Answering Your IPW/Connect Tour Questions
Making the Most of Your Time at IPW and Connect Events in Las Vegas: The U.S. Travel Association’s IPW, the largest Visit USA marketplace on earth, will open once again this September in Las Vegas—15 months after it was scheduled to take place—after the COVID-19 crisis and global pandemic basically shut down international travel. Joining IPW will be Connect TOUR, which will make it possible to do both domestic and international business at the co-located events.
For the upcoming IPW in Las Vegas, Malcolm Smith, U.S. Travel’s senior vice president of business development and general manager of IPW, told a webinar audience just as the last issue of INBOUND was published, that IPW is designed to “reconnect, rebuild and reunite the industry.”
During a day dedicated to “what’s new” and “how to” questions and answers aimed at those who would be attending IPW—INBOUND attended the session for the Americas—Smith emphasized some of the key changes that IPW-goers will experience this September 18-22. (The Connect TOUR schedule runs September 20-22 and is fully integrated with IPW.) Among those changes will be: a requirement to wear face masks at the event; shorter business appointments (15 minutes instead of 20); and hours more of networking time that will effectively eliminate “open” time.
FAQs: Here, from Team IPW is a compilation of answers to frequently raised questions that many IPW delegates have asked.
International Attendees
Q: Some countries are indicating that they may not be able to travel until October or later. How will these source markets affect IPW if it is able to continue as scheduled?
A: We anticipate a virtual component for countries facing restrictions or significant hardships; due to time zone challenges, these appointments would likely be held prior to the live event. We will have updates on a virtual component by mid-June.
Q: Since international travel is restricted at this time, what time frame will IPW organizers give suppliers regarding committed international attendance?
A: IPW’s Book with Confidence campaign allows risk-free registration for all delegates through June 30. We will work with countries facing entry/return restrictions in hopes they ease prior to September.
Q: Have you surveyed international buyers to see their comfort level in attending this tradeshow?
A: We are in touch with Visit USA committees and our recruitment chairs on a regular basis. There are various levels of comfort and desire to travel; but most have expressed a strong desire for a return of travel and in-person meetings. Vaccine distribution will hopefully improve likelihood of travel.
Q: With the federal government saying that the U.S. will have everyone vaccinated by end of May, have you heard any whispers of a revised border travel policy that will make attending IPW for our international buyers easier?
A: U.S. Travel has organized an International Working Group to work with the administration on a safe and responsible return to international travel. We will communicate any developments with delegates.
Media Marketplace
Q: Will there be a Media Marketplace this year? If so, any details you can share at this time?
A: Yes! Due to space challenges, we are working with an adjacent resort property to host the 2021 media marketplace. Stay tuned for exciting details.
Q: Will Media Marketplace still allow two representatives?
A: At this time, we are restricting it to one representative. We will monitor the situation and our meeting space to see if we can accommodate more.
Q: Will the Media Marketplace have the added safety design features, i.e., plexiglass barriers, distanced tables, etc.?
A: Yes, we will maintain spacing and have plexiglass dividers. Please visit ipw.com for our complete safety enhancements.
Q: Similar to media marketplace, are there plans for press conferences?
A: Yes, press conferences will return. We are moving from 40 minutes to 20 minutes to accommodate more of our exhibitors and keep them fresh and fast. More details to follow.
Physical Distancing
Q: What are the social distancing requirements during meetings?
A: We will maintain spacing and have plexiglass dividers. Please visit ipw.com for our complete and most up-to-date safety enhancements.
Q: With the new social distancing requirements in between booths, what will the new size of the booth be?
A: Single booths are still 10’X10; double booths will be 10’X26′ and triple booths 10’X42’; if you have an existing structure, we recommend centering in the space. Please contact ipwreg@ustravel.org and we would be happy to work with you.
Q: If you are only allowing two delegates per booth, how will appointments work?
A: Each booth has one IPW appointment schedule. If you would like to maximize your presence, you may want to consider the Connect TOUR add-on for an additional set of domestic appointments.
Q: Does the capacity for booth include staff/buyers?
A: The capacity is for two exhibitor delegates per booth; buyers attending appointments do not count against this. We will continue to monitor CDC and local guidelines to determine if we can adjust this rule in the coming months.
Connect Appointments
Q: When will IPW & Connect appointments be held? Will IPW & Connect appointments be on separate days or on the same days?
A: They will be concurrent, so you would need at least two staff members to manage two appointment schedules.
Q: Will we be able to schedule appointments with domestic operators through the IPW platform?
A: You can purchase a Connect TOUR appointment schedule through ipw.com for $995. A contact will be assigned to this schedule and appointments will take place in your booth. Receptive operators and global OTAs will still be registered as IPW buyers.
Q: If we can only send one delegate and not two, are there any suggestions on how we can manage both IPW & Connect schedules?
A: It will not be possible for one person to manage two schedules as appointments may overlap. The open networking time would be a good opportunity to meet with additional buyers not scheduled.
Q: Will the IPW and Connect TOUR delegates be in the same booth space or two different booth spaces? In the same building or a different building?
A: The two events are fully integrated into the IPW show floor and appointment times. All appointments take place in exhibitors’ booths in the LVCC West Hall.
Q: Will Connect TOUR buyers have access to walk around the general IPW Marketplace during the networking time?
A: Yes, they will be fully integrated into the event and show floor
Payments
Q: What happens if we prepaid last year for more than two people per booth?
A: We will refund the difference. We suggest holding off a few weeks to see if capacity limit expands. Contact ipwreg@ustravel.com if you have any questions or wish to have a refund now.
Q: What happens to those of us who paid for IPW 2020 and rolled over our payments for 2021? Are we still registered, and do we need to make changes to our both purchase as we may have more delegates registered?
A: You have been automatically registered for 2021. Please reach out to ipwreg@ustravel.org to review your account and make changes as needed.
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A Note on IPW’s Connect Partners: September 2021 will mark the first-ever co-location of IPW with three events organized and hosted by Connect Travel. Following are brief info-bytes about the events.
Connect TOUR, September 20-22, 2021. Connect TOUR is a domestic travel show, specifically designed to address industry needs. The event combines the right timing, a unique format that creates an efficient and effective environment to expedite the sales process and close business and a robust educational track to inspire and inform industry leaders in a rapidly evolving market. Connect Tour is the premier hosted-buyer event that brings together the most active tour operators, suppliers and experts in Domestic tour and travel for preset appointments, keynote general sessions, planner/supplier roundtables and quality networking.
Contact: https://connecttravel.com/tour/
Connect THRIVE SUMMIT, September 18-19, 2021. Connect THRIVE Summit is focused on community development through LGBTQ travel, sports, and entertainment. This one-of-a-kind marketing summit features dynamic general sessions and networking events alongside a series of pre-scheduled, one-on-one connections between destinations, resorts, hotels, attractions, domestic and international tour operators and travel agents, sports rights holders, media, marketers and brands.
Contact: https://the-thrive-summit.com/
eTOURISM SUMMIT, September 20-22 2021. Founded in 2000, eTOURISM SUMMIT attendees get up-to-the-minute, real-life examples of the latest applications in video, content marketing, email marketing, search, social media, mobile and web design. In an intimate setting, attendees get concrete ideas from their peers about how to get the most bang for their buck, learn guerilla marketing tactics, participate in interactive sessions, and hear about dozens of case studies to find out what’s working…and what’s not.
Contact: https://www.etourismsummit.com/
For more about Connect Tour/IPW, visit: https://www.ipw.com/connect-tour
Visit here for a list of key IPW dates and deadlines.
Does Outlook for China Warrant Concern?
The people of China still want to travel abroad. At least we think so. This is the short, two-sentence, simplified way of describing the overall message of the recently released Chinese Consumer Travel Sentiment Report from Dragon Trail International, a global research and marketing company that specializes in the study and analysis of the Chinese market, which happens to be the world’s largest source market for international travel, as well as—prior to the global pandemic brought on by the COVID-19 crisis—the third largest market for overseas tourism to the United States.
Full of easy-to follow graphic material, the Sentiment report focuses on both domestic and international travel. In this recap, INBOUND, focuses primarily on the international sector, except to point out that residents of China—with the shadow of the global pandemic seeming to lift—are apparently eager to just travel. Period. (The citations that follow are from the report.)
Chinese New Year 2021: What did it Signal? Prior to the celebration of the Year of the Ox—the Chinese New Year fell on February 12 and led off the seven-day New Year holiday—there was the usual expectation that the holiday would be a measure of the intention to travel among the Chinese. This was not the case this year, as would-be travelers were advised to stay home because of the possibility that there could be regional outbreaks of COVID-19. One can see what impact this had on Chinese New Year (CNY) in this graphic.
WWW.DRAGONTRAIL.COM © 2021
Outbound Travel Still Remains Highly Uncertain: Dragon Trail tells us that, following the Chinese New Year celebrations, the second quarter of the year provides Chinese consumers three holiday periods for traveling: the three-day Qingming Festival (April 3-5), 5-day Labor Day (May 1-5 May), and 3-day Dragon Boat Festival (June 12-14).
However, no matter how one parses the intent-to-travel data (by quarter or half-year), there is considerable uncertainty in the outlook for outbound travel when those surveyed for this study/report were asked: “When is the earliest you would consider traveling?”
WWW.DRAGONTRAIL.COM © 2021
“A Hint” of Optimism, Despite Safety Concerns: Dragon Trail explains to the reader of the report that Chinese consumers are very cautious … The largest proportion of survey respondents felt they needed to wait until it’s safe, followed by those who are willing to travel, but will do so “cautiously.”
Notes Dragon Trail: “Compared to our September 2020 sentiment survey, when over half said that they felt safety needs to come first, the latest survey showed that sentiment around absolutely not traveling decreased, while intentions to travel cautiously increased.”
WWW.DRAGONTRAIL.COM © 2021
Remembering 2019—It Could Happen Again: Encouraging to anyone who promotes or sells Visit USA product to Chinese travelers is what Dragon Trail says about Chinese travelers’ favorite global regions, noting that, “Despite the uncertainty for when to travel, regional preferences remained the same. Asia, Europe, and North American are still ranked as the top 3 regions, as in 2019, according to China Tourism Academy.” (CTA)*
WWW.DRAGONTRAIL.COM © 2021
Similar to pre-pandemic travel preferences, survey respondents listed trying local food and visiting landmarks as the top things to do on their next outbound trip. This shows that Chinese consumers would still consider more crowded areas like major landmarks and museums when traveling outbound, within the limits of risk levels and policies.
WWW.DRAGONTRAIL.COM © 2021
Safety Concerns Go Hand-In-Hand with What Motivates Outbound Travel: Friendliness to Travelers, Risk Levels, and Travel Policies: For Chinese travelers, destination risk levels, pandemic control policies and friendliness to Chinese travelers are top-of-mind concerns when selecting a destination
WWW.DRAGONTRAIL.COM © 2021
Do Chinese travelers perceive the U.S. as a safe destination? According to Dragon Trail International, destinations such as Australia, Thailand, and Canada have a relatively good record of pandemic control based on daily cases and vaccine roll outs. However, these are not perceived as relatively safe destinations, suggesting other factors are at play, such as friendliness to Chinese travelers and the social order in a destination. Although U.S. is perceived as relatively unsafe, preference to visit North America remains high.
WWW.DRAGONTRAIL.COM © 2021
(Above does not include those who rated “unsure” for each destination.)
A note on methodology: From February 22 to March 3, 2021, Dragon Trail Research conducted an 18-question survey through a Tencent survey panel, and received 1052 completed responses. Target respondents were selected from 4 tier-1 cities, 15 new tier-1 cities, and 30 tier-2 cities. Respondent age and gender were controlled with quota. Results from the survey were analyzed through statistical testing, such as between group t-test, factor analysis, and regression analysis.
A note on the report’s timing: At the time of this report, Dragon Trail pointed out, major long-haul destinations were still struggling with daily cases of COVID-19, despite the development of vaccines. The vaccine rollout also shows drastic difference by destinations. Both daily cases and vaccine rollouts have had some influence on risk evaluation and Chinese consumers’ willingness to travel outbound.
A note about getting your own copy of the Chinese Consumer Travel Sentiment Report by Dragon Trail International. Click here to access a copy of the report.
TRADE TALK
• Hornblower Group Rebrands: A global leader in world-class experiences and transportation, Hornblower Group has announced the launch of City Experiences, the new brand name for the company’s water- and land-based portfolio of offerings. City Experiences represents a diverse portfolio of experiences in major travel destinations worldwide and aligns more than 25 existing brands into a single brand identity, offering locals and tourists alike a broad range of global experiences.
City Experiences represents Hornblower Group’s portfolio of water and land-based experiences and includes two sub-brands: City Cruises and City Ferry. City Cruises operates dining, sightseeing and private events across 22 destinations in the U.S., Canada and the UK. City Cruises also operates cruises on behalf of the National Park Service and the Niagara Parks Commission and currently holds service contracts to provide ferry service to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Alcatraz Island and Niagara Falls. City Ferry offers specialized knowledge and expertise required to transport passengers, vehicles and other cargo safely across inland and coastal waterways with operations including NYC Ferry and Puerto Rico ferry system, among others. City Experiences’ portfolio also offers a range of land-based experiences including shore excursions, partner-offered experiences, multi-port packages, and Cruising Excursions, ShoreTrips and Walks products.
• Preliminary findings from a Cornell University Hospitality Research are in and (last week) Professors Sheryl Kimes and David Roberts reported that they had more than 300 respondents from 53 countries (at the beginning of April) so far. Some items that stood out were: about two-thirds have had a price war in their market; about half thought that, even with the vaccine, it is going to take over a year before their market returns to pre-COVID levels; and 75 percent reported that there had been increase coordination among various departments at their hotel.
• Best National Parks in Spring: The FamilyVacationist tells us: “After a long winter’s hibernation, a national park adventure is one of the best family vacation ideas for spring. In March, April, and May, national parks tend to not be as hot and crowded as they are during peak summer travel, which means plenty of outdoor space to stretch out, burn off energy, and social distance.” As an added bonus, the group said, April brings National Park Week (usually the third week of April), an annual celebration that brings free admission for all plus special junior ranger programs for kids.
Here from FamilyVacationist are 20 of the best national parks in spring throughout the United States.
For the complete article on the subject, click here.
• Confidence in Las Vegas is High: According to a recent survey commissioned by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, a strong majority of business travelers (74 percent) are confident that Las Vegas will be prepared to safely host in-person conferences, conventions and trade shows, when considering the second half of 2021. More than half (58 percent) of business travelers stated that they’re “burned out” on virtual meetings and events. Almost all (91 percent) indicate that they miss the face-to-face interaction of in-person business meetings and events. Further, only 43 percent have been satisfied with attending online events. While it is expected that many trade shows and conventions will continue to be offered in a virtual or hybrid format in 2021, the majority (77 percent) of the respondents would prefer attending in person in the future. (The numbers above come from a nationally representative sample of more than 500 business travelers was conducted Jan. 8–12, 2021, and included people over 21 who traveled for business in either 2019 or 2020.)
• Airline Capacity Grows for 8th Week in a Row: Airline authority OAG reported last week than an eighth consecutive week of capacity growth takes the global total to 63.2 million seats a week, the highest point for over a year and further hope of a slow but steady recovery in capacity in many markets around the world. As the industry has seen throughout the last year no two markets are at the same stage in their COVID-19 event and for all the positivity in this week’s numbers a few markets continue to show reductions in capacity. All of which highlights the “stop, start” nature of the market; perhaps some traffic lights might help in the recovery.
• Vegetarian Cities Index: Operators looking out for clients who are vegetarian might be interested in the annual listing from Nestpick, which is based on its study that explores the best cities for vegetarians, looking at the deviation at the cost of vegetables as well as the availability and rating of its restaurants.
It starts by shortlisting the top 75 cities out of a list of 200 that are both popular destinations for relocation, and which had a good reputation with vegetarians. Next, we considered which factors are most important for vegetarians to live a happy and healthy life. Affordable basics such as fruit and vegetables are essential, while plant-based protein is fundamental for maintaining a balanced diet, so we first looked into the cost of these three food groups, including purchase parity and relative affordability for local residents.
The final index ranks each city out of 100, where the higher the score, the better the city is for vegetarians. The default ranking is the Total Score. Each column is filterable from highest to lowest.
After making it through the rigors of the above index, the following comprise the Top 20 cities worldwide for vegetarians.
1. London (2.) Berlin (3.) Munich (4.) Vienna (5.) Glasgow (6.) Zurich (7.) Palma de Mallorca (8.) Los Angeles (9.) Bristol (10. San Francisco (11.) Rome (12.) New York (13.) Auckland (14.) Wellington (15.) Prague (15.) Prague (16.) Melbourne (17.) Tel Aviv (18.) Gothenburg (19.) Sydney (20.) Manchester.
For the complete list and narrative from Nestpick, click here.
• Moody Report Says Global Business Travel is Unlikely to Recover before 2024: Just in time, it seems, to dampen the enthusiasm that has been emerging in the global airline industry, Moody’s told us last week that;
—High risk that virtual meetings could replace some business travel; and
—Full-service airlines in advanced countries are likely to come under most pressure from slow recovery.
Also, airlines will suffer as the COVID-19 pandemic fuels global business travel uncertainty, with recovery unlikely before 2024 as virtual meetings may replace travel,
“Global business travel is unlikely to make a full recovery before 2024, especially with the use of virtual meetings as an ongoing substitute. Around 20-25 percent of business travel involves meeting people from within a company’s own organization – these trips are most at risk of being replaced,” said Martin Hallmark, senior vice president at Moody’s Investors Service. “To offset the possible negative impact, we expect airlines to manage their capacity and to benefit from efficiency savings and cost cuts.”
The report added, that full-service carriers such as Delta Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa, and British Airways will be most affected by the slow pick up in business travel.
Subscribers can access the report here.
• Nine out of Ten Would Feel OK with Health Passport: According to a new study commissioned by Amadeus, an overwhelming number of travelers could feel comfortable using a digital health passport for future travel. The study found that just over 91 percent of travelers surveyed said they would be comfortable with a “vaccine passport” style app. The survey was conducted among more than 9,000 travelers in Europe, the UK, US, India, UAE, Russia and Singapore. (In Singapore, the acceptance rate for vaccine passports was up to 96 percent).
However, a similar number of travelers globally (93 percent) do have some concerns around how health data for travel would be stored. Seventy-four percent said they would be willing to store their travel health data electronically if it enabled them to pass through the airport faster. More than 7 out of 10 (72 percent) travelers surveyed would be willing to store their travel health data electronically if it enabled them to travel to more destinations
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Apps that provide alerts and in-trip notifications, contactless mobile payments and mobile boarding are all enhancements through tech that would increase confidence in travel, the survey found.
“There is no doubt that COVID-19 will continue to shape the way we travel for the months ahead, just as it influences so many other areas of our lives,” said Decius Valmorbida, president, Travel Amadeus, who added, “Collaboration across governments and our industry is the key to restarting travel, as we deliver on traveler expectations outlined in this Rebuild Travel digital health survey.”
Notes on the German Market
Germany and Other European Countries Receive Low Ratings: The psyche of the German consumer who wants to take a holiday this year has taken quite a battering. And it now shows in how the Germans feel about their national government and the EU as well. The country and its people have been besieged by several waves of the COVID-19 virus and the relentless reminders of how they can’t travel much at all, or even think about long-haul travel. (Only in the latest tally of retail sales of travel have the performance numbers show that the year-on-year decline in sales begun to creep up, but still not equal to the healthy figures of 2019.)
The latest Eurotrack survey from YouGov—it took a look at how people in Britain, Germany, France, Denmark and Sweden feel their governments have performed through the coronavirus pandemic—presented one with a view that told us that a was decidedly mixed in terms of their own governments’ performance, but there is one area of clear agreement: a stunning majority of people believe that EU has handled the rollout of the vaccine badly.
In all five countries, a majority believe that the EU has done badly. This is most evident in Germany, where three-quarters (75 percent) of those surveyed gave a negative opinion, including a third (36 percent) who said “very badly.” (YouGov said that It’s worth noting that the fieldwork on the survey was conducted before there was talk of vaccine blockages between the EU and the UK.)
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Looking at their own government’s handling of the vaccine rollout, an overwhelming 85 percent of Britons feel their government has handled the COVID vaccination rollout well, much higher support than in the other countries surveyed. Only Denmark comes close, with over half supporting the government’s approach (55 percent).
As for Germany (and France). the polling makes for particularly grim reading for Germany and France – just 13 percent and 18 percent, respectively, think their governments have handled the rollout well, compared to 81 percent and 77 percent who say badly.
These results reflect the stark differences in how many people have been vaccinated in each of the five countries at the time the survey was conducted: Britain had administered over 30 million individual doses, compared to 11 million in France and 12 million in Germany.
EuroTrack: A majority of Britons and Danes say their government has handled the vaccine rollout well, but few in any country think the EU has handled it well. See survey question result below.
• TUI is selling its last shares in TUI Russia: The TUI Group is selling the remaining ten percent in the tour operator TUI Russia to the Mordashov family. (Alexey Mordashov is one of the wealthiest individuals in Russia. Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index puts Mordashov’s worth at just less than $26 billion.) The Mordashov family already owns 25 percent of the shares in TUI. He has backed capital measures which would raise his stake to 36 percent on the condition that BaFin, the German markets watchdog, exempted him from launching a full takeover. The situation is certainly a far cry from the outlook that TUI had in mind in 2012 when it decided to establish its brand in Russia and Ukraine and backed it up with a $60 million investment at the time.
• DER Touristik Looks to Next Winter Season: Germany’s second-largest tour operator has started to take bookings for next winter (2021/22) amid continuing uncertainty about prospects for summer holidays this year. DER Touristik is offering a lot of discounts for early bookers. The company, which has suggested it is the number one long-haul tour operator in Germany, sells from the U.S. through its New York City-based New World Travel.
TourOperatorLand.com Partner of the Week
Sarasota County is a picturesque destination. Its autumn sunsets rival the most alluring colors of autumn leaves. Walk barefoot on its beaches to thoroughly enjoy one of these farewell to summer sunsets. Then decide tomorrow’s adventure as you enjoy your evening culinary delight. This is Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast—where any season can be your favorite time to visit!
Ideas for First Timers:
—ANY Sarasota County Beach – Enjoy the sunset! Will you see the Green Flash? Drum Circle at Sunset is popular at several beaches on varied days.
—Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
—Paddleboarding, Kayaking or Canoeing
Ideas for Repeat Visitors:
—Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
Verified Destination Contact
Verified Destination Contact
Following is a sampler of some of Visit Sarasota’s royalty fee photos available at TourOperatorLand.com.
For more information on Visit Sarasota, visit its TourOperatorland.com pages here. For additional information on partnering through TourOperatorland.com., contact: Betsy Cooper, Director of TourOperatorLand.com and Partner Engagement at Connect Travel. Phone: 415.728.1085 / Email: bcooper@connecttravel.com
HODGE PODGE: Changes, Openings, Appointments
Choose Chicago has announced that it is not renewing the contract of its president and CEO, David Whitaker. Whitaker’s five-year agreement expires July 6. The organization said in a statement that the decision to not renew the contract was mutual. Cynthia McCafferty, a spokeswoman for the group said, “During this time, David will continue to work with the Choose Chicago senior leadership team in advancing and implementing the 2021 Strategic Plan and ensuring a smooth and seamless transition.” Whitaker’s career has been one in which he has held a top position in several marquee destinations in the travel and tourism industry of North America. Before Choose Chicago, he was briefly (a little more than a year) chief marketing officer for Brand USA. Previously, he served for served for eight years as president & CEO at Destination Toronto. Whitaker was also executive vice president of the Greater Miami CVB, where he served for almost 17 years.
Hugo Lagares, a well-known figure in Brazil’s tourism industry, has been hired as the new commercial director for the operator Diversa Turismo, taking over its commercial Brazil area starting this month. Lagares, who joined Diversa from Grupo Arbo, had previously worked for ten years at MMTGapnet, and for three years at CVC Corp.
A part of the SeaWorld attractions operation for more than 23 years, Marilyn Hannes has taken on a new position as senior vice president, strategic relationships at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. She comes to the new position from her role as park president at SeaWorld & Aquatica, San Diego. Before joining the company, Hannes held senior positions at Rank Leisure USA (DBA Wild Bill’s), the Buena Park Convention and Visitors Office, and Mexico Travel Plans and American Conexion, Inc
The Bermuda Tourism Authority has announced the appointment of Bermudian Charles H. Jeffers II, to the post of chief executive officer. Jeffers, a twenty-six-year veteran of the destination marketing industry, was hired through a global search to fill the leadership role left vacant following Kevin Dallas’ departure in February 2020. Jeffers joins the Bermuda Tourism Authority from his post as chief operating officer at Visit Baltimore, where he served for 3½ years.
Guy Young has been appointed Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold’s USA president. He was formerly the chief engagement officer for The Travel Corporation (TTC), the parent company for several well-known brands including Trafalgar, Luxury Gold, Insight Vacations, Brendan Vacations, Red Carnation Hotels, Contiki, African Travel, Inc., Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and U by Uniworld. He assumed the role of chief engagement officer for TTC in September 2016. During his 20 years with The Travel Corporation, Mr. Young has held several executive positions. Prior to his role as chief engagement officer for TTC, he was the CEO of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection for 10 years and the President of The Travel Corporation in Canada for six years.
Madelyn Olguin has been named destination manager, Northeast, at G2 Travel. Operating out of Jersey City, she comes to the position from Apple Leisure group, where she was manager-Destination Strategy & Supplier Engagement. Prior to that she was market manager, Northeast USA, for GTA. She also served for more than seven years at AlliedTPro (now ATP).
The tour operator Abreu announced the hiring of two top-level managers: Natália Matos for the America product department, and Jair Júnior for its commercial division. They will complement in the corporate framework in the development of its business, aiming to strengthen departments of the São Paulo branch. Júnior has more than 20 years of experience in the market and has worked for companies such as MMT, Flytour and Agaxtur. Most recently, he was manager of a promotion team at the operator’s São Paulo branch. Matos joins Abreu after working in companies such as Tam Viagens and CVC Corp.
Dianna Pierce has retired following a lengthy tenure (more than 25 years) at the Explore Ashville CVB. She was vice president of sales for nearly 10 years and, prior to that, was director of tourism for almost a dozen years.
Todd Hutzulak has been appointed by the Ensemble Travel Group to the newly created position of executive director, marketing. In this new role, he will be responsible for developing and executing strategies and programs that align with Ensemble Travel’s strategic goals and create value to both members and supplier partners. Based in Vancouver, Canada, Hutzulak has been with Ensemble for the past 13 years, holding key roles in both marketing and technology and was most recently senior product designer on Ensemble’s Product Development and Technology Solutions team. Hutzulak replaces Carl Schmitt, vice president, marketing, who is no longer with the company.
Tour operator Cativa Operadora, as a part of its expansion in Rio de Janeiro, has announced the appointment of Juliana Eboli to fill an opening for a salesperson. With 26 years of experience in tourism, Eboli has worked for operators such as Soletur, AIT Operator, Viagens Marsans, Shangri-la Viagens, Visual Turismo and Urbi and Orbi Viagens.
Ann Pilcher recently joined Lamont Associates, a site selection & meeting resource firm based in Northeast Pennsylvania, as senior director of global accounts. Pilcher joined the company from the Pocono Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she spent more than 23 years, and where her responsibilities ranged from community relations/public affairs to that of sales manager. For nearly seven years, Pilcher has served as an adjunct professor at Northampton Community College in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Unique Vacations Inc. has made some changes to its executive team that include the appointment of Maureen Barnes-Smith to vice president of sales and marketing, Canada. Barnes-Smith was promoted to her post; previously, she was director of sales & marketing in Canada. A company veteran of 27 years, Barnes-Smith has successfully led the company’s growth and expansion across Canada.
Also at Unique Vacations, Gary Sadler is now executive vice president of sales & industry relations. Sadler, who has been with Unique Vacations for more than three decades, pioneered the organization’s Canadian market activities, rising through the ranks to his most recent position of senior vice president of sales. He will now serve as executive vice president of sales & industry relations.
Cathy Ritter was relieved from her position as director of the Colorado Tourism Office last week by Pat Meyers, the state’s new director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, on the latter’s first day in office. Ritter, who served six years in the job, came to Colorado from her post as vice president of marketing and communications for Asbury Communities, Inc. She also served for four years as state tourism director for Illinois. Jill Corbin has been named as interim director while a search is conducted for a new director.
Job Postings
From SearchWide Global:
—Visit Wichita is searching for a vice president of marketing. More details here.
—Visit Wichita has an opening for a vice president of sales. More details here.
—Destinations International is searching for a senior director, membership engagement. More details here.
—The tourism research and intelligence company Arrivalist has an opening for a chief sales officer. More details here.
—The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a new president and CEO. More details here.
—The Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority has an opening for a new president and chief executive officer. More details here.
—In Franklin, Tennessee, which is about 20 miles south of Nashville, the Williamson County Convention and Visitors Bureau is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—The position of president & CEO is open at the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce & Visit Big Sky is open. More details here.
—Headquartered in Irving, Texas, the Promotional Products Association International, is searching for a president & chief executive officer. More details here.
—The Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center & Tourism Authority in Georgia is looking for a new executive director. More details here.
—Visit San Antonio is looking for a new president and CEO. More details here.
—The Explore Ashville Convention & Visitors Bureau has an opening for a new vice president of sales. More details here.
—There is an opening for a CEO at Experience Olympia & Beyond in Washington State. For more information, click here.
—VisitGreenvilleSC is looking for a president and CEO. For additional details, click here.
—Visit Florida is searching for a vice president of marketing. For more information, visit here.
—In the Charlotte/Concord area of North Carolina, Great Wolf Resorts as an opening for a director of sales and catering. For details, click here
—Georgia’s Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center & Tourism Authority is searching for a conference sales director. More details here.
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From Indeed.com: We’ve taken a look at this site (click here) which says that it has hundreds of new jobs listed, including a fair number in the travel, tourism and related industries. A sampler of what to expect is below.
—The City of Danville, Virginia has an opening for the position of economic development tourism manager. More details here.
—Tourism Economics, the U.S. arm of Oxford Economics, has an opening for a head of business development. More details here.
—The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences museum in Los Angeles is searching for a group sales manager. More details here.
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From LinkedIn Jobs: Known to many across the board in the travel and tourism industry, the LinkedIn list (click here) has numerous job opportunities posted. Following is a brief sample of some of those jobs listed.
—The New York office of luxury travel agency Travel Edge is searching for a travel contract manager – Europe (contract). More details here.
—Morristown, N.J.-based CIE Tours International is searching for a director of marketing. More details here
—The Six Flags attraction in Santa, Idaho has an opening for a director of tourism. More details here.
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Have a job to offer in the travel and tourism industry? Let us know and we’ll post your notice—no cost to you.
