GAINESVILLE - Gainesville's two oldest and established travel agencies have merged their resources and talent into one location at Thompson Court on Thompson Bridge Road, effective Monday.
Both Caravelle Travel and Wide Travel began operating in Gainesville in the 1950s. At that time Wide was known as Van Leer Travel but the name was changed with new ownership by Jacobs Media in 1976. Caravelle was operated by McKibbon Bros. and was sold to Martin Ellard in 1987.
The joint announcement was made by P.Martin Ellard, owner of Caravelle, and John W. (Jay) Jacobs,lll, President of Wide Travel, a division of Jacobs Media, parent company of AccessNorthGa.com. The merger brings together the professional travel agents from both agencies, who with improved resources and new internet access, will offer the ultimate in individual service to each client, according to the announcement.
The present Wide Travel office space at Thompson Court is being enlarged to accommodate the addition of personnel and facilities which will be transferred from Caravelle's present location on Jesse Jewell Parkway. Each agency will continue to operate with their present phone numbers: Caravelle at 770-532-4131 and Wide Travel at 770-536-8747. However both agencies will use the same toll-free number 1-800-822-9571 and the same FAX number 770-536-6357.
At Caravelle's new office location clients can be directed to agents Susan Mason, Susan Kubitz and Barbara Bisso, while Wide Travel maintains their familiar agents; M.J. Muselwhite, Gail Lewis, Mindi Smiley, and Manager Chris Rundell.
As CEO for both agencies, Jacobs said he welcomes the "talent and heritage" that Caravelle will bring to the Wide facility. He added he feels that the primary role of a travel agency today is to provide personal service to clients on an individual basis, whether it is in person, on the phone or thru the internet (www.widetravel.com).
Friday
October 18th, 2024
3:30PM
