Gisel Vidals has a new job at Big Bus Tours. She recently became head of global sales. Previously, she was head of national trade sales USA/head of sales & marketing, New York City. Vidals joined Big Bus Tours in the summer of 2014. Before that move, she had served in senior sales positions at Skyline Sightseeing NYC, Super Shuttle and Liberty Helicopter.
Amsterdam-based Travix, a global online travel company operating in 29 countries from offices in the Netherlands, the USA, Germany, India and Singapore, has announced the appointment of Rick van der Wurf as sales director Europe, responsible for markets in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, the UK and Ireland for the online sale of group tickets.
Travix also announced the appointment of Gulce Karsli as a commercial director for France, Spain and Italy. Karsli, who has been with Travix for two years, began her career with the company as a market analyst
The Monterey (Calif.) CVB has appointed Mark McMinn as the new vice president of sales. Prior to his appointment, McMinn, a 25-year veteran of the tour and travel industry, was the director of sales and destination services at Team San Jose where he led a team of group, leisure, and catering and services professionals. McMinn has also worked with Marriott, Wyndham and Doubletree hotel brands as well as the Detroit and Tempe DMOs.
Jeff Poole has joined Visit Spokane in the newly created position of senior director of sales and national accounts, Mid Atlantic and Eastern Region. A veteran of more than 30 years in the tour and travel industry, Poole’s CV includes tenures in senior positions at the Los Angeles Convention & Tourism Board, Omni Hotels and the Washington Hilton Hotel & Towers.
In the UK, Andrea Clayton-Norris has been named business development director at AffordableXtras, a new division of Affordable Car Hire. Previously, Clayton-Norris had worked for a competitor, Holiday Extras, for more than 20 years, serving in number of roles over 21 years, including head of partnerships, looking after key accounts such as Thomas Cook and TUI. She left Holiday Extras a year ago to join an insurance broker outside the industry but said she missed the travel industry.
