Travel Agent Next Door in Equity Merger with UK-Based Travel Counsellors

The Travel Agent Next Door has entered into an equity partnership with UK based Travel Counsellors, effective immediately.

“I have always looked at Travel Counsellors as a leader when it comes to travel professionals who  run their businesses from home or office spaces, and I am very excited to be partnering with them for two very important reasons,” said TTAND CEO Flemming Friisdahl.

“Number one is the culture, it aligns very much with the TTAND culture, given it is all about our support team and our agent partners. The second reason is their commitment to being innovative and bringing the coolest and most effective technology tools to their partners.” 

Friisdahl said there will be no changes for TTAND’s employees in Canada and India, nor for TTAND agent partners and TTAND suppliers. 

A press release says The Travel Agent Next Door will continue to operate independently in Canada, with Friisdahl an equity partner in the new venture. The TTAND executive team of Jeff Element COO, Chris Senior CFO, Raj Gautam, CIO, Rhonda Stanley, VP Talent Development, Christine Ufniak, Director of Marketing and Nicola Gowe, Director of Finance, will all remain in place, the press release states.

Friisdahl said the two companies have a similar culture and shared values. “I’m confident this will be great for our agent partners and for our suppliers,” he added. 

Travel Counsellors was founded in 1994 by entrepreneurs who anticipated the shift towards travel professionals running their own businesses from home. Today it hosts more than 2000 Travel Counsellors across six countries – the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates — and employs over 400 people in its UK headquarters and overseas offices. 

The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND) was founded in March 2014, promising to give travel agents and small agencies greater earning potential and comprehensive support. It has since grown to become the largest host agency in Canada, with over 1,500 members.

“One of the many benefits to TTAND from this partnership will be that TTAND colleagues will have access to new expertise, shared learning, and, over time, the benefits of Travel Counsellors’ proprietary technology platform, Phenix — bringing future-ready tools that will help the TTAND team and agent partners grow with confidence and, with our supplier partners, offer unique itineraries in Canada,” said Friisdahl.

Steve Byrne, CEO, Travel Counsellors, says he’s excited by the benefits of the tie-up.

 “This partnership is built on shared values, mutual respect, and a belief that great things happen when good people work together. It’s an exciting next step in our international growth story, but most importantly, it’s about people — growing together, with care at the heart of everything we do.” 

Friisdahl said he is excited to bring Travel Counsellors tools to support TTAND agents’ customers in Canada. “Making this truly a WIN – WIN – WIN for all concerned!,” he said.