TravelBrands Celebrates Important Milestones & Reveals New Branding

I have to admit I was puzzled by an invitation from TravelBrands to celebrate 145 years of travel.

What was TravelBrands selling in 1881? Canada was a young teenager, not old enough for a driver’s licence. The last spike completing the Canadian Pacific Railway across our country had not yet been driven. Las Vegas was a desert ranching outpost. Collette’s first jitney bus trip from Boston to Florida was nearly 40 years in the future.

The secret was revealed last night at Toronto’s Boulevard Club. TravelBrands was celebrating date milestones for several of its brands: Fun Sun Vacations and Holiday House were founded in 1956 and turn 70 this year. Airline consolidator Intair was born 40 years ago in 1986. And Encore Cruises set sail in 1991. Et voila! 70 + 40 + 35 = 145.

Each of the brands began as individual companies, and, as Senior Director of Sales Bruce Lidberg told the audience, each “helped shape the Canadian travel industry.” These are brands that evolved, innovated and, as Lidberg said, “brought the world closer to Canadians.”

So last night was a celebration of milestones and the people who made those companies what they were, and what they are today. The audience was filled with senior members of the industry, many with long ties to the familiar brand names, either through working for them or selling them for decades.

Lidberg’s career begin in the Fun Sun Vacations reservations department in 1991. He met his wife there. Nathalie Tanious, now Chief Operating Officer for TravelBrands took on a sales role with Holiday House in the 1990s, later moving to Intair and Encore, before leaving only to return again as a seasoned executive in 2014. 

Tanious spoke to the crowd, saying she is frequently asked how the company is doing in tumultuous times. “Since when hasn’t the industry been in tumultuous times?” she laughed.

“Without our team we’re not here,” she said. “Our team is pivotal and fundamental to our success. Without our suppliers we wouldn’t be here. I have no words to say thank you.”

But the night wasn’t just about celebrating the past, it was also focused optimistically on the future. The company’s fortunes took a positive turn in 2019 when it was purchased by H.I.S. Co., Ltd., a major Japan-based travel services company. “That’s our mothership, and it gives us a global presence,” Tanious said.

TravelBrands is bringing a new look to the future, as a rebranding was the major announcement of the evening.

SVP Partnerships and Marketing Sam Youssef introduced a new logo, a new tagline – Your Window to the World – and a new brand description: One Brand. A World of Travel Expertise.

Youssef listed what TravelBrands offers to Canadian travel advisors and their clients: over 2 million hotels; 85 airline partners; more than 20 cruise lines and 10 car rental companies. 

“All this comes together in one ecosystem,” Youssef said. “We want to inspire Canadians to dream bigger.”