Getting to Know Travel Counsellors CEO & TTAND Investor Steve Byrne

For Travel Counsellors CEO Steve Byrne, growth is important — but culture comes first.

That philosophy was front and centre during a conversation at the recent The Travel Agent Next Door conference aboard Celebrity Silhouette, where Byrne reflected on the recently announced equity partnership between the Manchester, UK-based travel franchise that launched in 1994 and the 2014-launched Canadian host agency founded and led by Flemming Friisdahl.

The deal represented the largest single investment in Travel Counsellors’ history, but Byrne insists the relationship was never simply about expansion.

“We spent 18 months developing a shared vision,” Byrne said. “The acquisition is the easy part. What matters is what you do together afterward.”

A Partnership Built on Shared Values

Byrne said conversations between the two companies began more than a year before the deal officially closed in December 2025. Initial discussions involved Byrne and TTAND leadership, but the process evolved into a deeper examination of whether both organizations fundamentally aligned.

“It was really important that we had a similar outlook toward the business,” he explained. “How you look after customers, how you support agents, how you treat suppliers — those things matter.”

That alignment became clear when Byrne attended TTAND’s conference in Mexico last year.

“It reaffirmed everything,” he said. “There’s a real sense of community. People help each other. Advisors genuinely care about one another’s success.”

Byrne repeatedly returned to the idea that both organizations share a belief that travel advising is ultimately a people business.

“The fundamentals are the same,” he said. “Outstanding customer care comes from engaged advisors, and engaged advisors come from being properly supported.”

Why Canada Matters

The Canadian market was strategically attractive to Travel Counsellors for several reasons, Byrne explained. Canada is now the seventh-largest travel market globally, with continued projected growth and increasing demand for personalized travel experiences.

“The big trends in travel are personalization, smart use of technology and the human touch,” Byrne said. “Professional travel advisors, supported by the right technology, are best placed to deliver that.”

The partnership gives TTAND access to Travel Counsellors’ substantial technology ecosystem, including its proprietary Phoenix platform and AI-driven TC Co-Pilot tools. 

Byrne described Phoenix as a “one-stop shop” that allows advisors to build customized itineraries through a single platform rather than navigating multiple supplier systems.

“It creates a frictionless process,” he said. “It saves advisors time, improves the customer experience and gives agents more control over their margins.”

Meanwhile, TC Co-Pilot uses AI combined with proprietary customer data to help advisors create tailored recommendations and communications for clients.

“The customer gets the best of both high-touch and high-tech,” Byrne said.

Not Just About Commission Splits

One area Byrne addressed directly was the difference between Travel Counsellors’ compensation structure and TTAND’s model. Travel Counsellors average commission split is significantly lower than TTAND’s and other North American host agencies, part of the reason why an earlier foray into North America wasn’t successful. 

But Byrne counters that focusing solely on commission percentages doesn’t tell the whole story. Much of what Travel Counsellors advisors sell is FIT-style packages, with net rates that advisors can mark up at their discretion.

Rather than focusing solely on commission percentages, Byrne argued advisors should evaluate the overall business support they receive.

“People always ask about splits,” he said. “But 80% of what? Sixty percent of 20 is better than 70% of 10.”

He emphasized that Travel Counsellors reinvests heavily into advisor support, technology and community infrastructure, which can lead to greater earning potential.

“We lose less than 8% of people a year,” Byrne noted. “Most people who join us stay for well over a decade — and they could leave anytime.”

The reason they stay, he believes, goes beyond economics.

“You have to work hard every day to make advisors feel part of something important,” Byrne said.

Building a Lasting Business 

Byrne’s leadership philosophy centres on long-term sustainability rather than rapid short-term expansion.

“We’re only successful if our advisors are successful,” he said. “Our job is to help fulfil their ambitions.”

That philosophy extends to recruitment. Travel Counsellors accepts only a fraction of applicants, focusing heavily on cultural fit and long-term commitment to customer service.

“We could take anyone,” Byrne said. “But I don’t think there’s anything admirable about bringing people in if they’re not going to succeed.”

Travel Counsellors now operates across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa and the UAE, with approximately 2,300 advisors globally. Byrne said international growth remains a key priority over the next decade.

Still, he stressed that growth alone is not the goal.

“The measure of success,” he said, “is whether advisors look back in three years and say, ‘This partnership made my business better.’”

A Leadership Style Rooted in Authenticity

Throughout the conversation, Byrne’s affable, down-to-earth leadership style closely mirrored the collaborative culture he described. It’s not dissimilar to Friisdahl’s approach to management, where TTAND members know that if they have a major issue, they can contact him and he’ll get back to them.

Friisdahl noted that one of the major attractions of the partnership was the cultural compatibility between the two organizations.

“If you hear Steve speak, he talks from the heart,” Friisdahl said. “It’s about supporting people, supporting advisors and helping them build something meaningful.”

For Byrne, that authenticity is non-negotiable.

“I don’t want to be associated with a business that’s only about numbers or high churn,” he said. “This business is about helping people shine.”

That sentiment may ultimately explain why the courtship – frequently referred to at the conference as Flemming and Steve’s ‘dating’ period — between the two companies took nearly two years.

“The reason it’s going so well,” Byrne said, “is because we took the time to really get to know each other.”