Third
generation hotelier Brett G. Tollman was born in South Africa in 1961. After his
schooling at Rugby School in the Midlands of England, Brett Tollman graduated from Cornell University
in Upstate New York with an B.Sc. in Hotel Management. This paved the way for
his entry to the family-owned business, as he made Vice Chairman in 1997 as
part of the The Travel Corporation (TTC). Three generations of Tollmans are
currently active in the corporation.
From then
until the position he holds today, as CEO, Brett
Tollman held various positions in TTC. The TTC corporation
comprises a number of operators in the travel and tourism industry, including
luxury boutique hotels (the Red Carnation Hotels) in the United States, Switzerland,
South Africa and the UK.
Bringing many years of experience to this field, Brett
Tollman still serves as CEO of the hotel group. With the
broad range of brands that comprise the corporation, TTC meets the needs of all
budgets and travel styles. To mention just a few – Trafalgar Tours is the
industry leader in providing outstanding guided holidays to all major
destinations, and recent unique initiatives include their “At Leisure” and “Be
My Guest” experiences, and their family
vacations are highly successful. Insight Vacations offers perfectly planned
escorted tours, with a superior level of personal service; Shamrocker Irish
Adventures offers budget tours of Ireland; AAT Kings cover Australia and New
Zealand, while Uniworld offers a range of luxury boutique river cruises with an
unmatched level of comfort, quality and service.
2010 sees Brett Tollman having the opportunity to take The
Travel Corporation to South Africa
with the once-in-a decade, International Sales Conference, which was held in Cape Town. This major
event goes further than making first impressions – it is the start of a
long-term process of growing and developing the destination. To quote Brett Tollman: “…... The focus of the conference is
also very much on the business of promoting and fostering inbound tourism to
South Africa - establishing opportunities for selling this remarkable
destination to our global customers.” Tollman went on to reiterate TTC’s
long-term commitment to South
Africa.
The Travel
Corporation pride themselves on their commitment to the environment, and put
this into effect through The Travel Corporation Conservation Foundation, which
is active participant in promoting sustainable tourism in ecologically
endangered areas. Protection of part of the Atlantic
Forest in Brazil,
and research and restoration in Venice
are among the projects that have already benefited from the support of the
Conservation Foundation. Through its Uniworld brand, the Conservation
Foundation has embarked on a new project along Egypt’s
Nile River. The aim is to reduce the
environmental impact of river cruises by reducing water and energy consumption,
as well as waste generation from the cruise ship. The company is also a major
sponsor of the prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in recognition of
companies in the travel industry that have exhibited a strong commitment to
fostering sustainable tourism while protecting the environment.
Brett Tollman has recognized the
importance of sharing his knowledge and expertise resulting from years of
experience in his field, and makes time in his busy schedule for mentoring
promising employees within the corporation. He is also a member of the Young
Presidents Organization, whose membership comprises of international business
presidents who meet from time to time to exchange and share ideas and
opportunities. Brett Tollman is Vice Chairman responsible for membership of the
World Travel and Toursim Council, and serves on its executive committee.
TTC’s chairman Stanly Tollman recently spent a fact finding week in Asia, together with Brett and Gavin Tollman meeting with significant travel industry leaders and VIPs in order to fully comprehend the trends and aspirations for enablement of the Chinese traveller to fulfill their dreams regarding travel.
Brett Tollman fully comprehends and is well aware of the Asian traveller in becoming global citizens via worldwide visitation. The growth in Chinese travel clearly echoes the significance that the Chinese place on exploring the world and it is forecasted that these Chinese travellers will soon be the pillar of global travel and tourism growth.
