Scott McCrea is moving up from his post as director of tourism and convention sales for Explore Fairbanks to take over as the organization’s president and CEO. He succeeds Deb Hickok, who served in the position since 1999. McCrea was selected from a nationwide search that began on February 1, 2021. Interviews were conducted by an eleven-member transition team composed of executive committee members and past chairs of the board, community representatives, and one staff member. McCrea has been with the organization for nearly seven years. Prior to joining Explore Fairbanks, he held several senior level management positions in the area, including a seven-year tenure as director of marketing and communications for the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Lucie Guillemette, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Air Canada, is now heading up Air Canada Vacations as its president, replacing Craig Landry. Landry has served as president of the group since December 2015 and will remain executive vice president, operations at Air Canada. The change in leadership comes as a result of a commercial reassessment and adapting of strategies following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guillemette has been a member of Air Canada’s executive team since 2008 when she was appointed Vice President, Revenue Management.
Michelle McKinney Frymire has taken over as CEO of will lead business travel company CWT. She succeeds Kurt Ekert, who resign the post, but will the company in the future. Frymire joined CWT in 2019 and has over 20 years of experience in the travel industry. She held a variety of roles including CFO at Starwood Vacation Ownership and Delta Technology (a division of Delta Air Lines) as well as Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines. CWT is rated number four among Travel Weekly’s Power List of travel agencies doing business in the United States, with $24.8 billion in sales in 2019.
The board of directors of the Gettysburg Foundation has appointed Wayne E. Motts as its new president to lead the operations of the national preservation and education organization. The Gettysburg Foundation owns and operates the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center in partnership with Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site. It also owns and operates the Rupp House History Center, the George Spangler Farm & Field Hospital and the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad StationTM. Motts most recently served for more than nine years as CEO of The National Civil War Museum located in Harrisburg, Pa., successfully leading the institution for nine years. Previously, Motts was executive director of the Adams County Historical Society, located in Gettysburg, Pa.
Jonathan Williams has been appointed vice president of sales for Europe and North America for Etihad Airways, whose overseas service includes flights to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Williams will hold all commercial responsibilities in both regions, while developing relations with Etihad Airways’ trade and corporate partners. He replaces Martin Drew who moved from the position to become Etihad’s senior vice president, sales and managing director, cargo in November. Prior to joining Etihad Airways as regional business development manager for Europe in February last year, he led the UK corporate sales team for British Airways for five years. His professional career began in 1988 at American Airlines.
Stan Kravetz has been named sales and partnership manager at American Dream, a retail and entertainment complex in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, which is a few miles east of Manhattan/NYC. Previously, Kravetz was regional business development manager for the Martz Group, a well-known motorcoach operation in the U.S. Northeast.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the appointment of Liz Ortiguera as its next chief CEO of PATA. The announcement was made at the association’s recent board meeting held earlier today. Ortiguera is a senior executive with over 25 years of global experience and expertise in general management, marketing, business development, and partner network management. Included in her resume is a ten-year tenure as regional general manager, Partner Network—Asia Pacific for American Express.
Hannah Fisher has joined senior travel specialist Saga Travel as marketing director. A veteran marketer with more than 20 years of experience in the field, she most recently worked for multinational media and digital marketing communications firm Dentsu International with clients such as Honda, Camelot and TSB. Prior to that, she held senior marketing roles at More Than, Sky and Direct Line. In the newly created role at Saga Travel, Fisher will be responsible for the development and delivery of the marketing strategy and will lead the implementation of greater digital capability.
David Falsetti has joined GetYourGuide as North America national account manager. Previously, he served in managerial positions with TUI Musement, Big Bus Tours and Intrepid Travel.
Dee Mittman has joined the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau as a sales manager. She’ll be managing all multi-cultural associations, the corporate market, and the Midwest territory. A veteran of more than 15 years in the travel and tourism industry, Mittman most recently worked at the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau where she served as a national sales manager.
Claire Lieberman has been promoted to the post of vice president of business development at Benchmark. Lieberman will drive forward the continual growth of the Texas-based management company that operates more than 80 assets worldwide. Lieberman initially joined Benchmark in February 2020 as senior director of business development. Prior to Benchmark, Lieberman was the senior director of development for Red Lion Hotel Corporation in Denver, Colorado where she spearheaded the national expansion efforts for the company’s luxury boutique brand, Hotel RL. She also held multiple development positions with Two Roads Hospitality, playing an integral role in the merger of Destination Hotels & Resorts and Commune Hotels & Resorts in 2016 and supporting the growth of the portfolio through the 2018 acquisition by Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
Educational travel specialist Next Generation Travel has appointed Ian Finlay as non-executive director. Finlay created Tui Travel’s education division and has worked at senior levels with brands including Kingswood and Travel Class. He joins as Next Generation Travel as the company readies itself to respond to a market upturn with seven strong brands across the UK ready to capitalize on a post-COVID market.
Job Postings
From SearchWide Global:
—There is an opening for a chief executive officer at Explore Skagit Valley in Washington State. More details here.
—Louisville Tourism is looking for a senior vice president of convention development. More details here.
—Travel Portland is searching for a vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. More details here.
—Switch, a Saint Louis-based agency “dedicated to powerful experiences, delivering events, digital activations, branding, VR, environments and field tours that are worth sharing,” is looking for a president and CEO. More details here.
—The Pacific Hospitality Group has an opening for an area director of marketing. More details here.
—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.
—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 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 has 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 Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is looking for a vice president of guest experience. The salary range is $130,000 – $157,000 a year: More details here.
—The State of Idaho is looking for a tourism development specialist. More details here.
—Hill + Knowlton Strategies is seeking a talented vice president or senior vice presidentto lead key consumer client engagements with a focus on travel and tourism. More details here.
—The American Queen Steamboat Company has a temporary, remote location opening for a shore excursions logistics manager. Location cited is in Easton, Pennsylvania. 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 currently listed.
—REI has an opening for an adventure travel program coordinator. More details here.
—Interdependence Public Relations is searching for a Managing Director to launch and build a travel, leisure and hospitality division at its rapidly growing PR firm. More details here.
—A coordinator, brand activator (regional tourism, East) is being sought for the Ralph Lauren brand. More details here.
—The city of Danville, Virginia has an opening for an economic development tourism manager. More details here.
—Morristown, N.J.-based CIE Tours International is searching for a director of marketing. 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. Email tom@tomberrigan.com.
