B’Anka Neder (left) is the new senior sales manager for Grand Canyon Helicopters (GCH), a Papillon Group brand; her counterpart representing the national sales division for the company is Taun Adams (right), national sales manager for Papillon Group. Neder, with 15 years of sales experience, comes to the group from Big Bus Tours, where she spent nearly five years. Adams brings nearly 30 years in sales to her position selling for several of the largest touring companies in the Southwest. She is a veteran to the industry having extensive background working for various hospitality/tourism companies including more than 15 years with the historic Grand Canyon Railway & Resort.
Sandy Harvey has been named vice president of sales for Meet AC (Atlantic City). She was promoted from the post of senior director of sales. A veteran of more than 25 years in the tour and travel industry, Harvey joined the organization in 1995. She succeeds Gary Musich.
Barrhead Travel has announced the appointment of Nesta Gilliland as its new marketing director as the company prepares for further growth following its recent acquisition by Travel Leaders Group. She has over 25 years of strategic sales and marketing experience in the travel and leisure sector. Prior to joining Barrhead Travel, Gilliland was head of marketing and sales at Abellio ScotRail for over two years where she co-ordinated a multi-million pound B2B and B2C marketing budget. She also spent five years as a director at David Urquhart Travel.
Diego Camacho has left his position as tourism sales manager at New York Water Taxi has taken on the job as senior sales manager for the Empire State Building Observatory, focusing on the Latin American, Brazilian, Japanese, Korean and Australian markets.
Matt Walls has been promoted by TravelSupermarket to the newly created role of general manager. With overall responsibility for the business across commercial, product, technology and marketing, Walls’ promotion has been created to drive the TravelSupermarket strategy, business growth and profitability. He joined TravelSupermarket in January 2017 as marketing director. Before that, he spent 13 years at Hotels.com and Expedia Group, where he was vice-president marketing at Expedia Inc for over five years, and marketing director for over seven.
Gary Gillespie has been appointed to the post of national sales manager for Super Break, replacing Graham Balmforth who retired at the end of January. Gillespie has worked in the industry for over 30 years and moves over from Innstant Travel, where he was head of sales. He began his career in branch as a retail travel agent for both Neilson Travel and Thomas Cook Retail before moving to head office as business development manager and then head of sales and training for Thomas Cook’s Flexibletrips.
Barbara Ackermann has been named director of the German team for Destination Canada in Germany. She replaces Karl-Heinz Limberg, who leaves the organization at his own request. Contact person for sales remains Nina Brauckmann. All activities continue to run under the umbrella of the agency Travel Marketing Romberg in Mettmann, Germany.
Patrick Tabora has been named tour and travel coordinator at Legends/QUE Skyspace in Los Angeles. He had served previously served the organization as an account executive, group sales. Prior to that he was part of the inside sales team for the San Diego Chargers.
Guillermo Monti has been named as CEO of the tour operator Ola, which is based in Rosario, Argentina, about 180 miles northwest of Buenos Aires and which sells a good deal of Florida product.. He replaces Guillermo Cedaro. Monti, who has a background in economics, with extensive experience at the executive director level in travel and tourism industry. At the beginning of 2017, he joined as a strategic partner in Flight Center Travel Group. OLA (Mayorista de Turismo) manages a wide range of services in various destinations and an exclusive department of quinceañeras.
