Who is Stanley Tollman?

Stanley Tollman is the founder of The Travel Corporation, a global travel group that manages over 25 unique travel brands across the globe. Stanley Tollman is also a generous philanthropist and supporter of wildlife conservation and preservation.

Early Years

Stanley Tollman was born September 29th, 1930. He was first exposed to the hotel and restaurant industry through his parents who owned and managed “The Palace Hotel” At the young age of 19 Tollman decided to forgo his studies at university in order to help his parents manage the family business. In the years that followed he transformed the family hotel business into a chain of hotels, restaurants and wine importers.

The Travel Corporation

The Travel Corporation (TTC) has been in business for nearly a century. Stanley Tollman has transformed the company to a worldwide brand-name in the travel industry. The company today owns and manages over 25 international travel and tourism brands such as: Contiki Tours, Red Carnation Boutique Hotel chain, Trafalgar Tours, Uniworld River Cruises, African Travel Inc., and many more. The company has approximately 4000 employees and 40 offices located across five continents. The Travel Corporation is not only known for its market presence, but also for its award-winning services. Over the years it has received considerable amount of recognition including the following accolades: Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, Gold Award from Investors in People, The Ark Award for Business, Gold Award from Travel Weekly’s Magellan Awards, and many more. Today Stanley Tollman is the Chairman of the Board while his son and nephews manage the global company.

An example of standard setting by world leading TTC can be found in the river cruising segment with its award winning Uniworld brand. Uniworld offers luxurious traveling in smaller groups, with the opportunity for close engagement with local cultures and has seen consistent growth over the last year, enjoying praise from both travellers and industry leaders.

Another feather in the cap for the group chaired by founder Stanley Tollman is the recent partnering between Contiki Holidays – a group brand – and the conservationist Celine Cousteau, who will help educate the Contiki team and its travellers about environmental issues, with particular focus on marine ecosystems.

Philanthropy

Over the years Stanley Tollman has built for himself a prosperous family business. A strong believer of philanthropic giving, Tollman has allocated part of his funds to support numerous charities and causes. One such initiative is the Tollman Family Art Award, bestowed upon African artists who show artistic potential.

Recently, Tollman celebrated his 80th birthday at the TTC International Sales Conference which took place in Cape Town, South Africa – the country where he was born and raised. In celebration of his birthday, Tollman decided to generously donate to five different charities including: the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, dedicated to peace and social justice initiatives; the Make a Difference Foundation, dedicated to supporting and creating opportunities for disadvantaged yet academically talented youth; and the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust, offering health, safety, education, sports and arts programs to the underprivileged.

Wildlife Conservation

Stanley Tollman has always been an avid supporter of wildlife preservation and conservation. Through The Travel Corporation, Tollman founded “The Conservation Foundation”, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism in ecologically-sensitive areas located across the globe. Also, The Travel Corporation sponsors the “Tourism for Tomorrow Awards”, an awards ceremony recognizing organizations for their ecological tourism leadership. In addition to these corporate initiatives, Stanley Tollman donates funds to organizations that are dedicated to the preservation of endangered animals including the Cape Zebra and Cape Leopard.

Personal Note

Stanley Tollman is married to Beatrice Tollman. The two met and married at a young age, and worked together to grow the family hotel and restaurant business into what it has become today. Together they have four children.