A traveler dating back to her earliest childhood days spent in Jakarta, Erina combines her rich multicultural background with a fervor for brand building in the luxury space.
Erina grew up with Southeast Asia as her backyard; but following schooling in Singapore, she relocated stateside. After receiving her degree in marketing, she settled in New York City and, in turn, set the path for her multifaceted career in the travel industry. Around the same time that Erina identified a lack of fellow millennials in the travel agency community, she met Michael Holtz, founder of SmartFlyer. Together, they saw an opportunity to build a company – backed by a powerful brand – that appealed to fresh talent with a knack for creating exceptional client experiences from start to finish.
As the ultimate brand ambassador for a lifestyle rooted in seamless travel, Erina has worked tirelessly since 2010 to create a globally diversified footprint for SmartFlyer. Its affiliate community has blossomed to include over two hundred SmartFlyer travel advisors based across the United States, Europe, and Australia under her leadership. Today, she also manages strategic partnerships, and proprietary technology builds. In an effort to drive a better booking experience for all advisors, as well as a frictionless user journey for our mutual and discerning clients, Erina is the Chair of Sion’s Advisory Board and sits on the Board of Advisors for Lucia, two innovative technology companies revolutionizing the travel agency space.
The SmartFlyer Brand Team philosophy is predicated on everyone getting into the weeds, no matter what chair you sit in. For over a decade, Erina has continued to act as a hands-on travel advisor and still designs custom itineraries for the agency’s top-level clients. This pulse on both the needs of today’s luxury travelers combined with invaluable relationships spanning the globe creates a continued evolution of the agency’s offering.
Erina was the first SmartFlyer agent to be named to the Travel Agent 30Under30 list and has since been honored by Forbes as one of the Asian-Americans Who Are Shaping the Travel Industry. She is frequently quoted as a travel expert in CNN Travel, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Forbes. Erina sits on the Travel + Leisure A-List Travel Advisory Board, Virtuoso Marketing Committee, ACCOR Travel Agent Advisory Board, IHG Global Sales Advisory Panel, and is the Founder of EQTR, a non-profit mentorship program developing future BIPOC travel leaders and entrepreneurs.
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