TORONTO — Asked about the secret to RIT Vacations’ 25 years of success, company founder and president Ian Duffy is quick to credit the company’s longevity to RIT’s team, and RIT’s travel advisor partners.
He does take a few moments, however, to word his gratitude in just the right way for these immensely important people.
“The staff we’ve had over the 25 years have been brilliant. We’ve been very lucky. Some of them have been working for us for 10 years, and some for as many as 20 years. They have been crucial to our success,” Duffy told Travelweek in a quick interview ahead of RITʻs 25th anniversary bash yesterday at Noonanʻs pub on the Danforth in Toronto.
He added: “I also want to thank our travel trade partners, who took us into their hearts from day one. We would not have achieved our success without their hard work and their trust.”
As RITʻs Director of Sales, Jonathan Sargeant and Sales Manager, John Fallon, told Travelweek in interviews earlier this week, RIT got a jump on celebrations for its quarter-century milestone with its Ontario roadshow this week to London, Hamilton and Oshawa, showcasing RIT product as well as product from 14 of RITʻs partners, who joined the delegation. One lucky roadshow attendee won a trip to Ireland with RIT, valued at $8,000 complete with flights with Air Transat.
John Fallon, Katherine Watts, Sinéad Duffy and Jonathan Sargeant
More roadshows in other provinces are on the way for early 2026. RIT will also host a series of webinars in the spring with partners from the UK and Ireland, with plenty of prizes.
When RIT got its start in 2001, it was just after 9/11. It was a tough time to set up a new travel business, to say the least. “Lots of people probably thought we were bat crazy. But as we all know, the travel industry is very resilient,” said Duffy, whoʻs celebrating a personal milestone this year: 50 years in the industry.
“In 2002 we issued our first brochure. We promoted 15 scheduled coach tour departures that first year, and 12 went ahead successfully. Fast forward 25 years and we have more than 250 scheduled departures for 2026, and most if not all of them will sell out.”
RIT launched a new Devon & Cornwall tour in 2025, and it sold very well, prompting RIT to add many more departures for the itinerary in 2026. Seven new UK tours include the 12-day North Coast & Islands, which includes stays on the Isle of Skye and Isle of Lewis, as well as spending time in the Orkney Islands.
At yesterdayʻs celebration Duffy also cited RITʻs Canadian ownership and family-run roots as another big reason for the companyʻs success. His four children all work for RIT. Conor Duffy is VP of RIT, Sinēad is Reservations Manager, Ronan works in RITʻs Dublin office and Lorcan is the companyʻs financial whiz.