55 years, three generations, one journey: How TTI Travel blends family legacy with a bold future

“I definitely remember running around here as a little kid at Christmas parties,” says Camilla Racco. “Now I work here.”

The next-gen professional proudly shows me around the offices of TTI Travel Canada, which sit on The Esplanade in downtown Toronto, and are filled with artwork created by her and other family members.

Besides running around the boutique travel agency her grandmother founded in 1970, Camilla has also had the chance to run around a good portion of the world with Rocky Racco, her father, who is now at the helm of this third-generation company, which is celebrating 55 years.

As TTI’s new brand and communications lead, Camilla’s connection to the business is rooted in family history, which comes to life as she reflects on the journey her grandparents took to build a new life in Canada decades ago.

She shares old photos of her grandparents, explaining that, like many Italian immigrants, they worked in various industries when they first arrived.

“My grandparents wore many hats,” Camilla says, noting her grandparents’ entrepreneurial spirit in running both a salon and a real estate business before starting a travel agency.

She describes her Nonna Elena as deeply committed to teaching herself English by reading dictionaries and thesauruses whenever possible, despite having only a third-grade education.

While Nonna Elena remained a traditional homemaker, raising two sons and working as a notary, Camilla emphasizes her grandmother’s eye for detail and determination to provide the best for her family.

An Italian trip gone wrong

Part of what her grandmother considered “the best” for the family included the idea of starting a travel agency—an inspiration drawn directly from a real-life experience.

As the story goes, in the late 1960s, the family returned to Italy and encountered a series of travel mishaps—poor planning, inadequate service from their travel agent, and an overall lack of care for how meaningful the trip was to them.

“My Nonna decided she could do this better, so from there, a travel agency was born,” Camilla says.

The agency initially catered to Toronto’s Italian immigrant community, many of whom were eager to return home or begin exploring leisure travel.

Over time, the business expanded, evolving into the luxury market and eventually entering the business travel sector under the leadership of Camilla’s father, Rocky.

Elena passed away in 2022, following her husband Vince, who had passed in 2015.

All about trust

But as Camilla explains, TTI wasn’t always known by that name.

Over its 55-year history, the agency underwent several name changes—starting as E. Racco Travel, then becoming Dufferin Travel, Just Honeymoons, Travel Trust International, and eventually TTI Travel, an abbreviation derived from its previous name.

“We like that trust is included in the name, even if we don’t use the spelled-out version anymore,” Camilla says. “Trust has been the entire basis of the agency and consistently remains a core value across both our business units.”

The business has grown exponentially over the years. Today, TTI has two distinct divisions:  Away by TTI Travel (luxury leisure) and TTI Travel, Affiliate of BCD Travel (corporate travel management, exclusive Canadian affiliate of BCD). TTI’s independent contractors, meanwhile, are referred to as “The Circle.”

Despite this growth, TTI has remained committed to the personalized client relationships that have long been at the heart of the business.

“We love that we’re boutique and relationship focused,” says Camilla “What we’re trying to do is marry together the best of modern technology, social media, and all the things that have been built up by my dad and the team for 55 years.”

Younger Camilla brings a background in both hospitality and technology—skills that have been instrumental in driving TTI forward and in engaging a new generation of luxury travel clients and advisors.

55 years of change & challenges 

As TTI celebrates its 55th milestone, I ask Rocky what it all means to him.

“We’re actually very proud,” he says. “As you know, this industry has gone through a lot of iterations, and challenges, and we’ve been able to overcome, get better and stronger and provide our clients with added value resources and services.”

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing – most notably, the two-and-a-half-year travel shutdown during the early stages of COVID. But that was far from the only obstacle.

The arrival of the internet was “a real game changer,” Rocky says.

“Prior to that, we were custodians of all the relevant information from hotels, airlines, cars, documentation – the whole gamut – and then once people had access to the internet, they were able to source out the information,” he says.

Nowadays, there’s arguably too much information. “Our role, now, is to collaborate, knowing our clients have the information in their hands,” he says. “It’s a matter of engaging with discussions that lead us to get to the best solution together.”

One of the “biggest challenges” over the years, explained Rocky, was when airlines cut back commissions in the early-to-mid 1990s.

“We all had to adapt and rely on our clients to cover the professional fees for the services we provided,” he explains.

In this regard, TTI considers itself an early adopter of professional fees – a practice that gained significant traction during and after the pandemic.

Long before airlines made cuts, TTI, in the mid to late 1980s (when it was known as Just Honeymoons), implemented a service fee of about $25 to combat some of the travel discounts that were sweeping the industry.

“It positioned us as professional advisors that were offering something special for a couples’ most memorable trip,” says Camilla.

Today, all of TTI’s advisors charge fees. “Post-COVID, fees are more crucial than ever,” says Camilla. “They represent the commitment an advisor takes to educating themselves, honing their craft, going on FAMs, and attending conferences. A good advisor can explain why they charge a fee.”

Enter the “Lifestyle Advisor”

TTI’s success is rooted in its willingness to embrace shifts – from the internet and social media to changing client desires for authentic experiences over traditional “bucket list” trips.

This has also prompted a new approach to their advisor base and client profiles.

“We are looking at ‘Lifestyle Advisors’ now,” says Rocky. “People who are maybe in their second career, who are worldly, and have had another occupation.”

He intends to align Lifestyle Advisors with specific affluent travellers who are looking for that extra connection and understanding of their specific needs.

And while artificial intelligence has been debated as a potential disruptor among travel advisors, Rocky prefers to focus on its positive possibilities.

“AI is like the internet on steroids,” he says. “It’s like having a thousand personal assistants who can gather information for you in three seconds. You can view this as a threat, or an opportunity. We view it as an opportunity.”

Camilla, meanwhile, is been focussed on future growth, starting with a brand overhaul, and helping advisors navigate the world of social media.

“In the past, our legacy advisors relied on suppliers for branding the products they were selling. Today, we are more intentional in our approach,” she says. “Our advisors are creating a social persona and branding themselves.”

As for sales trends, the team is paying close attention to one emerging market: grandparents taking their kids, and their grandkids, on trips.

“These kids are built-in travellers,” says Rocky. “For two years, during COVID, we discovered that we really needed human connection. We have to break out of our routines. Quality family time is the client experience they’re most in need of.”

As a result, family vacations are on the rise – especially for Canadians, many of whom are first or second-generation citizens, says Rocky.  

“We are a nation of immigrants. Most of them have a wish to go back home,” he says.

Another important market? Solo female travel. “It’s huge,” says Rocky. “[Women] are feeling safer when they travel – and we can help them do that.”

Proudly Canadian, globally connected

The United States’ global trade war, which has led to a shift in Canadian travel patterns, hasn’t put a huge dent in business.

“Our clients have the means to change their plans,” Rocky says, noting that bookings have shifted domestically, as well as to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.

If anything, the “buy Canadian” movement, brought on by U.S. tariffs, has sparked a renewed pride in homegrown products.

“It’s an exciting national time,” says Camilla. “Canadian pride is at an all-time high. Our advisors feel really proud knowing that we’re a 100 per cent Canadian-owned-and-operated agency. You can still travel and shop local.”

“Proudly Canadian, globally connected. That’s our motto,” adds Rocky.

TTI: the next generation

TTI currently has 57 home-based independent travel advisors in their network, and 45 full-time staff.

The company’s 55th anniversary was celebrated last November with a company-wide retreat at luxurious Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Mexico, attended by 65 advisors and employees.

Looking ahead, Camilla identifies three key areas of focus to sustain and build on TTI’s success – starting with new advisor recruitment.

“We want people coming in who are passionate, who are excited about something different and who are ready to level up their business – whether they’ve been in the industry for a little while or new to the industry,” she says.

The “loose goal” is to bring on five to ten new advisors by the end of this year.

“Because we have no start up fees, or monthly fees for our host agency services, we don’t accept everyone,” she says. “Our boutique set-up gives us the luxury to be flexible and tailored to the advisor. It’s something we intend to maintain, even with growth,” she says.

“Our focus has been on experienced advisors with an existing book of business and a luxury focus. That said, we are open to accepting new-to-industry that have a niche focus, or a previous career that ties into high-level service and a strong network.”

A new AI tool (launching soon) is designed to assist TTI advisors, of all levels of experience, in helping grow their business.

Camilla says TTI’s aim to expand their client base by attracting a new generation of luxury travellers in their 30s and 40s.

“We want to be involved in the rebranding of what travel advisors can do and will do in the industry,” she says. “Having younger people in our business, talking to other younger people, is exciting for us.”

Camilla considers herself an “influencer” for TTI as she grows the company’s social presence organically. Eventually, they are hoping to turn their advisors into self-made influencers.

Meanwhile, Rocky, who has been in the business for 45 years, has seen many legacy travel advisors come to the end of their careers. The intellectual capital they possess is something he wants to protect – and pass on to the next generation of advisors.

He wants to reward legacy folks, giving them an exit platform. To this end, TTI has created an “ambassador” role, with their first being recently appointed.

Ambassadors will continue to travel and meet with partners, and filter back their experiences to those who are still in the trenches.

TTI’s first ambassador is Paulette Altilia, who has been in the industry for more than 45 years – mostly spent with TTI.

“As she pares down her business and transfers clients internally, she remains a constant source of knowledge and presence within the industry,” says Camilla.  “Her ambassadorship is to highlight her as a gold standard in the industry and to thank her for her years of service.”

Camilla, herself, is just starting to embark on her own travel industry journey – and she’s enthusiastic about the future.

“I’m just starting to build relationships in this industry. I know how overwhelming and insane it is, but to have the backing of something that is legacy, but innovative, is important. We’ll always remain ‘family feel’ and try to remain generally boutique.”

Her father is on the same page. “I come from that legacy world,” says Rocky, “but I still have an open mind to the future.”

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