The JENZA Travel Group has announced the acquisition of SWAP Working Holidays. This follows the news that 3A Management, the parent company of IENA, has recently acquired JENZA.
The JENZA Travel Group, formed by heritage brands USIT & BUNAC, has joined forces with IENA, a leading US sponsor and SWAP, a well-established Canadian IEC Recognised Organisation, to create a work & travel powerhouse able to provide global cultural exchange participants with a seamless end-to-end experience for their work abroad programmes.
Bringing decades of close collaboration, experience in the youth travel space and knowledge of their respective markets, this official coming together of three industry leaders will mean on-the-ground support for young people in five key work and travel destinations – the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and Ireland.
While all three businesses will continue to operate independently and headed up by their existing management teams, the move marks a new chapter in the evolution of these brands. IENA, SWAP and BUNAC will continue to enhance the quality and service for inbound participants, host employers and government stakeholders as USIT and JENZA looks to grow awareness of programmes internationally.
“Bringing these organisations together is an incredible milestone for global youth work and travel,” said Matt Buczek, CEO at IENA. “As a JENZA alumni, through the BUNAC programme myself, I can personally attest to the quality and commitment to customer service excellence. I look forward to working alongside Vicki, Libby and the team to expand our collective market reach and deliver an even better experience for our growing network of agents and host employers.”
Vicki Cunningham, CEO at JENZA says: “IENA, BUNAC, USIT, JENZA and SWAP all share a common vision, so a collaboration is a natural fit. Bringing these five powerhouse brands together is an exciting step forward. I can’t wait to be working with these exceptional teams to deliver enhanced products and services to our customers so that they never have to choose between gaining meaningful work experience and travelling the world.”
“I can’t think of a better group for SWAP to team up with,” said Libby Law, CEO at SWAP. “SWAP is 50 years old this year, and this move will strengthen the business for another 50 to come. We’ll be leaning on JENZA’s sales & marketing expertise to grow our outbound programs, whilst continuing to focus on quality of service for our global agents and Canadian employers on the inbound program.”
The group is entering an exciting new chapter, with a focus on building momentum and exploring innovative ways to achieve sustained growth in the years ahead. It welcomes conversations with organizations that share its dedication to innovation and value creation for its customers and partners.
For further press information, please contact:
Cait Lesko | Sarah Geppert | Elsa Findlay
Rooster.
T: +44 (0)203 440 8930
E: Jenza@rooster.co.uk
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About The JENZA Group
The JENZA Group consists of BUNAC, a heritage Summer Camp USA brand and UK Visa sponsor, Irish youth work and travel brand, USIT, and youth-led work and travel brand JENZA.
About JENZA
Founded in 2023, JENZA is a new youth-led work and travel brand that arranges flexible working holidays and international internships in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and UK.
About BUNAC
Celebrating over 60 years of US cultural exchange, BUNAC is our legendary Summer Camp USA brand for all global markets. BUNAC is one of the largest A-rated sponsors for the UK’s Temporary Work Government Exchange (GAE) program- and acts as a visa sponsor for the Intern UK program.
About USIT
Founded by Dublin students in 1962, USIT is the leading summer J1 and graduate visa expert in the Irish market.
About SWAP
SWAP, established in 1975, is Canada’s largest exchange organization helping thousands of Canadian travel on a work abroad program to places such as the UK, Ireland, the USA and Australia. SWAP is also an IEC Recognized Organization and hosts thousands of international visitors on the IEC programs.
About IENA
IENA was established in 1995, is one of America’s most well-respected Bridge USA sponsors (previously J-1 program) and specialises in summer camp. They work with hundreds of camps across America and have decades of summer camp experience within the team.