In this episode, you will learn about how listening to your customers can open up many doors from Mark Hoffmann.

Mark Hoffmann is president and founder of Sports Leisure Vacations, Sacramento's largest and oldest packaged tour and travel company. There he orchestrates the company's many facets of operation from escorted tours and travel agencies services to receptive, meeting, planning, and incentive travel programs.

Sports Leisure Vacations was founded in 1979 and has an active client base of 8,500 plus members. Mark was a sports talk show host on KSAC 1240 AM from 1991 to 1994. He has co-hosted the Travel Guys with Tom Romano since February 2009 on KFBK 1530 AM and now 92.5 FM. He enjoys radio announcing and confesses it has always been a dream of his, a dream that has come true twice now.

Mark proudly served as president of the National Tour Association in 2000 and 2013, the country's most prestigious tour operator association. His mission is to be a strong and vocal advocate for all aspects of the tourism industry.

He feels the industry should be proactive in increasing positive public awareness about the value of tourism, especially among elected officials. Mark holds the designation of Certified Tour Professional as given by NTA along with a host of other honors and awards. A two-time president of the Mather Sacramento Chapter of Toastmasters International, Mark's numerous speaking engagements have focused on such topics as marketing to tour operators, how to make marketing more effective, the nuts and bolts of group tour marketing, looking through the crystal ball: the future of the hospitality industry in America, and off the beaten track: America's backroads.

An avid traveler, Mark's favorite destinations are New York City, the length of Route 66, and the Main Street of America.

A transcript of this episode is available here: http://destinationontheleft.com/mark-hoffmann/