Global travel distribution group and host travel agency InteleTravel
announced that James R. Ferrera is the newly appointed CEO and managing partner
of parent holding company, INTRAVEL.
Ferrara co-founded InteleTravel with Chairman Joseph Traina
Sr. in 1991 and served first as the company's executive vice president and
chief marketing officer and then as president since 2005, playing a pivotal
role in InteleTravel’s growth to become the world’s largest host agency and one
of the largest travel distributors in the U.S., U.K., the Caribbean and
Ireland.
“I speak for the whole team when I say that we are elated to
have James step into this new role as CEO,” said Joseph Traina Sr. in a
statement.
He added, “He has dedicated endless hours to leading the
team that has grown InteleTravel to the global travel giant it is now, and he
has been the architect of the recent mergers and acquisitions that have
propelled us further.”
Ferrera added, “I am honored to be recognized as chief
executive officer of InteleTravel. InteleTravel’s accomplishments have only
been possible through the creativity and dedication of the whole team, both
domestically and internationally, and the accomplishments of our unique network
of over 120,000 independent travel advisors. My plan is to aggressively pursue
new initiatives for products and services, geographic expansion, advisor
education programs, new technologies and more.”
INTRAVEL has seen meteoric growth since the pandemic due to
strategic acquisitions, partnerships and development within InteleTravel's core
business, all led by Ferrara. In addition to being the world’s largest and
oldest host agency, the company expanded its offerings through multiple
acquisitions, including Hickory Global Partners, a corporate travel alliance,
and MGME, a meeting and events agency.
In addition, Ferrara championed the effort to expand
InteleTravel into the U.K., making it the U.K.’s largest homeworker agency over
the past few years. He forged a majority stake acquisition of the U.K. tour
operator Major Travel in 2024, allowing InteleTravel to integrate vertically
and add products to its distribution model for the first time. Major Travel is
scheduled to enter the US tour operator market in early 2025.
Ferrara has been a coach and advocate for frontline travel
advisors for over 30 years and serves on advisory boards for leading travel
organizations, including the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA),
Carnival Cruise Lines, Apple Leisure Group, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Delta
Vacations and others. He also co-hosts a travel podcast with fellow industry
veteran, Mike Putman, No Tourists Allowed, which started in 2022.
InteleTravel will surpass $1 billion in travel sales this
year, while the entire group will be responsible for more than $3 billion. The
ongoing portfolio integration of the companies allows each to benefit from cost
efficiencies, shared technologies and services and cross-selling strategies.
The company will make an announcement regarding the appointment of its new presidents before the end of 2024.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
