Harry Dalgaard, founder and CEO of Avanti Destinations, will retire in June.
Dalgaard has spent 37 years at Avanti, a company he created to provide better travel options to the FIT market.
"I must admit it's been a fabulous ride, creating a leading supplier of FIT travel to Europe, Latin America and Asia", said Dalgaard. "In 1981, FIT was definitely an underserved market segment."
"I wanted to sell the kind of travel I personally prefer-independent, not in a crowd," Dalgaard added. "I used all my contacts in the travel industry along with innovative technology to create a company able to 'connect the dots' of multi-destination itineraries."
Today, European travel accounts for the majority of the Avanti's bookings. Central and South American destinations were added in 1990 and Asia itineraries launched in 2015.
"Today Avanti is a major player, thanks to the support of the travel agent community," said Dalgaard. "I have accomplished everything that I set out to do, so after June 30 it's up to Paul and the executive team to take the company to the next level."
Industry veteran Paul Barry, founder of Europe Express, is now the sole owner and executive chairman, supported by the executive team of COO Mark Grundy, CMO John Hanratty, and CFO Susan Marra. Barry, who is based in Seattle, has been a 50 percent owner in Avanti since 2014.
"The executive team and I are totally committed to continuing in the direction Harry set for Avanti over the past 37 years: Relying on travel agents as our sole sales channel, providing excellent customer service and high-quality, authentic travel experiences around the world for independent travelers," said Barry.
Dalgaard was born and raised in Europe and began his career at Pan American World Airways. He moved to American Airlines and then worked for an Alaskan tour operator before becoming the manager of a retail travel agency.
He founded Avanti in Portland, Oregon, to sell custom-built independent leisure travel to Europe exclusively through travel agents.
In addition to heading up Avanti Destinations, Dalgaard has served in several positions at USTOA, where he is currently the vice chairman. He also has been on the advisory board of the German National Tourist Office and Atout France for many years.
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