Reproduced from Travel Trade Gazette UK & Ireland 17 May, 1999

BTI UK Hogg Robinson's Julie Greaves and Yvonne Barry joined Travel 4's Sarah Coffill for a chat with chart-topping dance diva Tina Cousins plus high-flying producer Pete Waterman during a private tour of his London recording studios earlier this month.

Tina Cousins, who has enjoyed three top 20 hits Mysterious Times, Pray and Killin' Time and is on the verge of releasing a fourth single, made a big impression after flying in from Belgium to meet the trio.

Julie, 22, who works as an administrator in BTI Hogg's Martleham's office, said it was interesting to meet a pop star in the flesh.

She said: Tina told us how she recorded her albums and what everyday life was like.

Although Julie is a Catatonia fan, she admits she'll keep an eye out for Tina from now on.

Mum-of-two Yvonne, a rail travel consultant for BTI Hogg's in Reading, also sang the praises of the 25-year-old model-turned-singer.

Even though Yvonne says her kids were more excited about her prize-winning visit than she was, she was pleasantly surprised.

I am more into soul, blues and jazz and I hadn't really heard of Tina Cousins.

But she was very chatty, not at all pretentious as I expect some of them are, she said.

Yvonne said she has since tuned in to Tina Cousins' songs and says it's nothing like the noisy garage music she's constantly telling her own kids to turn down in volume.

Travel 4 reservations agent Sarah Coffill described the day as brilliant.

She added: Tina Cousins was friendly and chatty and Pete Waterman was down to earth.

The winners were given a tour of the gold record lined corridors of the studios, where some of pop's biggest hits have been recorded.

Pete Waterman is famed for steering singers such as Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and, more recently, Steps, to success.

The tour over, the three agents each bagged some goodies and autographs before being whisked off to a trendy London restaurant.