Collette: 100 years and growing

It was a celebration 100 years in the making, as Collette welcomed travel trade partners to its home state of Rhode Island for its centennial celebrations.

The two-day event, full of presentations and panel discussions, took attendees on a trip back in time to Collette’s beginnings, when Jack Collette purchased a jitney bus (a restored jitney was on display for guests to check out) to offer three-week road trips from Boston to Florida, to the company’s purchase by the Sullivan family in 1945 through to present day, offering dozens of tours on all continents.

Collette President & CEO Dan Sullivan Jr

Two days of celebrations

“Travel is the great educator,” said Collette President & CEO Dan Sullivan Jr. “The more people travel, the more they realize we’re all the same – we get to know the locals and we realize how small the world truly is. Many people ask how we got to 100 years – I say we have to look to our past, both our successes and failures, to continue growing and changing.”

READ MORE: Collette thanks Canada ahead of 100th anniversary

Earlier in the week, Collette announced that the company will pass into the leadership of a third generation of the Sullivan family, with the appointment of Jaclyn Leibl-Cote, daughter of Dan Sullivan Jr., as the company’s new president.

“I saw my dad’s dedication to the company throughout my childhood,” she said, adding that she helped out with tour pricing and took part in a number of Collette tours from a young age. “Ten-year-olds aren’t our key demographic but we were building new tours and my dad wanted me to see the process and meet with the partners regardless. It’s been a part of me for my entire life – family businesses are not always easy but they’re tremendously rewarding.”

READ MORE: Collette names its new president

Jaclyn Leibl-Cote, president, Collette pictured with the company's restored jitney bus

Canadian perspectives

The celebration welcomed a number of Canadians working for or with Collette throughout the company’s nearly 30 year-presence in Canada.

Ron Lonsdale, who was promoted to the role of vice-president, Canada last August, has been with the company since 1994, told PAX that 2019 will see Collette focus on its relaunched Explorations program, offering immersive small-group tours.

“It’s a landmark – we’re the third-oldest tour company to make it into their second century, and we’ve been established in the Canadian market for about 30 years,” Lonsdale said. “To see the industry come together and collaborate on our vision and where we’re heading is incredible. We’ve relaunched our Explorations program, which is small-group touring, offering more immersive experiences in antiquities and culture. It’s more personal and customizable – we don’t go with more than 19 guests and average about 15. We’re seeing that emerging as the type of product that travellers truly want."

In addition, travel agents can take advantage of a relaunched educational program to sharpen their sales skills when it comes to Collette products, Lonsdale said.

“With our centennial, we have a new educational LMS which we’re relaunching to make sure that agents are more equipped and ready to sell our product by sharing more product knowledge,” he added.

Susan Bowman, vice-president marketing and industry relations for Transat, also shared her experience working with Collette in Canada with PAX:

“Collette is an amazing company both to work with as a retailer as well as to our customers. Their attention to detail is absolutely amazing and they always deliver one hundred per cent."