VP, Tour Operations

About The Vacation Group

Founded in 2025, The Vacation Group integrates four renowned travel agencies under a single brand within the Internova Travel Group and Travel Leaders Network. Offering a diverse range of travel options including cruises, solo cruises, luxury custom vacations, and student/group tours, the company boasts a skilled team dedicated to providing exceptional, tailored travel experiences backed by strong industry alliances with prestigious cruise lines and travel partners.

Role Overview

The Vice President of the B2C Tour Operator division is tasked with establishing and expanding The Vacation Group's direct consumer tour operator business. This leadership position involves creating the product strategy, setting up operational frameworks, and driving profitable growth by curating premium packaged leisure travel experiences that differentiate the brand in the marketplace.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the formation and launch of the B2C tour operator division including defining structure, operating models, and staffing requirements.
• Create scalable processes for product development, packaging, and fulfillment to accelerate time to market.
• Integrate tour operator offerings with existing cruise, air, and hotel services to enhance product bundles.
• Develop a core product lineup aligned with luxury, experiential, and premium travel themes ensuring differentiation and commercial viability.
• Design tour itineraries emphasizing exclusivity such as small-group tours, hosted departures and combined land and cruise packages.
• Manage global supplier sourcing and contract negotiations with hotels, airlines, destination management companies (DMCs), to secure competitive pricing and preferred partnerships.
• Utilize The Vacation Group’s multi-channel distribution, including in-house advisors and digital platforms, to drive direct consumer sales and optimize advisor engagement.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Cruise, Air, and Technology teams to execute go-to-market strategies, enhance brand visibility, and improve packaging tools and booking platforms.
• Oversee the entire package operational delivery including booking, customer service, post-booking support, and in-destination execution while maintaining high service quality and established SOPs.
• Take full P&L responsibility, setting pricing and margin objectives, and monitoring financial metrics such as revenue growth, gross margin, attach rates, and customer retention.

Candidate Qualifications

• At least 10 years of leadership experience in tour operations, travel product management, or leisure travel sectors.
• Proven track record in launching or scaling tour operator or travel product businesses.
• Strong skills in contracting, packaging, margin optimization, and managing P&L.
• Deep knowledge of the US consumer travel market and distribution channels.
• Effective leadership and skilled at managing cross-functional stakeholders.

Compensation and Benefits

The company offers comprehensive benefits including options for medical and dental plans, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, company-covered life and disability insurance, paid parental leave, paid time off, and a 401k plan with company matching. Additional perks include discounted travel, access to professional development resources, and discounts on pet and property insurance.

Salary ranges vary depending on experience, location, and other factors, designed to meet pay transparency regulations and may include incentives or bonuses based on performance and company results.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Internova Travel Group commits to equal opportunity employment practices, making hiring decisions without discrimination based on age, race, religion, gender, disability, and other protected statuses.