Interview: CEO of the Travel Corporation on Selling Tours in the Age of Online Travel
Photo Credit: Brett Tollman, the CEO of the Travel Corporation at a World Travel & Tourism Council event on April 25, 2015. Flickr.com / World Travel & Tourism Council
Skift Take
There's something to remaining a private travel company, not to mention one of the world's largest, like The Travel Corporation. The company is private and profitable and gets more freedom and flexibility than public companies that have to answer to shareholders every quarter.
The Travel Corporation, with its portfolio of more than 25 brands, takes nearly two million travelers around the world annually on guided holidays, luxury river cruising, and youth travel.
Despite being a specialist in guided holidays with fairly prominent brands, including Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Brendan Vacations, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, Contiki Holidays, Evan Evans Tours, and the luxury Red Carnation Collection of boutique hotels, the Travel Corporation historically has had trouble getting the major online travel agencies to promote its wide variety of tours.
CEO Brett Tollman brings more than 30 years' experience as a travel and hotel executive to the role, as well as four generations worth of leadership in the privately held company.
Skift recently sat down with Tollman to talk about his views on the uphill battle to get online travel agencies to sell his tours, recent merger and acquisition as well as he has a skeptical view on the wisdom of c
