Cancun, Mexico-based Best Day Travel Group has announced the appointment of Enrique Salas as executive vice president. A holder of Master’s degrees from the Stevens Institute of Technologies and George Washington University, Salas has held senior executive positions in different multinational companies such as AT & T and Lucent Technologies. Salas succeeds Rafael Durand, who has left Best Day.
In the UK, Graham Balmforth, national sales manager of Super Break, is retiring after 23 years at the short breaks operator. Balmforth joined Super Break in January 1995 from Wallace Arnold Tours, will leave the business in January. His departure follows that of sales director Jane Atkins in March and key account manager Claire Dutton in September, both of whom joined Shearings Holidays.
Megan Ryburn has left her post as tourism sales manager at New Orleans Plantation Country to join the Louisiana Office of Tourism, where she will oversee domestic sales. Ryburn had been with Plantation Country for five-and-a-half years.
At TUI Germany, the company’s commercial managing director, Oliver Beck, will be leaving at the beginning of December after seven years. In addition to his position as managing director, Beck was also the director for the sales strategy for TUI Germany. The separation takes place on Beck’s “own desire,” the company said.
Kathleen Conaway has been named domestic and international group sales director at VisitPittsburgh.
Intrepid Group, a global adventure travel company with offices in Australia, the USA and Canada has promoted Leigh Barnes (left) to the role of chief purpose officer, and Michael Edwards to the role of chief growth officer. Edwards, currently Intrepid’s regional director in Europe, Middle East and Asia, will move into the role of chief growth officer, effective January 1, 2018, based in London, UK. Barnes, Intrepid’s director of North America, will take on the role of chief purpose officer July 1, 2018, returning to Intrepid’s global headquarters in Melbourne, Australia.
Danny Liedka has been named president and CEO of Visit Syracuse. Liedka, a former mayor of East Syracuse who is now closing out his final term as an Onondaga County (N.Y.) legislator, is a former on-air television commentator for Time Warner Cable Sports, Beg East Network and ESPN U. He was also a game radio host for Syracuse University Basketball on Clear Channel Radio.
JTA Travel has appointed Dave Green as head of tour operations. Green, who joins from Holiday Malta Company / Belleair Holidays where he was a director, has had a 30-year career in travel, having held different senior positions within the Thomas Cook Group.
Esteban Velásquez has left his position as CEO of Cancun, Mexico-based PriceTravel after having served in the post for four-and-a-half years. His decision follows as a merger (PriceTravel is merging with the Colombian OTA, Los Tiquetes Más Baratos) and an impending ownership change, which has resulted in a different direction for the Cancun, Mexico-based OTA. PriceTravel had earlier brought on former Expedia executive Pablo Castro as directing of marketing and service to suppliers.
