‘We’re Not Branding as Travel Counsellors’: Friisdahl on Partnership with UK Retailer

The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND) has forged an equity partnership with UK-based Travel Counsellors—but the Canadian company says nothing about its day-to-day operations will change.

“With Travel Counsellors, we’re not branding as Travel Counsellors,” Flemming Friisdahl, TTAND Founder and CEO, told Open Jaw‘s Nina Slawek, after the two ran into each other at Pearson. “We are, and not being arrogant, Canada’s largest independent home-based agent network. We’re very proud of that. We work with over 1,750 partner agents. This year, we’ll do $530 million; next year, $600 million. So are we changing anything? No. Changing the name? No. Can the agents still be branded their own brand? Yes. Will the splits stay the same? 100%.”

Beyond preserving the brand and agent structure, the partnership also leaves TTAND’s Canadian staff and executive team untouched. That includes 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.

So why strike up a deal? Friisdahl cited a few reasons, telling Open Jaw he admires what Travel Counsellors CEO Steve Byrne has accomplished over his 20-year tenure. “Amazing guy,” he says. “And he doesn’t want to do anything that’s going to mess with us in the Canadian market.”

“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. 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,” he added in a news release. “The second reason is their commitment to being innovative and bringing the coolest and most effective technology tools to their partners.” 

Travel Counsellors currently supports more than 2,200 independent advisors across the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, and the UAE through its AI-powered digital platform, Phenix. The platform streamlines bookings, itineraries, supplier connections, workflows, and more.

“TTAND colleagues will have access to new expertise, shared learning, and, over time, the benefits of Travel Counsellors’ proprietary technology platform, Phenix,” said Friisdahl. He added this includes “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.”

For Travel Counsellors, this partnership gets their foot back into Canada. The company first launched in Toronto in 2008 but closed operations in 2015.

But this time, it’s entering under very different terms. “Travel Counsellors came into Canada back in 2008–2009. They were here for almost 10 years. And when they came here to Canada, their split was very different. It was 60/40 — 40% for them, 60% for the agents. And it was a franchise model. Literally, you had to wear uniforms,” says Friisdahl. “It just wasn’t the right model for Canada.” 

Since being acquired in 2018 by private equity firm Vitruvian Partners, Travel Counsellors has pursued growth, making its first-ever acquisition, in 2023, of UK-based luxury travel advisor Holidaysplease.

Last week, TTAND expanded into the luxury market with its premium brand, LUXE by The Travel Agent Next Door.  “Luxury travel represents a strategic growth opportunity for TTAND, offering higher commission potential, fewer booking requirements, and long-term client loyalty,” said Ufniak in a Open Jaw article.