travel.list

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Executive Summary

The past couple of years have been tough on travel agencies. In 1995, the major airlines placed a cap on commission payments to travel agents, a move that some say may devastate the industry. Further, the growth of the Internet has made it much easier for people to make their own travel arrangements on the computer.

The changes have caused a large number of L.A. agencies to close their doors, but some of the survivors are nonetheless thriving. The L.A. office of No. 1 AmericanTours International boosted sales from $95 million in 1995 to $114 million in 1996, and No. 5 Hoffman Travel’s L.A. operation jumped from $95 million in 1995 to $125 million last year.

Pacesetter

AmericanTours International Inc.

Chairwoman and CEO: No & #235;l Irwin-Henschel

AmericanTours, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, isn’t just the biggest travel agency in L.A. County it’s also the county’s third-biggest woman-owned business.

No & #235;l Irwin-Henschel and Michael Fitzpatrick started the company with $5,000 from Irwin-Henschel’s savings account in 1977, and since then have grown it to a nationwide firm with 10 offices and $147 million in 1996 sales. Along the way, its founders have received more than their share of honors; Irwin-Henschel was named Business Woman of the Year in 1996 by the National Association of Women Business Owners, and she and Fitzpatrick were given the CALTIA Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1995 by Gov. Pete Wilson.

AmericanTours creates tour packages for overseas visitors coming to the U.S. It brings in about 800,000 visitors a year, mainly from Western Europe.

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