10 - 16 May 2001

Norman’s wisdom

Most people know him as an eminent broadcaster and one of Malta’s media pioneers. For the past nine years, however, more and more people are getting to know Norman Hamilton in a different context: the travel trade. This week KEVIN DRAKE attempts to extract yet more tasty tit-bits related to the secrets of success from the broadcaster and successful travel entrepreneur NORMAN HAMILTON.

Norman. As is the norm (pardon the pun!), I usually kick-off the interview by extracting as much relevant background information as possible.
(Pensive look) Where do I begin? Well, I was born in St Julian’s but I consider myself a citizen of Floriana. I lived in Floriana for many years but I also spent a long time as a boarder at St Joseph in Rabat and at St Aloysius. My mother and father had separated when I was only five years old and it was around that time that I became a boarder. My mother spent a good deal of time abroad. I suppose that I inherited the “travel-bug” from her. She worked as a tour-manager with a London-based outbound travel company called Blue Cars for many years. My father was a civilian officer with the British Army based at the Auberge de Castille.

Did being a boarder greatly influence your formation?
Well, with the nuns at St Joseph it was an interesting time but I was too young to appreciate it. We were a mixed school but only the boys were boarders. The nuns would spoil us. They’d pamper us constantly. At St Aloysius the pampering ended and that’s where the discipline began. I suppose it’s also where one learnt how to become devious (smiles).

Devious?
At St Aloysius they had something called the “Accipé”. This was a small metal ball that would be passed on from one boy to another whenever Maltese was spoken! It was a very uncomfortable little thing to have in your hand especially when 6pm drew nearer. Whoever had the “Accipé” in his hand at the stroke of 6pm would be given “six of the best”. Because of this dreaded deadline you’d use any devious means possible to trick your mates into uttering something in Maltese so that the “Accipé” passes on to them before six. Maltese was a subject you studied in class, but it was a punishable offence to speak Maltese at any other time. The “Ferlas” was pretty popular too. This was a medieval-style stick, about one foot long, one side leather, the other side lead. Depending on the “offence”, the choice would then be made regarding whether you were to be whacked with the leather side or the lead side.

(Tongue firmly lodged in cheek) And were there any public floggings or hangings?
(Laughs heartily) No. But I suppose it’s a good way how to learn discipline. You learn how to become a man, how to accept responsibilities. I don’t think that corporal punishment was a good thing, but being a boarder, yes. Very positive. Although not many people agree with me, I think it’s a shame that we don’t have boarding schools any more. Having two young girls of my own (nine and 14), I’m really able to appreciate the advantages of boarding schools. Children today are too pampered, too spoilt. They’re too used to having everything their own way. Boarders don’t have the benefit of choice. Whatever work needs to be done, you do it, you do it well and on time. That way you can enjoy your weekends much more. I don’t really subscribe to the idea of children clinging on to their parents and being wholly dependent upon them for such a long time. Spending time away from your parents helps considerably later on. It makes you more mature, it makes you independent.

And after you left boarding school?
My first work experience was with the Army (RASC) as a “Temporary Male Clerk”. It was after this short period in the RASC that I began my career in broadcasting with the BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Services).

How did that come about?
My love for music began at an early age. I remember staying up at night listening to Radio Luxembourg on my clandestine radio (with earphone) at St Aloysius. Radio Luxembourg was a cutting-edge station way ahead of its time. I was hooked on it, particularly the British Deejays. My father would also buy the music weeklies for me: The New Musical Express and the Melody Maker. I think that I was very up-to-date as far as contemporary music was concerned. Anyhow, while I was at the RASC I applied to present a programme on BFBS, knowing full well that at the time (early 1960s) they would only accept British servicemen as presenters. Coming as I did from the RASC, with a name like Hamilton, they immediately assumed that I was a British serviceman. I passed the voice tests and, in the space of six months, I was presenting a three-hour Sunday afternoon programme. It was also after six months that I was rumbled by the head of programmes who discovered that his Maltese wife knew my Maltese family. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to lose me so he kept the whole business under wraps.

How did you get away with it for so long, though?
I did have a slight accent but they put it down to my being Irish (Smiles). I didn’t stay there for very long though. A vacancy came up with Rediffusion and I applied once again, this time though with the BFBS experience under my belt. Once more I had the door shut in my face. I was very disillusioned so when the opportunity arose for civilian officers to work in the UK, I applied and emigrated to Britain in 1964. Once in the UK, and without previous experience, I was immediately appointed deputy editor of the in-house post office magazine. Soon after my arrival in Britain I was also asked to host a half-hour, once-a-month programme for Maltese radio from London (Ghal Malta Minn Londra). For this I was paid the princely sum of 45 guineas, which was a fortune. In due course I was asked to present the programme on a weekly basis, so I left my job and devoted myself to the programme full-time. In December 1966 I had an interesting call from Joe Grima, the newly-appointed deputy head of programmes at Rediffusion. He offered me a three-month contract for an experimental breakfast show, which also meant being paid a pittance compared to what I was earning. But, I wanted to return here, to be on Rediffusion, so I accepted. After the three months, Rediffusion’s manager Joe N. Tabone offered me a full-time post and that’s where I spent many years.

Did you see yourself spending the rest of your professional life in broadcasting?
At the time, yes. After the amalgamation between Radio Malta and Rediffusion I was given the
glorified title of “Head of Light Entertainment and Sports” for radio and television. I had already become involved with television. When the amalgamation came about I requested a greater involvement in TV. Radio was definitely my first love, but nowadays I find that I’m more comfortable with television. I would say that there have been many high points in my “media” life but if I had to mention a few I would list the breakfast programme on Rediffusion, Antenna on Radio Malta, the Sibtijiet Flimkien marathon TV programme on Xandir Malta (1983-1987). Oh yes. Another “high point” was in 1968, when I was sent on a three-month attachment course at the BBC. I was understudying Tony Blackburn and Terry Wogan on the Radio One breakfast shows. The most terrifying moment of truth came about one morning when I was informed by the producer that Terry Wogan couldn’t come in and would I be so kind as to present the programme myself? They just handed me the playlist and left me to my own devices, with Tony Blackburn popping in and out to see if all was OK. It was frightening! Nationwide radio in Britain!

For how long were you a full-time broadcaster?
From 1967 to 1988. I resigned from “Xandir” in 1988 and during that year I was basically constrained to spend a year at home, doing nothing. I was going crazy. My wife encouraged me to start exploring other avenues, but frankly I didn’t think that I could do anything else other than broadcasting. With Josette (my wife) prodding me to dig further into my memory banks, I remembered that at Rediffusion I had organised two tours to the Festivalbar festivals in Italy. With that idea in my head I went to Untours and, through them, I organised two tours. Although my wife insisted with me that I should start working in travel as a full-time job, I still wasn’t convinced at the time. When the first private radio stations started to operate, a vacancy arose within Super 1 Radio and I applied for it. I got the job in marketing, with the proviso that I would present four hours on radio. But at the back of my mind I knew that I wouldn’t be there for very long and in 1992 I left my full-time job with Super 1 to open my little travel shop in Floriana. It’s the same place where I operate today but now its grown somewhat.

So that’s basically, how the travel “involvement” came about?
Well, travel came about, without sounding too crude and without getting into any political controversies (pause). Let’s put it this way: I would sincerely like to thank the person who made my life so impossible; that person who made me resign from my job with the national radio and television station. If it wasn’t for that person I’d probably still be there today, being clobbered on the head by whoever is in government. So thank you once again! (Laughs).

Then travel wasn’t really a “vocation”, was it?
I had to earn a living from somewhere. We started slowly. At the beginning I did everything on my own. I was the office clerk, the tour-leader, everything. I’d be doing five or six tours in summer. Then it started to grow, slowly but surely, to what’s its become today. We have 10 full-time employees now, which isn’t bad.

It must have been hard to make a start in business relatively late in the day.
Nine years ago. I knew nothing about the travel trade. I just started doing everything I assumed one did in travel. I’d make mental lists like: “Book your air tickets, book your hotel, book a coach, book a guide”. In those days I knew nothing about handling agents so I went directly to Air Malta and booked the tickets myself. Then I started phoning and negotiating with the various hotels. I would also ask the hotels themselves if they were in a position to recommend guides and coach operators. Basically it was a matter of learning the trade as you go along. Realising that in certain countries you did, in fact, need a handling agent because of problems with reliability and so on. The obligatory learning curve I suppose.

So how does success come about in these circumstances?
Our mission statement was, is and always will be: “Top quality, affordable tours” (Tours ta’ kwalita ghall-but ta’ kulhadd). There’s a reason for this. When I first started the business I went on two or three tours with other agents to basically see with my own eyes what was being offered. In those days the accommodation was appalling. People were being offered “pensions”, and one-star hotels and they were accepting them without question. When I started doing my own costings, I realised that I was able to offer the same prices that other agents were offering (or even lower), with the difference that I would be in a position to give people three- and four-star hotels and better, air-conditioned coaches. Obviously, at that point in time I was on my own and I didn’t have any of the overheads that most of the other agents’ had. I was able to match or offer lower prices, while promising a much better service. I believe that the best advertising is transmitted by word of mouth, by the people who’d come on the tours. They can make you or break you. The word got around and people started catching on to the idea.

Did you find any particular “niche” market ?
We were specialising in tours for families. I’m a firm believer in destiny though, and I believe that our biggest break came along right at the beginning, in my “transition period”. In June 1991, my wife and I were with our eldest daughter, Davinia, in London. We’d promised to take her to Disneyland in the US as a special treat, but there was a huge setback at the airport when the counter-clerk discovered that we didn’t have a US visa. The travel agency assumed that I was British so the visa was never mentioned. Instead of travelling to the States we were offered an alternative destination as compensation. I casually came across a leaflet for Euro Disney and so I asked for us to be sent there. The agency informed me that the theme park hadn’t opened yet but it would be opening in April 1992. I naturally brought the Euro Disney brochure back to Malta with me and started contacting the people concerned. It seemed such a logical destination to focus upon. Everybody wanted to go to Disneyland, and now there was an opportunity to offer the Disney experience to people on a platter, very cheaply. I went up to France to make the necessary arrangements and on 1 April 1992 Hamilton travel had the first Maltese group to Euro Disney. We had 55 people that first time. That destination is still our flagship. We take 600 people every summer and the numbers are still growing. It was destiny.

How important is luck in business, as opposed to being capable?
You need a bit of both in this sort of business. These days in broadcasting I think everybody has a reasonably good chance to get ahead, whether they are capable or not. It wasn’t always the case though. In the travel trade you do need a few good breaks – call it luck if you will – but you also need to have the capability. You need to be able to face the challenges as they crop up. When a business grows you need to have a good, talented staff that is able to cope with crises. You always need to keep one step ahead of the next crisis.

Are you good at managing crises?
Yes. (smiles) Quite good I think. A particular characteristic of mine is that when everyone else is losing their head and blowing their top, this inexplicable, great sense of calm comes over me. I’ve always worked under pressure and I work best under pressure. When a crisis occurs I always manage to remain cool, calm, collected. I haven’t a clue where this calm comes from. Possibly my guardian angel watching over me.

Do you have a good “feel” for the market?
I think so. As I said before, it’s a combination of many factors. There’s luck, there’s capability and of course there’s having a good feel for what people want. I think I still have a good head for the travel trade and I hope that that will last for a few more years. Some of the other directors keep bringing up the issue of diversifying, of going into new areas. I’m not so sure. I have the travel business, I have broadcasting, even though that is more of a hobby than a “job”, as such. Contrary to what many people think, my television programme is incredibly time-consuming. It requires weeks of preparation. You need to learn as much as possible about the four guests in the studio. I am my own producer, researcher, production assistant. It’s not easy.

Are you a “one man show”?
In broadcasting you may be “fronting” the programme, but unless you have a good team around you, you won’t be able to do anything. In the business context it’s the same thing. You have to be a team-player. I am very much a team-player.

Do you feel the need to motivate the people around you or do you prefer to surround yourself with people who are already motivated?
It’s a question of luck again. In the travel business I’m very lucky in that I have a great, young staff that’s not only talented but also incredibly motivated. They attend courses on their own steam, they have an immense willingness to learn, to improve. Apart from being first class tour-
sellers they’re also very good tour-managers who provide an excellent personalised service to all our clients.

Isn’t that dangerous though? Grooming and providing ample opportunities to people who might branch out on their own at any time?
Well, it’s happened twice before (smiles). It doesn’t bother me at all is someone decides to branch out and open a competing business. I believe that there’s space for everyone. If someone is capable of organising a hundred and one tours just in the summer months, like we do, fine. Good luck to them. What does bother me though, what hurts me most, is blatant plagiarism. People who copy whatever you do, including the most minute details. I don’t think the problem is rife but I have undergone this negative experience myself on two occasions. What happened to me might well happen to others, and that’s worrying. It obviously reflects a lack of creativity, a lack of imagination. Your talents are limited so you plagiarise shamelessly. This obviously doesn’t happen at certain levels. I’m very glad to say that, for example, we get along famously with the other three top tour operators on the island. There’s definitely no such problems existing between us.

Don’t you think that the travel market has reached saturation point though?
There’s over 250 travel agencies in Malta. That’s a hefty number. Nevertheless, if you think that you can succeed, then go for it. Whether you do succeed or not is a different matter. Running a one-man show might allow you to make some inroads. However, once you grow and expand your operations, it becomes more difficult. That’s when you have to rely solely on your capabilities, on the service and value for money that you provide your clients with. That’s when you can begin to tell the jockeys from the horses.

What sets you apart then?
Luck and capability! (Laughs). Look, we’ve been operating for nine years. We’ve managed to deliver. We have an impressive list of repeat customers who occasionally even repeat the same tour. Our clients deserve the best and in that regard I’m a perfectionist The people who come on our tours work very hard all year to be able to afford a holiday and so they should expect the best that we can provide. Maltese people who book tours also enjoy being baby-sat. We train our tour-managers intensely in the finer points of customer care and we also indoctrinate them, if you like, that at all times the customer always comes first. It’s a 24 hours-a-day job and it isn’t easy. One of my priorities for the company in the near future is to open a customer-care department. Unfortunately our customer-care
culture in Malta isn’t very strong . A change needs to come about in that regard, starting from the very top: government departments, big companies and so on.

Do you need to risk a lot in this business?
Yes. In our business we need to make, and sometimes pay for up-front, a large number of non-refundable bookings. A few empty seats or rooms can make all the difference between making a profit or a loss. Very few companies are sympathetic when things go horribly wrong. Thankfully, in the case of the Millennium, Air Malta was very practical and understanding with the tour operators, notwithstanding the commitments we’d made.

What’s the most important intuition to possess?
It definitely has to be a “feel” for what people want. Antalya (in Turkey) was a case in point. I’d gone there with my wife on our honeymoon and I predicted, even then, that it was going to become a tourist paradise. In 1994/5 we started operating chartered flights to Antalya, together with Eurotours, and it was an immense success. Another example is the cruise-liner market. I know that you can never go wrong with cruises that start and end in Malta. This year, for instance, we’ve taken a number of risks with cabin-bookings, we’ve made a number of non-refundable commitments. But, I’m glad to say, our partners and us are already sold out for Summer.

You’re no stranger to political controversy. Has that helped or hindered you in any way?
At Xandir Malta in the 1980s I unwittingly became part of the political controversy of the time. Everyone knows my beliefs but I have never, ever been actively involved in the political arena. Unfortunately, there are always scapegoats and in the 1980s my wife and I were made the scapegoats. Having said that, I really don’t believe that political considerations have ever been an issue for me in the business context. I think that my personal reputation and integrity comes first and foremost I’m sure that some of the respect that the company enjoys stems from our abject refusal to bring politics into anything that we do.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Hard one, this. (Pause) If you want something badly enough, go for it and stop at nothing until you get it.

Are you ambitious? A go-getter?
I was. Maybe not so much now. I’ve achieved two big goals, but maybe if another challenge came along I think I’d go for it. There is one challenge I wouldn’t mind sinking my teeth into. I would like to have the business well on its feet in such a way that I could still be involved but at “back-seat” level. At that point I would be able to get back into broadcasting full-time. I’d like to be given the chance to run the national station as it should be run; with no favours being extended to any one side. Running it purely as the national station, being able to say “no” to anybody and everybody. That would be the greatest challenge I would be ready to accept. Anything else, I don’t think so. But that? Making PBS what it should be: the public broadcasting station.

What is the secret of success?
Being yourself and being a part of your audience, being a part of “the people”. Never thinking that you’ve risen above others, never finding it too hard to stop and talk to the man in the street. I like to think that people know I am very approachable. I enjoy being with people. Having said that, I also enjoy the anonymity that travel endows you with. It’s a bit contradictory I suppose.

What has made you successful?
Luck and capability.

What does success give you at the end of the day?
In a place like Malta not money, that’s for sure. Satisfaction I suppose. A sense of achievement.

Kevin Drake interviewed Norman Hamilton at the Pegasus Restaurant at the Hotel Le Meridien Phoenicia in Floriana.