40 years strong: YYZ Travel Group celebrates milestone anniversary

YYZ Travel Group is celebrating its 40th anniversary, marking four decades since the Toronto-based travel and host agency first opened its doors.

The company, which launched in 1986, has grown to a team of nearly 100 travel advisors and support professionals, with many employees having worked at the agency for between 15 and 38 years.

“Technology has transformed our industry, and we have transformed with it,” said Alexandra Pelts, president of YYZ Travel Group, in a press release.

“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 the past four decades, YYZ Travel Group has navigated major disruptions ranging from 9/11 and SARS to COVID-19, geopolitical instability, extreme weather and airline disruptions.

At the same time, the agency has adapted to dramatic changes in how travel is booked, from the days of paper tickets and telephone reservations to online booking, smartphones and, more recently, artificial intelligence.

Decades of relationships

YYZ Travel Group is led by three business partners: Alexandra Pelts, president; Vicky Zaltsman, executive president; and Inna Zelener, executive vice-president.

The company credits its long-standing relationships with employees, clients and travel suppliers as a key part of its longevity.

“Our success has always been built on partnership—with our people, our clients and our suppliers,” stated Zaltsman. “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 operates across several areas of travel, including corporate and leisure, cruises, groups and special-interest travel, handling everything from individual vacations to complex international programs involving hundreds of travellers.

YYZ Travel Group is also a longstanding member of Virtuoso, the invitation-only global luxury and experiential travel network.

The company has achieved Platinum status in Air Canada’s Circle of Excellence program and has received recognition from several major travel suppliers.

Human expertise in the AI era

As artificial intelligence increasingly influences how consumers research and book travel, YYZ Travel Group says it is embracing the technology while maintaining a focus on the value of human expertise.

The company views AI and other technologies as tools that can help advisors work faster and serve clients more efficiently, but believes professional judgment is becoming increasingly important as travellers face an abundance of information and options.

While technology can quickly produce hotel recommendations and itineraries, YYZ Travel Group says experienced advisors bring destination knowledge, an understanding of individual client needs and the ability to advocate for travellers when problems arise.

“Our role has evolved enormously, but our responsibility hasn’t,” said Zelener. “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.”

Celebrating 40 years

To mark the anniversary, YYZ Travel Group's team will gather for a luncheon on Wednesday (Aug. 19).

The celebrations will continue this fall, when approximately 50 team members are expected to travel together to Cancun, Mexico, recognizing both the company's milestone and the friendships formed over years of working together.

“Forty years represents much more than a business milestone,” stated Pelts. “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.”

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