain both consumer and supplier’s trust. Of course, this kind of business is highly affected by external factors such as security and political issues and even COVID-19, we have to believe that these external factors are temporary and that everything will come back to it’s regular normal in time,” Suryadi says optimistically.

As an UPH graduate, Suryadi hopes that his Millennial juniors are always up to date with news from all over the world and in all aspect so that they will be able to create job opportunities that are unique and unheard of.

“I’m hoping that there will more UPH students who will show up as entrepreneurs and create jobs rather than merely seeking for one,” he says enthusiastically.