Effective January 1, 2010, the American Express Vacations (AEV) wholesaling operation in Europe and Mexico will now be managed by Travel Impressions, the largest wholesale leisure tour operators in the United States and a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Travel Related Services, Inc. This move will consolidate all AEV operations within the Travel Impressions organization to create one American Express Vacations-branded business internationally.
“We are very excited about this opportunity to broaden our reach into a highly desirable international premium customer group,” said Steve Gorga, president and CEO of Travel Impressions. “We believe that our reputation for excellence in customer service combined with the American Express Vacations brand is a winning combination for our customers as well as our supplier partners.”
The AEV-branded tour product for travel originating in Europe and Mexico is currently managed and operated by American Express, while Travel Impressions currently handles the American Express Vacations brand for travel originating in the U.S., as well as selling vacation travel through a number of large-scale travel agency consortia. This move will consolidate all AEV operations within the Travel Impressions organization to create one American Express Vacations-branded business internationally.
Management of all related tour development, supplier purchasing, marketing and fulfillment, and service delivery will become the responsibility of Travel Impressions. American Express Vacations staff in London, Amsterdam and Mexico City will remain employees of American Express, but will operate under the direction of Travel Impressions.
“Travel Impressions has a history of strong partnerships with its suppliers, and we look forward to growing new relationships across key markets,” added John Hanratty, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
Globalization allows AEV to leverage the strong online booking platform in which Travel Impressions has invested in the past many years, to improve operational efficiency, and to deliver an enhanced customer experience working with travel suppliers across a broader range of destinations.
Visit www.travelimpressions.com