The Van Vlissingens are a famous Dutch family who founded one of the world’s largest private trading groups, SHV, in Utrecht, in 1896. With interests in transport, animal feed, oil and gas exploration and financial services, the company has made the family rich, worth a reported €11.2 billion ($12.7 billion USD).
Of the three Van Vlissingen brothers, only one, John Fentener van Vlissingen, made a career outside of the family business when he formed BCD Group. Originally established in 1975 as a real estate management company, Van Vlissingen expanded the company’s interests into travel and travel-related services. Today, these come together under four separate companies: BCD Travel, Travix, Park’n’Fly and Airtrade.
According to their own website, in 2017, these four companies generated global sales worth $27.9 billion from operations and affiliates in 109 countries. The first U.S. office was opened in 1976 in Atlanta, and this was followed by the 1980 acquisition of World Travel Advisors for $50 million, the company’s first major buy. It then purchased Park’n’Fly, an off-airport parking operation with 10 locations near major American airports. In 2003, Van Vlissingen was honoured as “Dutch Travel Manager of the Year”.
