At Ability Expeditions, no two tours are ever the same—and Program Manager Beverly Elsie Chia wouldn’t have it any other way. For Beverly, approaching every tour as if it’s her first keeps things fresh and exciting. And that mindset doesn’t just benefit her—it makes every trip better for the many international schools she works with.
Based in Sabah, Beverly helps design and deliver educational adventures that make the most of the region’s spectacular mountains, islands, and wildlife parks. A lifelong learner, her career spans tour guiding, coordination, hospitality, and teaching—giving her a deep understanding of what it takes to create meaningful experiences.
Over the years, she’s come to believe that success in tourism comes down to two things: communication and collaboration. As she shared in our conversation, Beverly stays in close contact with her team and school partners—before, during, and after each tour—ensuring everything runs smoothly and every trip is even better than the last.
Let’s kick things off — can you tell me a little about Ability Expeditions?
Ability Expeditions develops and runs educational expeditions for International schools in the Asia Region. It’s the sister company of Asia Ability, which specialises in delivering impactful team-building programmes for corporate clients across Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Our founder launched Ability Expeditions after recognising an opportunity to expand into the school sector, crafting expeditions that make the most of Sabah’s mountains, wildlife parks, islands, and other incredible outdoor experiences. While both businesses share core values around leadership and problem-solving. Ability Expeditions has carved out its own niche, focusing on inbound adventure expeditions designed specifically for schools.
How did the idea to start Ability Expeditions as a separate company come up? Was it obvious from the start that the customers would be schools?
Our owner was considering offering tours for individuals, couples, and small family groups. But he realised that the workload was virtually the same, no matter the group size. By focusing on larger groups, like schools, we could use the same resources far more efficiently. Plus, it was a natural extension of what we were already doing with Asia Ability—delivering leadership and education-focused programmes. Expanding into school expeditions allowed us to build on that foundation, applying our expertise in leadership development and experiential learning to a younger audience in an educational setting.
That said, working with larger groups brings its own challenges—making sure every participant has a great experience and managing a lot more feedback from different people. But when we get it right, it really pays off. The word-of-mouth marketing we receive from a successful school expedition is incredibly powerful.
That approach—finding a focused niche—reminds me of my conversation with Laurie from Small World Journeys. She shared a similar journey of narrowing her audience to schools, which made a huge difference in her business.
I’m curious, how did your own career path lead you to Ability Expeditions?
I’ve worked in lots of different areas in tourism. I first started out as a tour coordinator, but I wanted to upgrade my skills and have more direct interaction with clients, so I went on to get my tour guide license. After that, I moved into hospitality — specifically hotels. I was curious about how that side of tourism worked and how we, as tour operators, could support them better. Then I shifted into teaching. I became a lecturer and trainer because I wanted to share what I’d learned with young people just starting their careers in tourism and hospitality. I even ran my own tour company for a while, but I had to close it during COVID. Looking back, I think it was a blessing in disguise because I had a feeling running a tour company wasn’t really for me. Then I was with Asia Ability for a while, working more on business development, before joining Ability Expeditions. And now, here I am!
You’re clearly a lifelong learner, with such a wide and varied career in tourism! What exactly does your role as Program Manager involve?
I think you’d classify the role as part of sales and marketing, but at the core, it’s about really understanding what each school needs and designing tours that meet their unique requirements. Taking on new clients is actually the easy part! The challenge comes with repeat schools — you need to make sure you’re delivering the same standard (or better) each time the tour runs, even though the students are completely different. The programme might be similar, but we’re always thinking about how to make it better. And that challenge of trying to make it better each time is something I really enjoy.
Taking on new schools is actually the easy part! The challenge comes with repeat schools — you need to make sure you’re delivering the same standard (or better) each time the tour runs, even though the students are completely different.
What’s your process for learning from each expedition so you can make it better? How do you make sure you understand what worked and what didn’t?
At the start of the tour, we always start with a detailed briefing—first with the our team, then with the school coordinators—just to make sure everyone’s clear on the expectations and how the programme is going to flow. During the expedition, I work closely with the lead teacher on-site, and we have daily briefings with the school to check in on how things are going and whether we need to tweak anything. After the programme wraps up, we have a debrief with the school to gather their feedback, and then another debrief with our team. Through this process, we build up a body of knowledge about what worked well and what we could improve. We document all of that in our notes, and it becomes a valuable reference for the next trip.
It sounds like your team debriefs are a really important part of your tour process. Can you talk me through how you run them?
We always start with ’What went well?’ Then we talk about any issues that came up, or anything we already know didn’t go quite right. But it’s not just about raising the problem—it’s important the team also shares how they handled it. We want them to feel empowered to fix things themselves and let us know what they’ve done to sort it out. If it’s something they can’t manage, then they’ll come to the Operations Person in Charge with a suggestion, and we’ll usually say, ’Yes, go ahead,’ or talk it through together. Most of the time, they already know what to do—it’s about giving them the space and confidence to take the lead.
Cast your mind back to your first tour—what was it like?
Actually, I consider every tour as my ’first tour’ because each one is different. Every group has unique clients, expectations, and outcomes. During the tour, the great thing is you can continually improve. Maybe the first day doesn’t go so well, but then you’ve got the next day to make it better—and then another chance the day after that. It’s like a progression. You keep getting opportunities to make it better, even while you’re still on the tour. And by the end, there’s a really satisfying and rewarding feeling because you know you’ve done your best and made it better every step of the way. That’s a euphoric feeling for me.
I consider every tour as my ’first tour’ because each one is different. Every group has unique clients, expectations, and outcomes.
I love that. ’Every tour is my first tour.’ That’s such a great mindset. How do you define if a tour is a success?
I would say success is never an individual thing. It’s always a team effort. For me, a tour is successful when I know that all the team members, including myself, have completed our roles the way they should be. It’s not about me doing everything for everyone—it’s about working together. Even if I’m the tour guide leading the group, it’s not just me alone. It’s the driver who gets us where we need to go, the accommodation team making sure the rooms are ready and clean, and the restaurant staff preparing meals on time. When all of that comes together, with no issues, that’s what I call success. It’s everybody together, not just me.
What’s the most important thing to remember in your line of work?
For me, clear communication is everything. On tours, no one can read your mind—nobody automatically knows what you need or expect—so you have to make it clear. Whether it’s with your team, the schools, or suppliers, it’s about making sure everyone understands exactly what’s happening and what their role is. But it’s not just about giving information. You have to think about how the other person will receive it. Different people have different ways of understanding things, so you need to adjust how you explain things depending on who you’re speaking to. That way, everyone’s on the same page, and things run smoothly. That’s what makes a difference on tour.
What’s the most important career advice you’ve ever received?
“To plan for the best but always be ready for the unexpected”
And how do you prepare for the unexpected?
Well, you can’t! But if something unexpected happens, which it will, the first thing is to stay calm. Only when you’re calm can you think clearly and make the right decision. You ask yourself—what’s going on? What do I need to do? Can I fix it on my own, or do I need help? Who should I talk to? That sort of thing. Sometimes, not making a decision straight away is also a decision. Taking a moment to pause can be the smartest move.
Thank you, Beverly. This has been such a great conversation—full of insights and learnings. If others found this helpful, how can they reach you?
You can connect with us via our website or directly by email at beverly@abilityexpeditions.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
