U.S-based Millennials in Travel, an organization dedicated to career development and networking among a generational segment in the travel industry, has gone international with the launch of a chapter in Vancouver, BC.
The organization’s growth will continue to create a stronger travel trade community over the next few decades, said Joshua Smith, director of strategic development at Millennials in Travel.
“During the pandemic, we’ve focused on maintaining communication and listening to feedback on improvement as well as expansion of the organization to ensure we’re collectively able to meet the demands of the tourism industry,” Smith said. “While we’ve been looking at a few international destinations over the past couple years, Vancouver as major tourism market for both inbound and outbound tourism as well as a cultural hub, was a logical choice in the organization’s expansion.”
The Millennials in Travel Vancouver chapter will be led by Kemi Wells of Wells Luxury Travel and McKenzie McMillan of The Travel Group.
Both are two former leaders of Young Travel Professionals (YTP).
“After the closure of YTP, we continued fostering a local tourism network. However, we recognized the opportunity in aligning with a larger entity and felt Millennials in Travel would be a perfect fit,” Wells said.
McMillan added: “The pandemic has greatly shifted networking and the ability to have a community, so we’re excited to build the Millennials in Travel brand and be the first outside of the United States.”
Millennials in Travel has also launched in Charleston, SC with a full leadership team guiding the chapter which includes Jamie Jackson with Andavo Travel, Jennifer Horan with American Queen Steamboat Company, Brenna Emerson with Belmond and Ike High with Explore Charleston.
Both chapters are in the planning stage of their launches to ensure local protocols allow for beneficial and safe networking opportunities.
Millennials in Travel recently re-started in-person events in July with the Los Angeles chapter initiating the return for the organization.