TravelAge West Honors Brad and Van Anderson

Jul 18, 2016

The TravelAge West Excellence in Leadership Award honors an individual who, in the course of his or her career in travel, has consistently demonstrated leadership and insight, effected change or innovation and made extraordinary contributions to both organizations and the industry at large. For 2016, TravelAge West is thrilled to honor brothers Brad and Van Anderson, president and co-founder, respectively, of Avoya Travel, one of the largest and most honored travel companies in North America.

Avoya Travel is a family-owned business that traces its roots back to a Hawaiian travel company owned by founders Pal and Pat Anderson in the 1960s. Growing up together with close ties to the travel industry, Brad and Van made travel their career from the very beginning — Brad began working at his family’s retail agency, while Van got a job as an Amtrak ticket agent.

Over several decades, Brad and Van have guided their company’s growth and ongoing evolution. The Anderson family and many key employees have developed an advanced technology platform that helps Independent Agencies in the Avoya Travel Network generate industry-leading sales. Avoya’s Agent Power technology, which received a U.S. government patent in 2015, enables Independent Agencies to claim Live Leads, centralize bookings, track commissions, access online education and communicate with the Avoya Network.

As a result of their leadership, Avoya and its network have earned many accolades, including Travel Partner of the Year awards from Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruises, American Express and Oceania Cruises. Brad and Van are also the first-ever inductees into the Cruise Line International Association’s Hall of Fame for Cruise Sales Innovator and co-recipients of the Most Innovative Host Agency Executive Travvy Award.