Celebrating 50 Years in Travel: Frank Ventresca’s Journey

It must be one of the biggest “happy accidents” in our travel community.

Frank Ventresca, owner of Ventresca Travel Agency Limited in Woodbridge, ON is celebrating 50 years in the travel industry and got into the business on a fluke.

“I was in my second year of university at U of T, and my uncle was the original owner of the agency,” he explained to Travel Market Report last week. “I was at the library doing some research and I drove by the office to say hello – they were like parents to me. I was sitting in front of him, feeling a bit down about school and he asked me what was wrong. I told him I was thinking of taking a year off to see what I wanted to do. He asked me “what if that year lasts the rest of your life?”

“He said “go tell your father you’re quitting school and if you’re alive tomorrow morning, come and talk to me,” Ventresca laughed lightheartedly.

“I went and told my immigrant father who came here for a better life and to see his kids get an education, that I was taking a year off. But needless to say, I went back to the office in the morning and the rest is history.”

When Ventresca started in 1975, there were four staff and it was more like what he calls a “public service office.” It was common at that time for a travel agency to also file tax returns, unemployment insurance cards; anything that would bring in money. As time went on, the agency distanced itself from those services, and started to work primarily on travel.  His uncle was one of the founders of Alba Tours and the agency started to focus on groups.

“When I started, I started very, very green. I knew nothing,” Ventresca said.

“One of the people that was with us for 49 years and who is now retired, is Rudy Santacroce; he taught me everything. He taught me back in the days when we used OAG to find out where flights were and weren’t and manual ticketing. I learned the ropes from him right from ground zero.”

Ventresca said though the agency’s main market is Italy, they’ve diversified and focus on group travel across all areas – river cruises, culinary and educational tours and even student travel. Finding your niche is something he stresses is important to any agent’s success.

“If I could give a word of advice to anybody who wants to get into the travel industry today, you have to focus on a niche. You find that niche and you run with it. You become an expert in one two destinations. You can’t be a jack of all trades; you can’t be everything to everybody. So find that niche and perfect it and service the daylights out of people and you’ll do well.”

Surrounding yourself with the right people is another key to success. Ventresca has a team of agents who have been with the agency for 20-25 years on average. He relies heavily on their expertise and dedication to provide high-quality service. His agents create customized packages and stay constantly in touch with their clients throughout the process, which he says is very appreciated.

“We’ve found in the last little while, since the end of COVID, the number of referrals we’ve gotten have gone through the roof. It’s really gratifying to see, we must be doing something right.”