A Travel Icon Reborn

In tandem with its 50th anniversary this month, Isramworld is being relaunched as IWorld of Travel. The company, which was originally known as Israel World Travel, is carrying forward the legacy of its owner and long-time leader Ady Gelber, who died last year.

Isram's majority ownership passed to Gelber’s son, Michael, and his daughter, Elizabeth Gelber-Way. In May, Michael Gelber assumed the role of Isram’s CEO and chairman of the board. He is working hand-in-glove with Richard Krieger, Ady Gelber’s protégé, who has served as Isramworld’s president since 2013.

After a period of declining health, Ady Gelber died in 2016. In his absence, Krieger needed help to keep the ship sailing true and he knew it.

“Ady’s passing had a tremendous impact on the company. In trying to find our immediate way forward we were dealing with high-level lawyers when Michael came to visit,” Krieger said. “He asked, ‘What do you need right now to get back to business?’ I said that what we needed is someone to lead the ship. Our team members are highly competent and have been 10, 20 and 30 years in the business. But we need high-level input.”

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As Isramworld navigated the transition, it pulled out of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, ending a relationship it had maintained for decades. But Krieger pledged to return to the organization when the restructuring was complete and the company could once again put aside the $1 million bond required by USTOA of all its tour operator members. The transition was a situation that demanded all hands on deck.

“It was like spinning plates on sticks at that time. We needed someone to step in,” Krieger said. “It was a big request to ask Michael to take the role held by his father.”

Although Gelber had grown up as a world traveler and was peripherally involved in his father’s business, he had not pursued a travel industry career. Instead, he gained a broad-based business background that he could now bring to bear in the travel industry, working closely with a travel industry veteran like Krieger.

Michael Gelber first joined the company in 2009 to bring Isram’s marketing into the cyberspace era by launching a social media marketing campaign and upgrading the company’s customer relation’s management and networking practices. Over the past seven years, he has been involved with several entrepreneurial ventures and served as president of Alexis Ventures and K. Alexis, companies involved in the wine, food and beverage industry.

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Meanwhile, the travel company is moving its headquarters to Fort Lauderdale while keeping an office in New York. In addition to changing its name to the more contemporary-sounding IWorld of Travel, the tour operator will focus primarily on four brands: Latour, Asian Vistas, EuropeToo and Belder Gray.

Making the rounds of Isram’s partners internationally, Michael Gelber retraced the footsteps of his father.

“The loyalty out there to my father is unbelievable,” said Gelber. “He was gregarious, charming and difficult. When he passed away, we received thousands of emails and cards from people telling us of the things my Dad did for them. The love and loyalty going both ways was really inspiring.”

Krieger added, “Given what Ady built here in business for many decades–I can’t say I’m surprised. We were overwhelmed by the amount of support from the travel community acknowledging Ady. The core for us are the travel agents. They are endlessly dedicated to us and supportive.”