Weka Travel is highlighting the importance of agents sharing as much information about their clients as possible, following a recent trip to Italy which saw one client visit the same village his father was stationed in as part of the Maori Battalion during WWII.
Josh Loughnan from Weka Travel says an agent had booked two couples on a seven-night trip exploring Italy, and whilst in this trip, the operator found out that one of the guests was hoping to visit locations which his father had seen during his time in the Maori Battalion during WWII. After ‘some serious research’ Weka uncovered that the father had been in New Zealand’s first Italian Battle in Orsogna. Loughnan arranged for the guest, Harry Mikaere, to spend time in this village, hosted by the deputy mayor and local council. Loughman says Mikaere was able to meet one of the residents who had been 12 when his father was stationed there, and tour the village and areas of the cemetery where many soldiers and Italians were buried. “The village was so thankful for him coming as the Italians love the New Zealanders,” says Loughman. This, he says, highlights the need for agents to gather details on what interests their travellers. “We love to create something really unique and bring to life each and every destination.”
