VANCOUVER — Travel industry veteran Doug Patterson is joining BranchUp as National Director, Sales and Travel Advisor Engagement.

The appointment is effective Feb. 7.

Patterson joins BranchUp backed by an extensive travel trade background, with The Travel Corporation and Collette. His six years of leadership as President of Trafalgar Canada, from 2009 to 2015, capped close to 30 years with TTC. He was President of Insight Vacations Canada from 1996 to 2009 after eight years with Contiki.

Patterson says he’s excited to join BranchUp. “I’m excited to join a group who believe passionately in the value that travel advisors provide. BranchUp offers a simple, no-cost tool that leverages the power of social media,” he says.

“After a very difficult period, travel advisors couldn’t have a better partner to drive revenue and relevance,” he added.

BranchUp has been steadily building its operations since it was launched in 2015 by founder Michael Drever, who also founded Expedia Cruises. BranchUp delivers a mix of editorial content and special offers, posted daily to travel advisors’ Facebook Business pages. The idea is to free up travel agents from having to spend precious time sourcing content to share with their page, friends and followers.

BranchUp’s marketing solutions drive leads — and ultimately sales — directly to the inbox of travel advisors, all at no charge, says Drever.

“Adding a well-known and respected industry veteran like Doug Patterson reflects our commitment to Canadian travel advisors. With travel expected to see a strong rebound later this year, it’s going to be more important than ever for travel advisors to use social media tools to market, strengthen their reputation and drive bookings,” he added.

Patterson can be reached at DPatterson@BranchUp.com.