Louis Lu is leaving his post as international sales manager at Destination DC to join Brand USA, beginning next month. Lu had been with Destination DC for more than four years. Previously, he was a partner and marketing director at the Shanghai-based Wowo Trip Club
Lisa Tejeda has joined New York City & Company as director, tourism market development, serving Latin America and the USA Hispanic market. In her new role, she will work together with NYC & Company’s travel trade representatives in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina to drive business to New York City’s five boroughs from these key markets, in addition to Colombia, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, and the United States. She reports to Makiko Matsuda Healy, managing director, tourism market development. Tejeda joins NYC & Company with more than 14 years of sales experience, most recently as senior group sales manager, overseeing leisure and incentive markets, at Novotel New York Times Square Hotel until March 2016, when she embarked on a two-year sabbatical to travel the world solo.
Jeremy Ellis, TUI UK and Ireland’s marketing and customer experience director, is is leaving the company after 27 years. He has overseen its marketing division since 2011. During Ellis’ tenure, TUI UK rebranded Thomson as a part of the TUI and increased the latter’s online presence and reach. Ellis will be succeeded by Katie McAlister, a 19-year veteran of the company, who will join the Tui UK and Ireland board as chief marketing officer beginning June 1.
Kurt Burkhart, executive director of the Charlottesville (Va.) Albemarle CVB, has announced his retirement from the bureau, effective May 1, 2018. Prior to joining the organization nine years ago, he had tenures as executive director of the Carlsbad (California) CVB and as director of Flagstaff, Arizona CVB. Earlier, he had served as special assistant for tourism and trade to the governor of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Greater Boston CVB , according to the Boston Globe, has been interviewing candidates for a new number two: a chief operating officer who would be heir apparent to Pat Moscaritolo when he retires, which, the Globe says, “he insists isn’t anytime soon.” Moscaritolo has headed the Boston bureau for nearly three decades.
With the merger in Brazil of Flytours Viagens (Travel) and MMTGapnet into a single tour operator business (Flytour Viagens MMT), Bárbara Picolo has been named the operator’s director of international products for the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. She had held the same position with Flytour prior to the merger.
Steven Harris has been named business development manager for EMEA and India for the Canadian tour train Rocky Mountaineer. He joins the company from MSC Cruises, where he worked for the past 10 years in roles including most recently as national account manager. Harris was previously a regional sales and development manager for Thomas Cook and managed a MyTravel retail stores in the UK Midlands.
JetBlue Airways has announced the appointment of Andres Barry as president of the airline’s new subsidiary, JetBlue Travel Products. In this new role, Barry will lead the growth of the JetBlue Vacations brand and other non-air travel products including travel insurance, cruises, car rentals and more. Barry will be based at JetBlue’s main support center in Long Island City, N.Y. He will report directly to Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s president and CEO. Most recently, Barry was partner and managing director at The Boston Consulting Group, a global management strategy consulting firm.
Luis Reche, who last month left his position as vice president of product of Hotelbeds for Latin America and the Caribbean, and was replaced by Gisela Blok, has joined W2M, the bed bank of the Iberostar group, as director of Americas, with the responsibility of developing and expanding both the receptive business and the bed bank business in the region. He is based in Cancún. Reche will report in his new role to the W2M’s chief operating officer, Patricia Rosselló.
