London Calling: Travel Leaders Group Opens New U.K. Headquarters

Travel Leaders Group is spreading its wings to the other side of the pond, with the announcement of a new U.K. headquarters in London.

Travel Leaders Group’s two largest U.K. businesses, Protravel International UK and Tzell UK, will be situated in new Covent Garden offices and operate as Travel Leaders UK.

The headquarters will serve as a base for expansion in the U.K. and Europe.

Travel Leaders Group companies include Protravel International, the Tzell Travel Group, Cruise Holidays, Nexion, Vacation.com and the company’s flagship, Travel Leaders.

Travel Leaders said the two units combined include 60 independent travel agents with a sales volume of $66 million. 

Protravel’s Tina Rose has been named managing director of the U.K. operation. Tzell UK’s Barry Whittaker was appointed executive director of business development and acquisitions. They will both report to Barry Liben, Travel Leaders Group CEO.

“Bringing Protravel and Tzell together in new London headquarters is the first step on an aggressive expansion plan in the U.K. and Europe,” Liben said. “These businesses complement each other very well, which is good news for our clients, agents and suppliers. The objective is to replicate the success of our U.S. business on this side of the Atlantic.”

 Company officials said that, since its inception in 2008, Travel Leaders Group has boosted annual sales volume of more than $5 billion to more than $20 billion last year. It is believed that Travel Leaders Group accounts for about one-third of all U.S.-based travel agency operations.

“We expect growth to be both organic and through acquisition and are working to attract agents and agencies to our business by demonstrating why we’ve been able to grow so dramatically when other agency groups have not,” Liben said.