Ady Gelber, owner and
CEO of the Isramworld portfolio of brands, died on April 10, the
company said.
Gelber was born in
Romania in 1937, and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1948. His career
in travel began with Alitalia and El Al, and eventually he came to New York,
where he would serve as president of what was then Isram Travel.
Ady Gelber
Gelber helped
transform an Israel specialist tour operator into a conglomerate of brands that
sends tens of thousands of American travelers to some 60 countries abroad
annually.
Once asked what he
felt was his greatest professional accomplishment, Gelber responded, “being the
first tour operator to offer tours to Israel and Egypt in 1979, and opening our
own office in Cairo.”
Isramworld has been
an active member of USTOA since 1980.
“He made a
significant impact on the tourism industry and to our association,” USTOA’s
Terry Dale said in a statement to its membership.