Brazil’s 2nd Largest Operator Shares Arrival data with Inbound
Full-year data for 2017 from Brazil’s second-largest tour operator show that Orlando is the overwhelming favorite among U.S. destinations for overseas travel by Brazilians. Two out of every five visitors who traveled to the U.S. via Flytour MMT Viagens last year visited Orlando. More than half visited either Orlando or Miami. And, all totaled, just over 60 percent of the company’s U.S-bound passengers traveled to destinations in Florida.
Flytour MMT Viagens is the product of the merger late last year of Flytours Viagens and MMTGapnet and is the second largest tour operator in Brazil, trailing only the giant CVC, whose combined tour operator and travel agent business make it the largest in the country, with a market capitalization of more than $7.5 billion.
What makes the numbers furnished to INBOUND by Flytour MMT Viagens of value is the fact that they are the only reliable numbers on the Brazilian market readily available. The U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office has suspended its monthly arrivals reports due to errors in the way information was gathered and tallied by other federal agencies; other available data are estimates or are based on survey samples. The Flytour MMT Viagens numbers are based on actual sales/bookings.
While we have no way of knowing for sure, one suspects that the percentage breakdown for outbound travel from Brazil is probably very much the same for CVC customers. And, anecdotally speaking, anytime one asks a receptive tour operator who sells to the Brazilian market about the matter, Orlando always comes up as the top destination favorite, with Florida on top among state destinations. Overall, according to the last NTTO report on the subject, Brazil is the Number 7 overseas source market for Visit USA traffic.
OPERATOR PROFILE: Travel Industry Work Keeps 86-Year Old Lina Hsu From Croaking
“If I don’t work, I’m going to die.”
This is the credo, the motivation, of 86-year-old Lina Hsu, a product development specialist who we caught up with at NAJ’s recent RTO Summit East in New York City.
Hsu, a native of Shanghai who grew up in Hong Kong, has always been the kind of entrepreneurial, freelance, spirited individuals who make up so much of the demographic segment who comprise the tour and travel sales and marketing ethic—and she can’t imagine doing anything else but putting together travel packages for this client or that client—inbound or outbound.
The industry consumes her. For instance, her leisure reading—what there is of it—means that she reads only about travel and tourism.
During several conversations with her, INBOUND learned that she probably developed a sense of self-confidence by spending most of her growing-up years with a single mother, living apart from her father, a professorial type with a PhD. from Columbia University in New York City.
Coming to America: Hsu, who spent much of her adult life in China—she came to the U.S. for good in 1988—prefers to talk about her work. For many years, in China, she was involved in businesses in which she had a stake. Her last venture, with Sino American Technology Inc., involved importing machinery from a manufacturing site in Africa.
Moving to the United States, she began what turned out to be a series of positions with U.S.-based travel companies after a disastrous turn of event with the June 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing. This resulted in the cancellation of 300 tickets for a tour she had sold.
Gradually, she weaned herself from direct relationships with single businesses—preferring to work as a consultant and freelance on a range of projects. Her expertise is such that she is always in demand, working to develop solo programs or advising other companies interested in bringing visitors from China to the United States. (She’s well-qualified for the task, with one of her assets being that she speaks 10 Chinese dialects.)
Branching Out: Following the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist attacks on the U.S., which devastated some businesses, Hsu, now nearing 70, branched out in the nature of products she develops. One of her staples is arranging pre- and post-conference itineraries or the top performers worldwide for Market America, a Greensboro, N.C.-based multilevel marketing company that specializes in dietary supplements, cosmetics, household cleaning suppliers, personal care products and more. Each year, the company brings its best marketers to Greensboro. This year, her pre-fam itinerary features Yellowstone National Park and the post-fam is highlighted with a visit to Boston.
Another of her specialties is pilgrimages to Catholic religious sites in French-speaking Canada, as well as to Lourdes in France and Fatima, Portugal. She especially likes France and she speaks French fluently.¹
But, mostly, she finds herself doing consulting/freelance work for other companies that focus on bringing Chinese visitors to the United States. But key source markets also include Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Her godson, she told us, owns a travel agency (Vista International Tours) in Taiwan, and she helps his business, which explained her presence at NAJ’s RTO Summit East in Manhattan. She lives north of Manhattan.
The Healthy Lifestyle: One of the lifestyle notes that she doesn’t mind talking about is her diet. (She is five-feet-plus in height and, she says, she weighs a trim 110 pounds. So, what does she eat? “I hate anything green,” she says emphatically, explaining that she likes meat, especially pork: “I cannot live without pork.” And she also likes to “eat lots of sugar and candy.”
Whatever, it is, it seems to work. She still shows up at trade shows and as a step-on guide for some of her tours. She prefers working alone, believing that large travel companies such as C-trip don’t encourage the entrepreneurial spirit. And she likes the expression she receives when she goes to an event and give her a look that translates: “Is she still around?”
“They think I’m dead,” she chuckles.
Aside from her goal of continuing to work, of continue to show up, Hsu has one desire—to find a client that needs a product in Oklahoma, because it is the only state in the U.S. that she has not yet visited. If you want to help her out or just talk to her, give her a call at 917.583.9603.
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Lina Hsu tells us that, to enjoy a visit to France, you need to know, and know when to use, just five words:
- Bon jour (Hello)
- Merci/Merci beaucoup (Thank you/Thank you very much)
- Please (S’il vous plait)
- Manger (Eat)
- Boisson (Drink—goes well with No. 4)
Here’s our Annual Industry Overview Magazine
Here’s our annual industry overview magazine: In case you were not in Denver for IPW, or in case you were there and didn’t get your copy when it was distributed to hotel rooms, here is the digital version of the 2018-19 of TourOperatorLand.
IPW 2018 Photo Album: Part Two
In this issue, the INBOUND camera picks up with IPW events and business from Monday morning through a closing concert on Wednesday night—including the Brand USA Media Marketplace (sponsored by CityPASS) and Monday night’s Mile High Stadium experience, as well as luncheons and business appointments.
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Chairman’s Circle Honors Most Productive Inbound Operators
On Saturday night, May 19, at IPW, US Travel and Brand USA honored representatives from the world’s highest-volume tour operators and buyers of U.S. travel at its annual Chairman’s Circle Honors awards.
Held atop the DaVita headquarters in Denver, the elite awards event—co-hosted by Brand USA—honored international travel buyers for outstanding efforts to bring the world to America.
The event was emceed by Samantha Brown, host of “Places to Love.” It featured entertainment from Colorado musicians Jonathan Barlow and Roger Harmon of the group Tin Brother, and a performance from Face Vocal Band.
US Travel’s Chairman’s Circle-level members, including top U.S. travel businesses and destinations, nominated the honorees.
The 2018 Chairman’s Circle Honors awards hosted 83 individual buyers from 59 organizations, along with leaders from some of America’s top travel companies and destinations. Following is the list of 2018 Chairman’s Circle Honorees:
Adventure World, Australia
Air Canada Vacations, Canada
AlliedTPro, Inbound
America As You Like It, UK
America International Travel Services, Inc., China
America Unlimited, Germany
American Holidays, Ireland
AmericanTours International, Inbound
ANA Sales Co., Ltd., Japan
Barrhead Travel, UK
Beijing CAISSA International Travel Service Co., Ltd., China
Best Day Travel Group, Mexico
Bon Voyage Travel and Tours, UK
Bonotel Exclusive Travel, Inbound
British Airways Holidays, UK
CANUSA Touristik, Germany
CRD International, Germany
CVC Brasil Operadora E. Agencie de Viagens S/A Brazil
Cox & Kings Pvt. Ltd., India
DERTOURISTIK Deutschland, GmbH, Germany
dnata Travel Services, UAE
Emirates Holidays, UAE
Excite Holidays, Australia
Flytour Viagens, Brazil
FTI Touristik, Germany
GTA, Inbound
H.I.S. Co., Ltd., Japan
Hana Tour, Inc., South Korea
helloworld, Australia
Hotelbeds, Inbound
Hotelplan Suisse, Switzerland
Infinity Holidays, Australia
JacTravel, UK
Jan Doets America Tours, Netherlands
Jetset Voyages, France
JTB Corporation, Japan
Knecht Reisen, AG, Switzerland
Maison des Etats-Unis, France
Mark International, Inbound
Meeting Point International, Inbound
Meier’s Weltreisen/DER Touristik GmbH & Co KG Germany
MMTGapnet Tour, Brazil
New World Travel Inc., Inbound
Shanghai Ctrip International Travel Services, Co., Ltd., China
Swanson’s Travel AB, Sweden
Thomas Cook AG Germany
Tour America, Ireland
Tourico Holidays, Inbound
TourMappers North America LLC, Inbound
Trailfinders Ltd., UK
Travel Brands, Inc., Canada
Trend Operadora, Brazil
TUI Deutschland GmbH, Germany
Virgini Holidays, UK
Voyageurs du Monde, France
WestJet Vacations, Inc., Canada
From TourOperatorLand.com*… Our Featured Partner of the Week—Wine,Water and Wonders of Upstate New York
Visit the Corning Museum of Glass and watch amazing glassmaking demonstrations. Wind your way through the beautiful Finger Lakes, home to many award winning wineries and shops. Rochester is home to Kodak and The Strong National Museum of Play. In Niagara Falls, experience the thrill of the Falls.
http://www.touroperatorland.com/index.php/destinations/wine_water_wonders_of_upstate_ny
* TourOperatorLand.com is hosted by the NAJ Group, which publishes the INBOUND Report
Memory Lane Lunch: Two new Brand USA Board Members with 40+ years of IPW’s/Pow Wows
Prior to this issue, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of IPW, INBOUND has been running a feature in which various tour and travel industry professionals have told us about their most memorable IPW moment over the years. We didn’t have to wait long for perhaps the most memorable moment at this year’s IPW in Denver.
It occurred at Monday’s inaugural luncheon at IPW, when Roger Dow, US Travel’s president and CEO, was going through a roll-call of the approximately 6,000 delegates dining at some 600 tables spread over several football-field sized blocks of space.
After first asking everyone to stand, Dow then pared the crowd of delegates by asking them to sit down, in order, beginning with those who were attending their first IPW. He then called for those who had attended 5 IPWs to sit down, followed by those who had attended 10, and so on. When he got the point just prior to asking those with more than 40 IPWs to sit down, there were only a handful of people remaining in the cavernous Brand USA Luncheon Hall.
Two of them were right up front, directly in front of Dow, and separated by one table: Mike Gallagher, co-founder and co-chairman of CityPASS; and Noel Irwin Hentschel, chairman and CEO of AmericanTours International. Friends and colleagues in the tour and travel industry in California, it turns out that both of them attended the first of their 41 IPWs in 1978 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Cover the World Without Leaving America
In the past 12 months NAJ Group’s RTO Summit Series Attracted 200+ Receptive buyers that cover the entire world. More than 200 U.S.-based receptive tour operators met with hundreds of DMOs and travel suppliers during the past year in building USA business during the series of RTO Summits held by the NAJ Group in Los Angeles, New York and Orlando, enabling suppliers and destinations to cover the world without leaving America.
Each of the two-day RTO Summits features a first-day symposium comprising educational sessions, panel discussions and interactive dialogue with operators, followed by a full second day of 10-minute business appointments.
“The business meetings are the core of the Summit series. They provide buyers and suppliers of travel product to develop and close agreements,” explained Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of the NAJ Group. “The symposia and social functions foster an environment in which both operators and suppliers are able to network and further strengthen their relationships.”
“According to TRAX, a receptive room night tracking report where we monitored room night sales by a panel of 11 receptive operators for 7 years between 2007-2014, we estimate that over 26 million room nights were sold through the channel” added Steinman, pointing out that “one day at a Summit enables suppliers to meet more operators than they could during four or five days in Los Angeles, New York or Orlando given the traffic and the set up times for appointments.”
The next RTO Summit takes place Oct. 24-25 in Orlando. It will be followed by the RTO Summit West February 13-14th in Marina del Rey, California, and then the RTO Summit East in mid-April 2019 in New York. For information on registration and RTO Summit packages, visit www.rtosummit.com. For complete information on the NAJ Group’s events and services, visit www.touroperatorland.com.
RTO Summit 2018-2019 Series dates:
RTO Summit Orlando: October 24-25, 2018, Kissimmee, FL
RTO West: February 13-14th, 2019, Los Angeles
RTO East: April (TBA), 2019: New York
For more information about the RTO Summit 2018-2019 “COVER THE WORLD” series contact: liz@northamericanjourneys.com or visit the website Here.
Following is a listing of the receptive tour operators who have taken part in the RTO Summit series during the past year.
| RTO WEST | ATTENDEE |
| AARIUS INTERNATIONAL | Olga Sivirina |
| AARIUS INTERNATIONAL | Julius Valino |
| ALIEN TRIPS | Holly Yiying Fan |
| ALIEN TRIPS | Jimmy Jiang |
| ALL BRILLIANT VACATION | Vivienne (VJ) Cheng |
| ALL BRILLIANT VACATION | Kenneth Deng |
| ALLIEDTPRO | Gina Jackson |
| ALLIEDTPRO | Anja Lueckermann |
| AMERICA TRAVEL FACTORY | Tomoko Oki |
| AMERICAN RING TRAVEL, INC. | Sharon Rudometkin |
| AMERICANTOURS INTERNATIONAL | Andrea Monroe |
| AMERICANTOURS INTERNATIONAL, LLC | Luca Corbella |
| ANA SALES AMERICAS | Mayumi Inagaki |
| ANA SALES AMERICAS | Aiko Umeda |
| BEST DAY TRAVEL | Alma Alvarez |
| BONOTEL EXCLUSIVE TRAVEL | Brad Namaste |
| BONOTEL EXCLUSIVE TRAVEL | Alexandra Savage |
| CAISSA DMC (US) INC. | Cindy Fang |
| CAISSA DMC (US) INC. | Kevin Liu |
| CHINESE HOST INC. | David Huang |
| CHOOSE A DESTINATION | Ryan Ren |
| CHOOSE A DESTINATION | Jesse Yang |
| CLUB MK TOUR | Grace Young Kim |
| COLORFUL TOURS | Jennifer Chen |
| COLORFUL TOURS | Virginia Leung |
| CONTIKI HOLIDAYS | Kelly Camps |
| CONTIKI HOLIDAYS | Nicholas Fermin |
| CTOUR HOLIDAY | Mark Ma |
| CTOUR HOLIDAY | Crystal Shen |
| DESIGN DESTINATIONS | Ildiko Bayer |
| DESTINATION AMERICA | Kelly Byrd |
| DESTINATION AMERICA | Franky Campos |
| DESTINATION AMERICA | Irene Chan |
| DESTINATION AMERICA | Toby Chow |
| DESTINATION AMERICA | Jinghong-Li Golden-Weideman |
| DESTINATION AMERICA | Brittani Osbourne |
| DESTINATION AMERICA | Erica Turpin |
| DESTINATION AMERICA, INC. | Rich Quirk |
| DTE TRAVEL | Diana (Fan) Bai |
| EN ROUTE USA | Christophe Sarafian |
| FIVE STAR TOURS | Alfonso Hernandez |
| G2 TRAVEL | Katja Jahn |
| G2 TRAVEL | Stella Wang |
| GALA HOLIDAY & TOURS | Jason Li |
| GALA HOLIDAYS | Bill Kwong |
| GALAXY TOUR INC | Vicky Liu |
| GLOBIMAX SAMSON TOURS & TRAVEL | Bharat Bhakta |
| GLOBIMAX SAMSON TOURS & TRAVEL | Bela Shah |
| GRAND DESTINATIONS | Vandy Di Wang |
| GRAND DESTINATIONS | Paul Gu |
| GRAND DESTINATIONS | Ocean Ma |
| GRAND DESTINATIONS | Emma You |
| GTA AMERICAS | Ketty Celifie |
| H.I.S. TOURS USA INC. | Bobby Valenciano |
| HANA ZEN TRAVEL | Angie Louie |
| HARVEST TOURS | Jasper Pang |
| HiSeas Travel & Tours | Christine Leader |
| HiSeas Travel & Tours | Defeng Song |
| HiSeas Travel & Tours | Mary Yi |
| HOTELBEDS | Mauricio Beckstrom |
| IACE TRAVEL | Seigo Odaka |
| JacTravel | Siobhain McArdle |
| JBS HOTELS | Ashley Cen |
| JBS HOTELS | Rhonesia Perry |
| JOUN WORLD TOUR | Amie Hwang |
| JOUN WORLD TOUR | Chloe Lee |
| KINTETSU INTERNATIONAL | Miko Fukushima |
| KINTETSU INTERNATIONAL | Kenichi Morita |
| KINTETSU INTERNATIONAL | Mari “Natalie” Nagakusa |
| KINTETSU INTERNATIONAL | Valerie Tomita |
| KIRK VACATION | May Huang |
| KIRK VACATION | Lawrence Jehng |
| LASSEN TOUR & TRAVEL | Patrick Swen |
| LASSEN TOURS & TRAVEL | Alan Lu |
| LASSEN TOURS & TRAVEL | Jerome Ma |
| LION TOURS USA INC. | Jo Chen |
| MIKI TRAVEL | Yanira Spahr |
| NAN HU TRAVEL (US) | Wendy (Wei Yao) Luo |
| NEW WORLD TRAVEL | Susanne Avila |
| NEW WORLD TRAVEL | Rochelle Ross |
| NEW WORLD TRAVEL INC. | Katja Treuter-Lu |
| ONWARD | Jordan Borchard |
| ONWARD | Brandon Furyuk |
| RESTEL/GRUPO HOTUSA | Jennifer Patterson |
| SHINE TOURS INC. | Bella Chi |
| SHINE TOURS INC. | Dora Tu |
| SUNHOTELS | Salvatore Carusone |
| TEAMAMERICA, INC. | Oksana Lubas |
| TERRES INDIENNES – INDIAN LAND INC. | Alexandra Favre |
| TERRES INDIENNES – INDIAN LAND INC. | Agathe Grandidier |
| TOUR AMERICA INC | Jojie Aguilar |
| TOUR AMERICA, INC. | Gloria Lan |
| TOURICO HOLIDAYS | Sam Mignoni |
| TOURICO HOLIDAYS | Betty Zhao |
| TPI AMERICA | Izaira Alvarado |
| TPI AMERICA | Jenny Huynh |
| TPI AMERICA | Gloria Rowe |
| TRANS ORBIT USA | Miki Kawano |
| TRANS ORBIT USA | Ike Ogura |
| TTA INC. | Hiromi Huaman |
| TTA INC. | Miho Musto |
| TTA INC. | Saori Vazquez |
| US CHINA TRAVEL SERVICE | Jannet (Dingfang) Chen |
| US CHINA TRAVEL SERVICE | Cecilia Zhang |
| US LION TRAVEL | Ingrid Chou |
| US LION TRAVEL | Teresa Liu |
|
RTO EAST |
ATTENDEE |
| 5A INCENTIVE PLANNERS | Claudia Barragan |
| 5A INCENTIVE PLANNERS | Ernesto Tecco |
| AC GROUP | Lee Florence |
| AC GROUP | Thomas Marcial |
| ALLIEDTPRO NEW YORK | Esther Roth |
| ALLIEDTPRO NEW YORK | Raphaela Waefler |
| AMADEO TRAVEL SOLUTIONS, LLC | Marko Manojlovic |
| AMERICA & BEYOND | Yves Fore |
| AMERICAN HOLIDAYS | Candy Chuang |
| AMERICAN HOLIDAYS | Anthony Liu |
| AMERICAN TOUR GUIDE ASSOCIATION | Paula Reynolds |
| AMERICANTOURS INTERNATIONAL | Mary Filippini |
| AMERICANTOURS INTERNATIONAL | Josephine Formato |
| AMERILINK INTERNATIONAL CORP | Marilou Morado-Castro |
| AMNET NEW YORK INC. | Shinsuke Imaoka |
| APPLE EXPRESS INC. | Jennifer Tsou |
| ATTRACTIONS4US | Savyon Grant |
| ATTRACTIONS4US | Tracy Harris |
| BIGDREAM TOURS ENTERPRISE | Larry Chen |
| BIGDREAM TOURS ENTERPRISE | Holly Zhao |
| BONOTEL EXCLUSIVE TRAVEL | Rafe Marshall |
| CITI TRAVEL INC. | Davis Ho |
| ENTERTAINMENT BENEFITS GROUPS | Kathia DeLeon |
| E-WORLD TRAVEL | Don Chan |
| E-WORLD TRAVEL | Ning Chen |
| EXPEDIA | Marcela Henao |
| FLIGHT CENTRE GLOBAL PRODUCT | Marie Reese |
| FLIGHT CENTRE GLOBAL PRODUCT | Yvette |
| FOCUS TRAVEL | Margarita Delgado |
| FOCUS TRAVEL | Lina Martin |
| G2 TRAVEL | Esra Samrioglu |
| G2 TRAVEL | Yasir Talib |
| GASTALDI USA, INC | Raul LIngan |
| GO WEST TOURS | Angelica Kennedy |
| GRAND DESTINATIONS DMC | Jack Lu |
| GREAT ESCAPES ETC | Debbie Schuler |
| JBS GROUP | Melissa Cain |
| JBS HOTELS | Julie Von Schirach |
| JTB USA | Mike Nesbihal |
| LUX AMERICAS | Elena Yampolskaya |
| MEETING POINT NORTH AMERICA | Stacey Cohen |
| MUSEMENT | David Falsetti |
| NC CONCIERGE | Nuno Costa |
| NEW WORLD TRAVEL | Mahua Sehgal |
| OHSHOW | Anna Cho |
| OTS GLOBE | Mark Ryan |
| REIS TOUR & TRAVEL – RTT SERVICES, INC. | Brian Lincoln |
| REIS TOUR & TRAVEL – RTT SERVICES, INC. | Susie Pannullo |
| REY ROYAL (RECEPTIVE OPERATOR) | Tomás Rey |
| RICHARD YAEGER THE HOTEL SOURCE | Richard Yaeger |
| RMP TRAVEL | Tom Sippley |
| RMP TRAVEL | Suzi Steiger |
| S PLANNER USA | Junko Ezaki |
| THE GROUP COMPANY | Bailey Carlson |
| TOUR AMERICA | Madoka Ishibashi |
| TOURMAPPERS NORTH AMERICA, LLC | Julie P. Katz |
| TRANS ORBIT | Daisuke Saito |
| TRAVELADVOCATES | Maria Guevara |
| VISTA INTERNATIONAL TOURS | Lina Hsu |
| VISTA INTERNATIONAL TOURS | Nico Pao |
| WHITE ORCHID TRAVEL & EVENTS | Sophia DeGraffenreidt |
| WORLDWIDE DMC USA INC. | Anjani Kumar |
| WORLDWIDE DMC USA INC. | Dhruvang Thakker |
|
RTO ORLANDO |
ATTENDEE |
| TOURS LIMITED | Radhika Tripurani |
| TOURS LIMITED | Pabs (Prabha) Raghava |
| MIKI TRAVEL | Maria Wahby |
| HOTELBEDS GROUP TAB (Activities) | Shannon Grounds |
| MEETING POINT NORTH AMERICA | Veronica Cavalheiro |
| TREND TRAVEL USA | Cristiane Almeida |
| ROVIA, LLC | Candace Broskie |
| TREND TRAVEL USA | Alessandra Maia |
| UNIVERSAL VISION | Jack Lok |
| NORTH AMERICA DESTINATIONS | Maria Hulsewe |
| 7M TOURS | Janira Rodriguez |
| AMERICANTOURS INTERNATIONAL – SOUTH | Kathy Formosa |
| MEETING POINT NORTH AMERICA | Lori Tedder |
| AMERICAN HOLIDAYS | Anthony Liu |
| JTB USA | Izumi Goodwin |
| FLORIDA TRAVEL NETWORK | Shanna Adams |
| AMERICANTOURS INTERNATIONAL | Valerie Van Acker |
| HOTELSPRO/METGLOBAL | Laura Parra |
| KALUAH TOUR OPERATOR | Danielle Boukai |
| 7M TOURS | Jorge Rodiguez |
| MAGIC STARS VACATIONS | Paulo Santiago |
| ALLIEDTPRO | Gisa Kusserow-Hanson |
| REY ROYAL (RECEPTIVE OPERATOR) | Tomás Rey |
| WORLDIMENSION | Jaime Alvarez |
| JAPAN AMERICAN TOURS | Masako Maeda |
| ROVIA, LLC | BillyJo Clark |
| TREND TRAVEL USA | Michelle Perez-Farinha |
| UNIVERSAL VISION | CK Tong |
| FM TOURS | Michael Marzano |
| MAGIC STARS VACATIONS | Vera Roncaglia |
| PERSONAL RGE TOURS | Tereza Reis |
| MAXIM TOURS | Hima Vora |
| CARELI TOURS | Eduardo Del Corral |
| PERSONAL RGE TOURS | Marcelo Pigatto |
| COSMOPOLITAN INCENTIVES | Mayte Kubicsko |
| NEW CREATIVE TOURS | SuHwa Brown |
| FM TOURS | Sabrina Kroner |
| HOTELBEDS GROUP TAB Activities) | Jayne Stones |
| NEW CREATIVE TOURS | Owen Teng |
| NORTH AMERICA DESTINATIONS | Freedom Stephane |
| MY VACATION TOURS | Denise Cunha |
Where IPW Will Be and Where It’s Been
Past IPW Sites
1969 New York City
1970 Miami
1971 Chicago
1972 San Diego
1973 Tucson
1974 Orlando
1975 Boston
1976 Salt Lake City
1977 St. Louis
1978 Albuquerque
1979 New Orleans
1980 Los Angeles
1981 Philadelphia
1982 Las Vegas
1983 Orlando
1984 Los Angeles
1985 Seattle
1986 Phoenix
1987 Atlanta
1988 Dallas
1989 Las Vegas
1990 Orlando
1991 Denver
1992 San Francisco
1993 New Orleans
1994 Los Angeles
1995 New York
1996 Los Angeles
1997 Nashville
1998 Chicago
1999 Miami
2000 Dallas
2001 Orlando
2002 New Orleans
2003 St. Louis
2004 Los Angeles
2005 New York City
2006 Orlando
2007 Anaheim
2008 Las Vegas
2009 Miami
2010 Orlando
2011 San Francisco
2012 Los Angeles
2013 Las Vegas
2014 Chicago
2015 Orlando
2016 New Orleans
2017 Washington, D.C.
2018 Denver
Red Lobster® Announces Partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® Program
Red Lobster, the world’s largest seafood restaurant company, today announced a partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program to help achieve the organizations’ shared mission of helping make better seafood choices for healthier oceans, now and for future generations. This strategic partnership builds upon Red Lobster’s existing Seafood with Standards commitment to serve only Traceable, Sustainable and Responsibly-sourced seafood.
“Because of our size and scale, we can use our influence to drive positive change in the industry and lead the way in sustainable and responsible seafood sourcing,” said Kim Lopdrup, CEO, Red Lobster. “Red Lobster is committed to taking a leadership position in conserving and protecting every kind of seafood we source. Our partnership with Seafood Watch is the natural next step in keeping our commitments and driving continuous improvement within our seafood supply chain.”
Red Lobster announced its Seafood with Standards commitment in January 2018 as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration. This commitment supports best fishing and farming practices and eco-certifications in seafood sourcing around the world. Red Lobster works closely with its suppliers who provide detailed sourcing information that empower the brand to make informed purchasing decisions.
The partnership with Seafood Watch builds upon Red Lobster’s Seafood with Standards platform and strengthens its sustainability commitment. Red Lobster will utilize the program’s scientific data and educational tools to help further inform and guide its seafood sourcing decisions as well as educate guests and team members about seafood choices.
“We applaud Red Lobster for its commitment,” said Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. “It sends a strong signal to the marketplace: Fishing fleets and aquaculture producers will be rewarded for adopting practices that support healthy ocean ecosystems. Ultimately, that will mean better choices for everyone who enjoys seafood.”
As a global leader in the sustainable seafood movement, Seafood Watch science is referenced by more than 1,000 businesses at 150,000 locations worldwide to help inform purchasing decisions. Red Lobster joins current Seafood Watch partners who are actively working to help shift the market toward environmentally responsible fisheries and aquaculture operations.
Red Lobster has been committed to seafood sustainability since opening in 1968. Today, as the largest seafood-buying restaurant in the world, Red Lobster remains committed to creating and upholding seafood sourcing standards that ensure availability of seafood for generations. To learn more about Red Lobster’s Seafood with Standards commitments, including details about sourcing and sustainability practices, visit www.RedLobster.com/SeafoodWithStandards.
At a Glance: Las Vegas, Nevada
For full information Click Here.
HODGE PODGE: Shifts, Shakeups and Occasional Shaftings in the Tour and Travel Industry
Pat Moscaritolo, the longtime president & CEO of the Boston CVB, has announced his retirement effective February 14, 2019. In a statement, he said that the date is “28 years to the day that I started at the bureau.” Moscaritolo, who turns 75 in 2019, said that he wants to “start enjoying my family and grandkids.”
Fernando Harb has been promoted to the position of senior vice president of tourism sales at the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB. He had previously been vice president of tourism sales. Harb joined the Fort Lauderdale bureau in 2007.
Karen Robertson has been named managing director of JacTravel’s DMC division in Europe. Robertson has been part of the senior management team at JacTravel since 2004. She had previously been director of product and marketing. The company’s DMC division has offices in London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Cluj-Napoca, with sales teams also based in Germany, France, China and North and South America.
Deleyse Langdale has returned to Sonoma County Tourism to take on a newly created position as vice president of tourism development. She had previously served as the organization’s international sales director from 2013 until the summer of 2017, then spent the past year as president and owner of Authentic Lifestyle. Before first joining Sonoma County Tourism Langdale was associate director of sales at the California Academy of Sciences.
Eric Noguer is joining Thomas Cook as chief of hotels and resorts; he joins the company with a track record that includes senior positions with competitors TUI Group and Hotelbeds. Noguer is taking over from Ingo Burmester, who recently assumed the role of chief of the UK source market. Noguer will share his time between Thomas Cook’s new office in Palma in Majorca and Oberursel, Germany. He has more than 20 years of experience across the world in the travel industry, working in both tour operating and in hotels and resorts.
Grazia Schillaci has been appointed FIT and group manager at Hozho Travel in New York City. Previously, she had worked as a business development associate at Fare Buzz, and as a reservations manager at Opentours.
Copa Airlines, the Panamanian flag carrier has served as a major connector between South and Central America and the United States, has announced the appointment of Javier Alejandro Ibarra, as sales manager for the interior of the country and that of Alma Delia Ávila, as sales manager for the metropolitan area of the city of Mexico. A veteran in airlines sales, Ibarra worked for 7 years in the commercial area in the city of Monterrey, where he earned important achievements for the airline. Ávila has nearly two decades of experience in the tour and travel industry, having served tenures with Mexicana de Aviación, Royal Caribbean International and American Express Global Business Travel.
Joe Ponte has been named managing director of adventure tour operator Explore. Ponte joins from Flight Centre, where he has spent more than ten years over two different periods, including most recently at in-house touring business Topdeck where he was responsible for 150 staff across sales, marketing, product, operations and finance. He joins Explore on June 18.
Laura Guerreri has been named acting president of the York County (Pa.) CVB. She succeeds Anne Druck, who had held the post for 25 years and who is joining the local chapter of United Way as executive director. Gurreri, who has been with the bureau for 16 years, has served as its director of sales for 12 years.
Wishing Happy Work Anniversaries to:
Mary Fugere for 23 years at Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau
Lucille Yokell for 18 years with the Wellington Hotel in NYC
Gerrit De Vos for 10 years at Bonotel Exclusive Travel
Barbara Rogers for six years at BucketTripper
