Despite being rocked by news that The Travel Corporation (TTC) is intending to merge its Canadian operations into a new North America division, including letting go its brand heads in this country, the company (parent to Trafalgar, Insight, Contiki, Uniworld, amongst others), says it remains unequivocally committed to Canada, including keeping its Toronto headquarters open.

In an interview with Travel Industry Today, Guy Young, one of the executives now overseeing the company’s No. 3 market (after the US and Australia), says he is eager to make sure TTC’s message is “properly understood.”

Specifically, that the TTC’s restructuring is “not an exercise of folding Canada into the US.”

New York-based Young, who worked in the Toronto office for six years previously and is married to a Canadian (from Mississauga), says he is personally sensitive to Canadian perceptions and concerns about the move, which is part of global reorganization of TTC’s tour brands designed to create efficiencies in a post-pandemic world, and to make it easier for travel advisor partners to do business with the individual touring brands of TTC “at a moment when touring and expert guidance have become increasingly important to travellers.”

Logistically, the field sales teams for the individual touring brands will be amalgamated, to be led by 18-year company veteran Jenni Berg, who is being promoted from the Contiki division to director of national accounts.

Long-time Canadian TTC exec Jeff Element remains, and Young himself will serve as Chief Trade Engagement Officer in a cross-border role for the North American sales and marketing region under the overall direction of Melissa da Silva, who adds Canada, plus Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold, to her previous role as president of TTC brands Trafalgar, Costsaver, Brendan Vacations, Contiki, and Adventure World Travel in the US.

Young says Toronto will join TTC’s New York and Southern California offices as the backbone of the North America division, and notes that Canadian-based Michelle Palma also leads Uniworld River Cruise’s US sales team and that Canadian res staff have been taking US calls for many years. In fact, he says, TravCorp is desperate to hire additional Canada call centre staff to support US call volume.

“We have a very important operation in Canada,” he emphasizes, adding, “There is a very close relationship between the Canada and US offices, so it will definitely be staying.”

And, he adds, the company will remain “totally respectful” of the differing market conditions between Canada and the US and that the former is not simply a “subset” of the latter, also that “many great ideas” have always come out of the Canadian division.

The key to the global re-organization, explains Young, is primarily to create a single team to represent all the TTC brands, making it easier for agents to understand and work with the company. Additionally, in the summer a new web portal will be introduced that will allow all brands to be booked through a single-entry point.

“I think (the re-organization and new features) are going to make it much easier to work with us and help our travel agent partners in Canada best match their clients with the right brand,” he says.

The former head of TTC in Canada (2000-2006) and afterwards president and CEO of Uniworld, Young says he understands the importance of the company in the Canadian trade, from its comprehensive road/trade show presence to community and trade activities – and that none of that will change.

“TTC’s relationship with the travel advisor community is by far our largest source of business, I mean nothing comes close to it; so obviously we’re very invested in the travel agency community and we’re going to be doing everything we possibly can to maintain the great work we’ve done in Canada to date, and hopefully enhance it. We are 100% committed…”

Young is also quick to assert that re-organization and any resulting layoffs are in no way a reflection of the success of the Canadian operation or any of its executives, including now former Canadian brand presidents Wolf Paunic (Trafalgar), Brad Ford (Insight), and Sheralyn Berry (Contiki). “They’ve all done a brilliant job, it was just about putting the best, most efficient structure in place that we thought could help us coming out of the pandemic.”

He adds, it is also simply the century-old company’s “duty of care” to its customers, partners, and staff to provide the best possible structure in the post-pandemic world – one that is now further complicated by war in the Ukraine.

Moreover, it is indicative of the highly adaptive nature of a company that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020 and has grown from a single South African hotel by founder Stanley Tollman to a global operation with 40 brands that is still run by the Tollman family.

So far, Young says Canadian partners have been understanding of TravCorp’s direction, agreeing that creating a one-stop shop for all the brands “makes sense.”

But he acknowledges that the initial feedback also emphasized the need for the company to retain and build on its key relationships in Canada – something the company fully intends to replicate.

“We know we have to be focussed on and ensure we give our Canadian partners the recognition and support they really deserve,” Young says. “Canada is super important to us and we’re going to work very hard to make sure that our Canadian agency and consortia partners do understand that…”