Less than a week after it merged with The Mark Travel Corporation, Apple Leisure Group has named Lynn Torrent as its new executive vice president and president of distribution. In this new role, Torrent will report to John Hutchinson, president of Apple Leisure Group, and will be responsible for all aspects of Apple Leisure Group’s tour and destination management businesses. Before joining Apple, Torrent came to apple from Carnival Cruise Lines, where she had most recently served as executive vice president-commercial operations.
Edison Rivas has been named regional market manager for the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Latin America for Secret Escapes in New York City. Before joining the company, Rivas held senior sales positions in New York for some well-known receptive tour operators including JacTravel, GTA and Tourico Holidays.
NYC & Company has announced the selection of Brands Travel as its new representative office in Mexico. Based in Mexico City, the agency will lead travel trade, communications, marketing, and MICE efforts across Mexico, New York City’s ninth-largest international visitor market. The account is led by Brands Travel CEO Carlos Ulibarri, with Carlos Baruki and Mauricio Castillo overseeing trade activity, and Rodrigo Medina managing public relations and marketing efforts in market.
G2 Travel is expanding its team for the Western US and Canada. The company has hired Hiromi Celis (left) as destination manager for Las Vegas and the Nevada Region. Celis was previously business development director of CHD, Inc. (Chinese Host). Prior to that, she worked at companies such as The Mirage, Treasure Island and AlliedTPro. Celis will be based in Las Vegas. Stella Wang, has joined G2 as the destination manager for the Mountain States in an effort to expand G2 Travel’s supplier partnerships throughout the popular National Parks areas.Wang has over 10 years of experience in the travel industry and comes from a strong background in hotel sales and with tour operators such as ATI and Destination America. Wang is based at G2’s Los Angeles office.
Belinda Vazquez, currently director of Ireland and ancillaries for TUI UK, has been named the company’s new retail director for TUI UK & Ireland. She starts her new job on May 1st.She will head up TUI UK & Ireland’s retail division and team across its 600 stores, as well as take responsibility for the company’s commercial relations and retail business support functions.Vazquez, who is a 20-year veteran of TUI, replaces Mark Bather.
Philipp Holzinger, now head of key account management at Thomas Cook Germany, has been named successor to Rüdiger Blaek as senior sales manager, who is retiring after more than 40 years with the company. Holzinger will begin his new role on July 1st.
TUI Germany’s cultural holidays specialist Gebeco is changing its sales and marketing structure. In the future, the former sales manager Jens Hulvershorn(right) will be responsible for marketing, while the sales department will be headed by BjörnOberländer. The classic distribution and the special group distribution have combined into one unit. In the future, the sales department will also be responsible for stationary travel agency sales as well as new and digital distribution channels.
Ali Brewer, manager of membership sales and promotions, American Bus Association (ABA)has left the association after serving it for eight years. She started at ABA as an intern. In an online post to friends announcing her move, she did not indicate what her future plans are.
