Ask the leadership team about its success over four decades and they’ll tell you that despite the fact we’re living in a world where technology is ubiquitous, it is the human touch that has defined the company and driven its success.
And that’s reason for celebration alone, but there’s more to celebrate as Toronto-based YYZ Travel Group – which was founded on Aug. 19, 1986 — marked its 40th anniversary this week.
Today, the agency has a team of nearly 100 travel advisors and support professionals. Many team members have been with the company for 15 to 38 years — an exceptional level of continuity that its leadership credits as a foundation of long-standing client trust.
Alexandra Pelts, President of YYZ Travel Group, observed that: “Technology has transformed our industry, and we have transformed with it. But technology cannot replace judgment, empathy or trust. Travel is personal. When plans change or a client is somewhere in the world and needs help, they want someone who knows them and is there for them.”
Over four decades, the company has supported clients through 9/11, SARS, COVID-19, global instability, extreme weather and recurring airline disruptions, while adapting as the industry moved from paper tickets and telephone reservations to online booking, smartphones and artificial intelligence.
The agency is led by three business partners: Alexandra Pelts, President; Vicky Zaltsman, Executive President; and Inna Zelener, Executive Vice President. Together with their experienced team, they maintain long-standing relationships with clients, airlines, hotels, cruise lines, tour operators and travel partners worldwide.
As Vicky Zaltsman, Executive President, explained it: “Our success has always been built on partnership—with our people, our clients and our suppliers. When people choose to build their careers with you for 15, 20, 30 and even 38 years, that creates a depth of knowledge, trust and shared experience that simply cannot be replicated overnight.”
The agency offers expertise across multiple travel specialties, including corporate and leisure travel, cruises, groups, special interest travel — from individual journeys to complex international programs involving hundreds of travellers.
YYZ Travel Group is a longstanding member of Virtuoso, the invitation-only global network specializing in luxury and experiential travel. The agency has also achieved Platinum status in Air Canada’s Circle of Excellence program and earned recognition from major travel suppliers.
And while the company embraces AI and other technologies as tools that help advisors work faster and serve clients more efficiently, in a world of almost unlimited information, its leadership believes professional judgment is becoming more — not less — valuable.
While an algorithm can list hundreds of hotels and generate an itinerary in seconds, technology cannot fully replicate an experienced advisor’s ability to identify the right fit for a specific traveller, draw on decades of destination knowledge or advocate for a client when plans fall apart.
Inna Zelener, Executive Vice President, pointed out that: “Our role has evolved enormously, but our responsibility hasn’t. We need to understand why our clients are travelling, anticipate what they may need and be there when circumstances change. Sometimes the true value of a travel professional becomes most apparent when the unexpected happens.”
Celebrations to mark its four decades included an anniversary luncheon this week and this fall, approximately 50 team members are expected to travel together to Cancun, Mexico, to celebrate their shared accomplishments and friendships built over years of working side by side.
Said Pelts: “Forty years represents much more than a business milestone. It represents the people who built their careers with us, the clients who placed their trust in us and the partners around the world who stood beside us. Technology and the world will keep changing and our job is to evolve with it without losing the human connection that brought us here.”
Go to https://www.yyztravel.com for more.
In the photo
YYZ Travel Group’s leadership team: Vicky Zaltsman, Inna Zelener and Alexandra Pelts
