Anita Emilio Joins Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG)

Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has appointed Anita Emilio as the Vice President and General Manager, Independent and Luxury pillars in Canada.

Emilio will form part of the Global Independent and Luxury taskforce which has been responsible for the strong growth results that have been highly visible in the FCTG leisure performance.

Both pillars are seen by the group as major market opportunities and will see strong investment in their pursuit of market domination.

In recent years, Canada and the US have been jointly managed, but Danielle Galloway, Global Managing Director of FCTG’s Independent and Luxury businesses said: “We understand the clear differences and opportunities in these two markets, and with that comes the need to invest in a team devoted to Canada with a deep understanding of Canadian culture, travellers and the travel industry landscape.”

Galloway continued: “We have a fantastic network of 480 independent agents across Canada, as well as our Laurier du Vallon stores. We’re excited to build a dedicated Canadian team who can focus on this valuable market and ensure our offering is perfectly suited to Canadian travel advisors and their customers.”

With a strong history of senior roles at Flight Centre, The Travel Corporation, Travel Counsellors and most recently with Fresh Tracks Canada, Emilio has a wealth of experience across the industry including leisure, independent, luxury FIT and touring.

After 19 years away, Emilio returns to FCTG with great enthusiasm, observing: “I am thrilled that FCTG has chosen me to lead the independent and luxury businesses in Canada. The team clearly have faith in both pillars and the potential of them in the Canadian market. The foundation has been set with plans to invest in this business and I am ready to drive tremendous growth in Canada.”

Emilio continued: “After working alongside FCTG as a partner for many years, I am so happy to be returning to the place I started my career in the travel industry. I am a passionate believer and supporter of the independent model and my experience has me uniquely positioned to take on this new position.”

She noted: “I have a deep understanding of the industry, strong supplier connections and proven success in delivering exceptional value to agents, agencies and customers. My first priority is building an expert Canada-based team, who will support our independent and luxury agents to ensure we’re delivering top tier support and technology to help them run successful travel businesses. I am honoured to be part of the success story that we will create together.”

Galloway said: “We’re thrilled to have Anita join our team as we continue to grow our independent business and invest in Canada as one of our top three markets. She has extensive industry experience, strong relationships, and fantastic business acumen, which gives our team every confidence in her ability to bolster our Canadian independent travel agency business.”

And Galloway added: “Our leadership team have developed a clear vision for growth and plan to deliver the most competitive independent travel agency offering available. Anita is the perfect addition to help us ensure that promise extends to all of our existing and future independent agents and agency owners in Canada.”

For more on Independent by Flight Centre’s Canadian business, click here.