meon valley travel

Business travel firm repatriates hundreds during pandemic

Meon Valley Travel Group has organised the repatriation of hundreds to countries including the UK, Australia and the United States

• 03:00, 23 JUN 2020

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The boss of a travel business which specialises in emergency repatriation services said they have helped hundreds of people get home during the global lockdown .

Meon Valley Travel Group has organised the repatriation of hundreds of people back to the UK, Australia, the United States, Germany, France and other countries since the pandemic hit.

The business, which also deals with business trips, holidays and emergency medical assistance, employs almost 100 people from its head office in Petersfield, Hampshire, and a business travel office in Thurmaston, Leicester.

Managing director James Beagrie said business travel and overseas holidays disappeared overnight when the pandemic hit.

But working with NatWest the company has used the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) to provide it with the working capital to maintain its operations helping repatriate people to their home countries and support customers whose holidays have been cancelled.

Mr Beagrie, who has chaired several sector bodies in a career spanning more than 20 years in the industry, said: “The pandemic has resulted in a significant number of people finding themselves in very difficult situations abroad and away from their homes and families.

“Many are professionals whose employers have sought to repatriate them for safety reasons during the pandemic, while others are sadly in hospital needing to come home.

“The specialist services we provide are vital to helping these people, which is why it was so important we maintained our core operations during lockdown.

“It has been difficult, there is no denying that.

“The pandemic has resulted in a significant part of our business being temporarily impacted, but we’ve built a resilient product and team, and the support and speed in which NatWest has worked to help us has only gone to enhance our mindset giving us the confidence we need to move forward positively and help the people that rely upon our business.”

Mikael Rosen, NatWest relationship director for the Solent region, said: “Our purpose at NatWest is to support the people, businesses and communities we serve, and that purpose has never been more important than now.

“Companies like Meon Valley Group play a pivotal role in our regional economies providing employment, investment and important services.

“Our role was to provide the support and help they needed so they could continue doing what they do so well.

“That means more than just providing finance; it means doing everything you can to help businesses during this difficult time and that is what we strive to do every day.”

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Meon Valley Travel increase sales by 23% with customer reviews

Independent travel agency, Meon Valley Travel, is looking to transform the industry through incredible customer service and a passion for excellence.

As a multi-faceted, award-winning travel company, they provide a full travel support service for leisure, business and emergency assistance travel, with customers ranging from private clients through to global brands.

The challenge

Meon Valley Travel had no accurate performance indicators or clear view of how their service was perceived by their customers, other than the thank you letters that they regularly received.

Needing a comprehensive way of collecting customer reviews, they turned to Feefo to help them connect with their customers; track and improve sales performance, and to find out if they were actually delivering the exceptional customer experience that they promised.

“There’s no doubt Feefo has had a profoundly positive impact on how Meon Valley Travel is perceived within the public domain. I’d recommend Feefo to any business looking to sharpen their online reputation through customer-led feedback.”

Group Marketing Manager

The solution

Working closely with an independent developer and Feefo’s own technical team, set up was seamless, and reviews started to roll in within a matter of weeks.

The switch to a dynamic invite-only review request system almost immediately paid off, with 10x more feedback coming in from customers. This constant stream of reliable reviews went a long way towards improving relationships with their existing customers. Meanwhile, being able to display the real opinions of genuine customers on their site, as well as in their Google search ads, helped to build trust in the Meon Valley brand amongst prospective customers and greatly improve ad performance.

The additional insight also gave Meon Valley a greater understanding into the quality of their customer service and allowed them to make better business decisions to help continually improve the customer experience for future travellers.

Feefo now forms an integral part of the day to day operations of Meon Valley. Combined with more efficient CRM and presentation tools, productivity has risen by 43% since its introduction. The quality of customer reviews is now used to help measure sales team performance, with the insight gained informing future improvements to the sales process.

The results

The added trust of displaying genuine customer reviews with Feefo has contributed to significant growth for Meon Valley.

2018 saw a 23% increase in sales, due in part to the prominence of having real customer feedback displayed throughout the buying journey.

Feefo’s Service Review widget allows visitors to the Meon Valley website to easily access reviews no matter what page they’re visiting, helping grow trust in the service and increasing customer confidence when making a booking.

Displaying their Feefo star rating in their Google ads significantly contributed towards a 24% increase in click-through rates for ‘brand name’ searches, driving more traffic to the Meon Valley site and increasing potential sales opportunities.

In the very competitive world of business travel, where service is everything, being able to prominently display star ratings on search ads makes Meon Valley stand out from the crowd.

Founded in 2010, Feefo is a ratings and reviews platform that collects reliable and constructive reviews for thousands of clients worldwide. We only send invitations to verified customers to ask them to leave a review, so consumers can learn how people like them feel about different products and services. And companies can truly discover what they’re doing right, and where they can improve. This allows Feefo’s clients to create transparent, trusted relationships and deliver exceptional services that their customers can depend on - every time.

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Let's go road tripping: 5 ideas for a getaway day for Beaver Valley folks

Ohio, west virginia and pennsylvania points north and south offer summer fun.

Who's ready for a road trip?

This deep into summer, people start craving an adventure with fresh scenery and new places to eat, drink and be merry.

Allow us to suggest these five road-trip destinations for Beaver Valley-ites.

Keeping in mind gas prices and hotel costs, don't worry: We'll have you back home the same night that you leave, with your vehicle's tank at least half-full.

Columbiana County, Ohio

Just 18 miles from Chippewa Township, this homespun haven for fun boasts an enviable craft beer, cider and wine scene.

Sip suds outdoors by the bonfire at Ill Will Brewing while playing a game of chess with child-size chess pieces. Get there early for the farm market next door, or head across the street to Firestone Farms Plaza at the eastern end of the county seat, where people pop into SunDog Ciderhouse and Winery, BrewLounge craft brewery and patio or the upscale-meets-casual Homestead Kitchen & Cocktails.

BirdFish a few miles west is where craft beer drinkers gather for made-on-site brews enjoyed with live bands, weekend food trucks and two rooms filled with pinball machines and arcade games.

For a more relaxing vibe, drink a toast lakeside on the outdoor patio of The Vineyards at Pine Lake, just past the Old-Fashioned Christmas in The Woods Festival grounds familiar to Beaver County residents.

Families might want to cool off in Columbiana's public swimming pool and large water slide at The Harvey S. Firestone Recreational Park.

Wheeling, W.Va.

About 80 minutes from Beaver County lies the jewel of the Upper Ohio Valley, Wheeling, W.Va., with pleasurable riverfront views and 24 miles of rails-to-trail for walkers, joggers, cyclists and rollerbladers.

Famed as a Christmas lights destination, Wheeling's Oglebay Park offers an abundance of summer recreation, too, like fishing and pedal boating on Schenk Lake, horseback riding, wooded walking trails, the photo opp-worthy Bissonnette Gardens, the Crispin Center outdoor pool and splash pad, the Museums of Oglebay Institute and two professional golf courses designed by acclaimed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones and legend Arnold Palmer.

The historic Centre Market district is home to locally owned shops, boutiques and eateries.

Pulaski-Volant-New Wilmington

Closer to home, you'll find a trail of shopping and beverage delights in Lawrence County.

Start your day in Volant village, visiting 25 quaint shops and eateries on an old-fashioned main street nestled among rolling hills. Amish buggies glide past the gristmill built in 1812 and now housing an Americana and antique specialty shop. Other Main Street shops offer Victorian collectibles, homemade arts and crafts, Christmas specialties, pottery, music-related items and contemporary fashions.

If you start getting thirsty or tired, pull up a wooden chair outside the Knockin Noggin Cidery and Winery specializing in sparkling hard cider crafted in Pennsylvania. "Fresh pressed fruit with a gluten-free apple base is a crafted experience in every sip," notes Visit Lawrence County.

Eleven miles to the west of Knockin Noggin is the Nova Destinations in Pulaski, a spacious rural compound with a lake in the middle of it, surrounded by the Nova Cellars Winery, Brew 32 Craft Brewery and Scallywag Distilling craft distillery.

Or kick it low-key, strolling around nearby New Wilmington, home of Westminster College, the Apple Castle orchard and farm market, Hop Asylum Brewery and the Borough Park Amphitheater’s “Arts in the Park” summer series offering all types of family entertainment like a July 26 Movie Night: "Taylor Swift Eras Tour," an Aug. 10 Beatlemania concert and the Aug. 16 "Super Mario Brothers" movie screening. Full schedule at livenewwilmington.com.  

Ohiopyle-Fallingwater

Just under two hours away from central Beaver County lies Ohiopyle State Park, where the Youghiogheny River affords some of the best kayaking and whitewater boating opportunities in the Eastern U.S., as well as fishing and access to multiple waterfalls.

Hiking and horseback riding are other popular activities at the 20,500-acre park and gateway to the Laurel Highlands.

Before heading there, schedule a tour at nearby famed Fallingwater, the famed architectural wonder and National Historic Landmark built as a residence by Frank Lloyd Wright. Gates are open daily (except Wednesdays) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with bookings at 724-329-8501 or at fallingwater.org.

Washington-Canonsburg

Maybe this is the summer you see the Washington Wild Things play ball. Minor League Baseball is a rich part of the National Pastime, with cozy 3,200-seat Wild Things Park, just outside Washington, Pa., a prime place to root, root, root for the home team. Upcoming promotions include Kids Eat Free Sunday versus the New York Boulders (July 28), Fireworks Friday versus the Sussex County Miners (Aug. 2), Thirsty Thursday beer specials versus the Florence Y'alls (Aug. 8), and Halloween Night versus the Schaumburg Boomers (Sept. 1.)

Maybe afterward, you'll want to visit the nearby Hollywood Casino & Racetrack at The Meadows, or beforehand enjoy a few scoops of deliciousness at Sarris Candies' old-fashioned ice cream parlor just up the road in Canonsburg.

More: Beaver Falls' Vanesa Campagna co-wrote song in acclaimed Celine Dion documentary

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at [email protected] .

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Open 365 days a year, Meon Repatriation Travel Management Service is a professional buyer for worldwide assistance travel requirements and a trusted supplier to Insurance and Assistance companies on all four continents.

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The 24-hour around the clock team at Meon Repatriations uses its extensive knowledge and expertise to compare and contrast a variety of airfares.

Our Industry leading turnaround time means we deliver three viable options for evaluation on average within an hour or receipt of the case. We will explore all options for getting passengers back home.

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Our UK based Repatriation team operates on a 24/7 basis, 365 days a year providing a seamless round the clock service with no gaps or handovers ensuring a consistently high service level regardless of what time it is day or night.

Repatriation flights require an in-depth specialist knowledge and a global network of contacts.

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We utilise worldwide to worldwide flights so that you never pay more than you need to for flights due to our localised pricing.

Utilising £1.1bn of buying power to deliver industry leading repatriation fares, we can offer cost reductions with an average savings in excess of 60% on flight costs harnessing our unique specialist air contracts. These fare are exclusive to welfare clients and cannot be found elsewhere.

Powered by our Point of Origin fares we access local airfare content for more than 470 airlines from 70 countries on one single platform.

We can also arrange accommodation for patients, relatives, and medical escorts close to the admissions hospital, as well as stretchers and seated repatriation by commercial airline.

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