Travel Counsellors expands into North America with Canada acquisition

Travel Counsellors is set to expand into North America through the acquisition of The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND), Canada’s most successful travel agent community. The deal will add more than 1,700 travel professionals to the business, creating a tech-driven international travel operator with combined sales of around £1.5 billion (AED7.35 billion) and operations across seven markets.​

 

Positioning the company for its next phase of growth, the move marks Travel Counsellors’ third acquisition in three years and follows a record-breaking 2024/25 financial year. The company’s UAE community, which recently surpassed 100 active business owners, reported a 16% increase in sales year-on-year, reinforcing the group’s momentum as it targets “doubling the size of the business” in the coming years.

 

Operating with a similar business model and customer-centric ethos, TTAND supports more than 1,700 independent travel professionals across Canada, delivering personalised, premium leisure travel services with an annual turnover of around CAD$500 million. TTAND founder Flemming Friisdahl will continue to lead the TTAND operation as CEO.

 

The partnership gives Travel Counsellors “an important gateway into the wider North American market” and unites two leading brands under one international network.​

 

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The acquisition increases the group’s reach to more than 3,900 travel business owners worldwide and strengthens its diversified global profile. TTAND’s advisors will, over time, transition onto Travel Counsellors’ bespoke technology platform, underpinned by ongoing investment of around £20 million annually.

 

Commenting on the acquisition, Steve Byrne, CEO of Travel Counsellors, said: “Both businesses will learn a lot from each other whilst also benefitting from superior scale, clear local market leadership and expertise, and - in time – the benefits of our technology platform driving enhanced personalisation for the benefit of TTANDs agents and customers.”

 

He added: “The deal is an important milestone in our growth strategy as we focus on leveraging our proprietary technology to build a leading global travel platform, combining the very best of the human touch and tech, to deliver enhanced personalisation, care and peace of mind for customers.”

 

Highlighting the role of innovation, he continued: “In a time of accelerated change in the industry, we are confident that companies that can deploy best-in-breed AI tools, alongside the human touch and personalisation relevant to customers and their preferences, have great opportunities to do well.”

 

Travel Counsellors’ continuing technology investment includes TC Co-Pilot, the company’s proprietary, data-driven AI assistant designed to boost productivity for its network of travel entrepreneurs. The group closed its 2024/25 financial year at the end of October with another year of strong growth and record transaction value of £1.1 billion, representing a doubling since the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

For more information, visit travelcounsellors.co.uk/our-story