Global Travel Collection Names Melissa Krueger President
The former Classic Vacations CEO succeeds Angie Licea, who led the $2.4 billion luxury travel network for more than six years.
Photo: Global Travel Collection
Global Travel Collection has named former Classic Vacations CEO Melissa Krueger its next president.
She succeeds Angie Licea, who said in October that she would step away after more than six years leading the luxury travel network. Licea will work with Krueger during the handover, according to a letter to advisors and employees from Licea and Internova Travel Group CEO J.D. O’Hara obtained by Luxury Travel Report.
Krueger brings nearly 30 years of experience in travel and luxury hospitality. She spent 13 years at Classic Vacations, including five as CEO, before departing in September. Her departure came a year after India-based travel distributor TBO acquired the luxury tour operator. (Classic Vacations tapped CFO Sharon Conway as interim CEO.)
Krueger takes over a $2.4 billion network that has brought advisors from Protravel International, Tzell Travel Group, and ALTOUR Leisure and Entertainment under the Global Travel Collection name. Licea led the organization from its 2020 launch and oversaw the consolidation. Internova said last month that she would stay with the parent company during the transition while exploring other opportunities within the organization.
In their letter, O’Hara and Licea added that Internova would continue to support advisors’ independence and help them grow their businesses. They also invited advisors and employees to share their ideas and experiences with Krueger as she gets to know the network.
“Supporting your independence, helping you grow your businesses and ensuring you have the resources and expertise to deliver exceptional experiences for your clients remain priorities for all of us,” O’Hara and Licea wrote.
That commitment also figured in Licea’s letter announcing her departure.
“One of the things that has always mattered most to me is that as we grew and evolved, we didn’t lose what made these businesses special in the first place,” she wrote. “The entrepreneurial spirit. The relationships. The independence of our advisors.”
