Travel Counsellors expands into Canada with agency acquisition

Travel Counsellors has acquired Canadian agency The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND) for an undisclosed sum.

 

The UK-headquartered homeworking agency group said the deal creates “a transatlantic leader” in the travel operator market and marks “a significant milestone” in its international expansion strategy.

 

Steve Byrne, chief executive of Travel Counsellors – which is owned by private equity firm Vitruvian Partners – said the deal also provides “an important gateway for our company into the wider North American market, which represents a significant potential future growth opportunity”.

 

Travel Counsellors described TTAND as Canada’s leading travel agent community, which supports more than 1,700 independent travel professionals.

 

Founded in 2014 by Flemming Friisdahl, TTAND’S chief executive and two other travel entrepreneurs, the business generates annual turnover of about CAD$500 million (£275 million).

 

The enlarged group will have more than 3,900 agents and a “more diversified international profile with exceptionally strong brands” in the UK and Canada.

 

Friisdahl will continue to lead TTAND as chief executive and TTAND’s agents will migrate over time to Travel Counsellors’ technology platform.

 

The deal means that Travel Counsellors now operates in seven countries – the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, the UAE and Canada.

 

It marks Travel Counsellors’ third acquisition in the past three years, following homeworking agency Holidaysplease in March 2023 and the Planisto technology platform in January 2024.

 

It also comes after Travel Counsellors’ record-breaking 2024-25 financial year. In the 12 months to October 31, Travel Counsellors achieved total transaction value (TTV) of £1.1 billion and earnings before interest and taxes (Ebitda) of more than £40 million.

 

As a result of the acquisition, the enlarged group is expected to achieve TTV of £1.5 billion and Ebitda of £50 million in the next 12 months.

 

Byrne commented: “TTAND is a business we have long admired for its strong entrepreneurial culture and leadership, exceptional internal engagement amongst its community of travel business owners, and outstanding reputation for providing first-class customer care. Together, we will continue to build on the outstanding culture and essence of TTAND and drive further success.

 

“TTAND’s established leadership team share our hunger to grow and continue to disrupt the leisure and corporate travel market through highly personal service and a relentless focus on the customer, powered by a continuous investment in market leading technology.   

 

“Canada is one of the world’s largest outbound travel markets and in TTAND we have partnered with one of the most successful travel businesses in that market with significant further headroom for growth in the premium leisure and corporate travel markets.

 

“We have our sights firmly set on doubling the size of the business in the coming years underpinned by the relevance and scalability of our model.”

 

Friisdahl added: “I have always looked at Travel Counsellors as a leader when it comes to travel professionals that work remotely and flexibly, 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.

 

“The second reason is their commitment to being innovative and bringing the most effective technology tools to their community of travel experts.”