Travel Women We Love: TTC’s Jenni Berg

For many in the Canadian travel trade, careers begin with a passion for exploring the world. For Jenni Berg, that journey started somewhere far less exotic: a high-school co-op placement at a small travel agency in Northern Ontario.

Today, Berg serves as Director of Accounts, Canada for TTC Tour Brands, overseeing key relationships with host agencies and consortia partners across the country. But her path to one of Canada’s most recognized tour operators was built gradually through mentorship, curiosity and a willingness to grow within the industry.

Raised in the rural community of Powassan near North Bay, Berg’s introduction to travel came through a high-school co-op placement at a local agency that has since become part of Maritime Travel.

“I went in and said I’d work for free and do all the jobs no one wanted to do,” Berg recalls of the experience. The hands-on exposure proved invaluable. She continued working with the agency while studying travel and tourism for 2 years, learning both the classroom and operational sides of the business simultaneously.

After graduating, Berg moved to Toronto with a clear goal: build a career in travel. Armed with a stack of resumes, she went office to office across the city. Her top target was Contiki, but while that opportunity didn’t materialize immediately, the visit led to something else entirely. She was offered a role with Trafalgar, part of what would later become the TTC Tour Brands portfolio. Starting in reservations, Berg entered the business at its operational core; handling bookings and supporting travel advisors.

Over time, she moved through a variety of roles, eventually becoming reservations manager for Insight Vacations. The experience gave her deep technical knowledge of guided touring and the travel advisor booking process—an advantage she still carries today.

“If an agent has a complex question, I can often log into the reservation system and help them right away,” she says. “That background really gives you a holistic understanding of the business.”

Berg’s career has also taken her far beyond Canada. Early in her tenure she spent six months working in the company’s Sydney office, an experience that exposed her to international operations and the global nature of the travel industry. While in Australia, she took her first Contiki tour, an experience that would shape her next career move.

Realizing she still qualified for the brand’s young traveller demographic, Berg transitioned to Contiki and spent more than a decade working with the brand in Canada, eventually moving into sales leadership and partnerships.

Her travels expanded along with her career. Today she has visited more than 40 countries, often through industry programs, fam trips and guided tours.

For Berg, the most rewarding part of the job remains the relationships.

“The travel industry attracts incredible people,” she says. “You’re not just working together, you’re travelling together, learning together and building real friendships along the way.”

Industry FAM trips in destinations such as South Africa, Ecuador and Portugal have further reinforced the value of guided travel experiences for advisors and their clients alike.

“Seeing agents experience the tours firsthand is amazing,” she explains. “It really highlights the value of having all the details handled and being able to immerse yourself in the destination.”

Berg credits much of her career progression to mentors who encouraged her to step beyond her comfort zone.

Among them were early managers who promoted her quickly in reservations leadership roles, as well as industry leaders like Doug Patterson, who supported her international career development.

Today, she continues to find inspiration in the leadership within TTC Tour Brands, including CEO Melissa DaSilva and executive Whitney Ramirez.

“Having strong women leading the organization and being so connected to the team is incredibly inspiring,” Berg says. “It creates an environment where everyone’s ideas are heard.”

Berg’s experience reflects a broader shift within the travel sector, where women increasingly hold leadership positions across tour operators, agencies and travel technology companies. While earlier generations had to push through industry barriers, today’s professionals are building on those foundations, mentoring new talent and helping shape the future of travel.

For Berg, supporting travel advisors and helping them succeed remains at the heart of her work.

More than two decades after she first walked into a Toronto office looking for a job, Berg is still with the same organization, something she jokingly describes as spending her “whole adult life” with the company.

But it’s a journey she wouldn’t change.

“The travel industry is exciting. Every day is different,” she says. “And being able to see the world while building relationships across the industry, that’s something really special.”