TORONTO — Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has named travel industry veteran Anita Emilio to the position of Vice President and General Manager, Independent and Luxury pillars in Canada.

Emilio is now part of the Global Independent and Luxury taskforces. Both segments have fuelled strong growth results for FCTG’s leisure performance. And both are seen by FCTG as major market opportunities “and will see strong investment in their pursuit of market domination,” according to FCTG.

While in recent years, Canada and the U.S. have been jointly managed, Emilio’s appointment signals a new direction, says Danielle Galloway, Global Managing Director of FCTG’s Independent and Luxury businesses.

“We understand the clear differences and opportunities in these two markets, and with that comes the need to invest in a team devoted to Canada with a deep understanding of Canadian culture, travellers and the travel industry landscape,” says Galloway. “We have a fantastic network of 480 independent agents across Canada, as well as our Laurier du Vallon stores. We’re excited to build a dedicated Canadian team who can focus on this valuable market and ensure our offering is perfectly suited to Canadian travel advisors and their customers.”

Emilio is well-known in the travel industry, with senior role experience at The Travel Corporation, Travel Counsellors and most recently with Fresh Tracks Canada.

Her appointment at FCTG brings her full circle, back to Flight Centre, where she worked from 1999 to 2005 as Director of Sales.

After 19 years away, Emilio says she’s returning to FCTG with great enthusiasm. “I am thrilled that FCTG has chosen me to lead the independent and luxury businesses in Canada,” she said. “The team clearly have faith in the both pillars and the potential of them in the Canadian market. The foundation has been set with plans to invest in this business and I am ready to drive tremendous growth in Canada. After working alongside FCTG as a partner for many years, I am so happy to be returning to the place I started my career in the travel industry. I am a passionate believer and supporter of the independent model and my experience has me uniquely positioned to take on this new position.

“I have a deep understanding of the industry, strong supplier connections and proven success in delivering exceptional value to agents, agencies and customers. My first priority is building an expert Canada-based team, who will support our independent and luxury agents to ensure we’re delivering top tier support and technology to help them run successful travel businesses. I am honoured to be part of the success story that we will create together,” she added.

Galloway had this to say about Emilio’s hiring: “We’re thrilled to have Anita join our team as we continue to grow our independent business and invest in Canada as one of our top three markets. She has extensive industry experience, strong relationships, and fantastic business acumen, which gives our team every confidence in her ability to bolster our Canadian independent travel agency business.

“Our leadership team have developed a clear vision for growth and plan to deliver the most competitive independent travel agency offering available. Anita is the perfect addition to help us ensure that promise extends to all of our existing and future independent agents and agency owners in Canada.”