Richard Singer has been named chief executive of travel price comparison website Icelolly.com. Singer, who was previously Travelzoo’s European president, was scheduled to become managing director of Monarch Holidays earlier this year; however, the company shut down in October before he began work. He had spent five years with Travelzoo.
Alexandre Mesquita has left his position with Hostway Travel and launched his own consulting firm that will focus on leisure, special, specific interest travel, as well as groups and incentive trips. Prior to working at São Paulo-based Hostway, Mesquita had served as commercial manager for Grupo Águia, which includes the familiar Stella Barros, Interplanet and Planeta Brazil brands.
Jim Henderson has retired from Visit Anchorage`after serving the organization for 28 years. He joined the bureau in 1985 as convention sales director and, four years later, became vice president of convention sales.
Tour and travel industry veteran Ken Fischang has launched a consulting firm, the Fischang Group, that specializes on interim management and business development support. Fisching, who abruptly resigned earlier this year from his post as president and CEO of Sonoma County Tourism after serving nearly 12 years in the post, had returned to Michigan where he was briefly executive director of the Saugatuck Douglas Area CVB. Earlier in his career, Fischang had served for five years as executive director and vice president, marketing, of the Kalamazoo County (Mich.) CVB.
Rene Schaufuss has been named CEO of source markets for leading German tour operator FTI. The position is a new one as the company expands its management team. Schaufuss joined FTI in October . He was previously director of tour operating with the Primera Travel Group in Copenhagen. His resume also includes a tenure with Kuoni in Switzerland.
Laurence Hicks, former managing director of London-based Wendy Wu Tours has launched Inclusive Retreats a LGBT-friendly tour operator that sells tailor-made holidays to a range of destinations – but only where homosexuality is legal – and is also handpicking hotels that are LGBT-friendly within countries such as the USA, UK, France, Spain, Australia, Mexico, Thailand and Israel. Hicks, who launched the new company last month with around 50 properties on the company’s website, wants to double the number of properties it features to around 100 by the end of the year before starting to approach travel agents and consortia.
Emily Milligan has been named director of business development for Fly My Group, a U.S. company that specializes in flights and itineraries for groups. Milligan joins Fly My Group from the Student & Youth Travel Association and SYTA Youth Foundation, where she had been associate director.
Alexandre Chavot has joined the sales team of Beachcomber Tours in charge of France’s Rhône-Alpes region. Prior to his new position, Chavot worked for several years at Plein Vent as a sales representative then head of large accounts and groups.
Dusseldorf, Germany-based Alltours has announced that director of sales and marketing Mike Hennig (left) will leave the company next March “for purely personal reasons” after just 18 months in the position. Also, flights director Richard Brodrecht (right) will leave the group at the same time for personal reasons. Replacements are being sought for both jobs.
