Tours of this kind are markedly different from the traditional style of travelling where most decisions are made by a guide and schedules are usually tight, leaving little choice to the traveller, who often finds the trip hectic and exhausting.

Ko landed her first job in a small travel agency after finishing secondary school and completing a travel-related operation programme. But the stint only lasted a year before the company closed.

Just as she was contemplating her next step, Ko's former boss asked her to join him with Carrian Travel, a sizeable firm, where she learned about ticketing and inbound and outbound operations.

'I was very lucky to join a travel agency that offered comprehensive training to frontline staff,' Ko said. 'It helped me build a strong foundation in the business. I learned a lot when the firm switched its manual system to a fully computerised operation.'

Four years later, the company shut down. But by then Ko had acquired a range of skills and built a business network that she would later tap into when setting up her own business.

'I started my first travel agency in 1986 in an office building in Central,' Ko recalled. 'It was just me and an assistant. I did not know how far my business would take me, but the strong passion I had kept me working full steam.' Her hard work and faith paid off. Between 1986 and 1996, she opened 25 branches across Hong Kong. The expansion allowed her to capture walk-in customers, in addition to the corporate accounts and regular customers she had already developed.

'My husband was working in the property business and managed to find premises that were within my budget,' she said. 'Without his good connections, I could not have expanded my business so quickly.'

Today, Travel Expert has 40 outlets and a cruise centre, employing nearly 400 staff.

Ko said maintaining the quality of service was crucial to succeeding in the service industry. 'If one mistake is made, customers may not visit us again. I cannot afford that [consequence],' she said.

Travel Expert hires professionals to perform in-house training in the areas of selling techniques, service standards and customer psychology. Senior managers at Travel Expert provide product training to frontline staff.

Ko attaches great importance to staff, as evident from her handling of the Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003 and the recent economic downturn.

'During Sars my business dropped more than 70 per cent,' she said. 'While most companies were downsizing to keep their operations running, we decided to ask for a 20 per cent salary cut from all staff.' The feedback from employees was positive and Ko said the pay cut only lasted for five months before bargain airfare schemes launched by airlines encouraged people to travel again.

In weathering the financial crisis, rather than pay cuts and layoffs, Travel Expert devoted extra resources to training and sent messages of encouragement to its staff.

'We wanted to better equip our staff for the challenges and opportunities likely to arise upon recovery,' Ko said. 'We hoped they would continue to work with a positive attitude.'

Ten Things I Know

1 Passion and dedication: Whether you are employed or self-employed, success not only requires a strong passion for what you do but also total dedication. To be lacking in either is like driving a car with low fuel.

2 Know how to delegate: Many people get burned out at work every day but do not realise the negative impact of overwork on their health. No doubt getting work done is important, but delegating it to others effectively is equally important if you want to achieve a good balance in life.

3 Be optimistic: I have encountered crises of various scales and learned that it is always better to look at the brighter side of things than be pessimistic. Severe acute respiratory syndrome was a valuable lesson for all of us - it highlighted the need to stay strong and have faith in ourselves during crises.

4 Quality service: Being in the service industry, I cannot stress enough the importance of putting customers first and thinking from their perspective. Customers are all wise. They go where they are better looked after.

5 Outsource staff training: My frontline sales people can make or break my business, so I make sure they have good customer service skills. Each year I put aside a budget for the hiring of outside experts to provide training for my staff.

6 Help those in need: Being a corporate citizen, I am aware of my company's responsibility towards the needy. Over the years we have worked with several charitable organisations to raise funds and we will continue to do so.

7 Value every member of staff: In my business people are the greatest asset. No matter how junior they are, each and every one is treated with respect and promoted for outstanding performance.

8 Treat customers with great care: Travel and tourism is a highly competitive business and customers have high expectations. Patience and listening skills, together with the utmost courtesy, are a must when dealing with customers.

9 Face up to problems: We have to handle different issues at work and to dodge them will only make things worse. Whenever I am confronted with a problem, I remind myself to stay clam as I look into the matter in detail and try to resolve it systemically. Seeking professional advice may not be a bad idea where necessary.

10 Be business savvy: Besides the ability to oversee the entire operation, a business operator should develop good business acumen in order to seize opportunities when they arise and to react swiftly to changes.