2025 sales: $1.52 billion
Previous ranking: 22
Employees: 250 full-time, 6 part-time
1625 S. Congress Ave., Suite 100
Delray Beach, FL 33445
(800) 873-5353
Website Executives
CEO/MANAGING PARTNER, INTRAVEL: James Ferrara
PRESIDENT: Tara Minson
CFO: Lori Currier
CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER: Dave Spinelli
COO: Dayna Jordan
SVP, STRATEGY AND CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT/PRESIDENT, BUSINESSTRAVEL.COM: Kim Andreello
PRESIDENT/MANAGING PARTNER, HICKORY GLOBAL PARTNERS: Chris Dane
PRESIDENT/CEO, MGME: Carvie Gillikin
COMPANY FACTS
* Privately held host agency.
* Joseph R. Traina and James R. Ferrara are majority shareholders.
* Works with 140,000 independent contractors.
* 100% of sales by hosted advisors.
* Owns Hickory Global Partners, a business and corporate travel consortium with revenue of more than $1.5 billion through member agencies and corporate travel departments, including $310,000 direct travel sales; MGME, a MICE agency with more than $600 million in direct travel sales; Major Travel, a U.K.-based long-haul tour operator with about $60 million in revenue; Tickitto, a sporting event and concert ticketing platform that recently launched its full integration in the U.S.; and businesstravel.com, a new full-service platform for small and midsize businesses, TMCs, group organizers and business travelers. These subsidiaries' sales are not included in company's overall sales number.
* Sales: 70% leisure, 20% corporate, 10% other.
* A member of Travel Leaders Network, Meeting Professionals International, ASTA, Association of British Travel Agents, CLIA, ARC, IATA, the Global Business Travel Association, the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence and the Professional Convention Management Association.
DEVELOPMENTS
* Launched AI chatbot InteleJoe, which answers and resolves more than 25,000 inquiries weekly with a 94% satisfaction score and lengthy seven-minute average engagement. The company characterizes the program as a win because it accesses so many resources that advisors are able to get in-depth help and ask follow-up questions. Its tagline is "If you Joe, you know!"
* Introduced Jinn, an AI-powered tool developed in-house that enables advisors to search for destinations based on their clients' requests and requirements, streamlining advisors' workflow so that clients can be better serviced at faster rates.
* Launched Major Travel, a U.K. wholesaler acquired in 2024, in the U.S. as a domestic and outbound tour operator, integrating into the company's platform and white-labeling some products under the InteleTravel brand.
* Launched Live Events by InteleTravel, the full integration of Tickitto, into the booking platform for advisors to build packages around worldwide sporting events and concert tickets.
* Applied AI solutions to tasks such as commission matching, hotel reconfirmation and transaction data reporting.
LOOKING AHEAD
* Expanding in the Middle East, Canada and Europe.
* Unveiling businesstravel.com, which has an embedded time-saving AI booking assistant to search for flights, hotels and rental cars. The platform also has expense tracking and data reporting.
* Developing technology solutions for advisors and operations, including new group travel automation and booking tools and a reimagined advisor extranet.
* Relaunching InteleSpark, a customer relationship management and marketing system for advisors in a new partnership with Travefy.
* Chartering cruise ships from Royal Caribbean, AmaWaterways and Riviera Travel.
* Positioning the company as a "home agency" as opposed to a "host agency," better reflecting its philosophy of providing not just a platform and policies but a nurturing environment for advisors with unlimited education and support.
* Despite economic headwinds, border friction and geopolitical conflicts, the company is maintaining "conservative optimism" for 2026. Leadership is mindful of developments in Jamaica (Hurricane Melissa recovery), Mexico and the Middle East and is prepared for the disruption to continue for the remainder of the year. The company expects consumer confidence in travel to these places to rebound quickly, and it also expects domestic and Caribbean travel to win market share this year.