One of the retail travel industry’s top leaders – and someone who has played a pivotal role in the growth of Travel Leaders Network here – is planning to retire.

Christine James, Vice President, Canada of Travel Leaders Network, said the decision was a tough one.

“As you can imagine, this wasn’t an easy decision, especially after leading our Canadian network for 27 years,” she said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working closely with our members and suppliers by advocating alongside Travel Leaders leadership team on behalf of our membership. I’m still very passionate about our industry as a whole and committed to the continued success of our network, however, after careful consideration, I feel the timing is right to take a step back and reflect on what the next chapter brings.”

James has been with Travel Leaders Network since 1999, celebrating 25 years with the company in 2024.

She’s garnered widespread recognition over the years, known for her leadership and expertise. With Travel Leaders Network, she worked her way up from BDM, holding roles including Director of National Sales, Senior Director of Industry Relations, and Country Manager for Canada. In 2010, she was named Vice President, Canada, overseeing the network’s operations in the country. Travel Leaders Network is the largest network of travel agencies in North America.

James also spoke about resilience. There have been many, many challenges for the retail travel industry, not just in the past several years, but right now in particular. And yet travel advisors continue to survive and thrive.

“The resilience of travel advisors is truly remarkable,” she said. “We’ve had more than our fair share of challenges impacting our industry over the past nine months. However, our advisors continue to ride the headwinds and come out even stronger in the end.”

An official announcement about James’ retirement is coming soon.

Source: Travelweek