Reinhard Kotzaurek is the new managing director of Reisecenter Alltours as Alltours, one of the largest tour operators in German, wants to further expand the travel center chain belonging to the group Kotzaurek, who will take over the management of Reisecenter Alltours GmbH from August 15th. He will report directly to Alltours partner Willi Verhuven. Kotzaurek has been active in tourism for 25 years and has held management positions for more than 15 years. Previously, he was CEO at Thomas Cook Austria and implemented a direct sales model for TUI Austria in Austria. Kotzaurek succeeds Nils Jenssen, who will leave the company at the end of the year at his own request and for private reasons.
Meredith Rothstein-Rinn has been director of facility sales at the famous Apollo Theater in New York. This includes the Apollo and the newly constructed Victoria Theater which houses a 99 seat and a 199-seat theater, cafe and gallery in the lobby which is set to open later this year.
Annick Guérard has been appointed as president and chief executive officer of Transat. Guérard has been Transat’s chief operating officer since November 2017 and will be the only woman in charge of a national airline in Canada. She succeeds legendary Canadian businessman Jean-Marc Eustache, who is stepping down from his role at Transat. Eustache has been one of the principal architects of the creation of Transat in 1987. Guérard is a veteran of nearly 20 years with the company, having started with the company in 2002 as senior director, strategy/customer service.
Expedia Group has announced the appointment of Rathi Murthy as the company’s Chief Technology Officer and President of Expedia Services and Jon Gieselman as the company’s President of Expedia Brands. As part of Murthy and Gieselman joining, the company will evolve its operating structure into four key pillars: Expedia Services, Expedia Brands, Expedia Marketplace, and Expedia for Business. Murthy joins Expedia Group from Verizon Media and is a widely recognized transformative technology executive with deep experience and knowledge in platform environments at Fortune 500 e-commerce, financial services, telecommunications, and media companies Gieselman joins Expedia Group from Apple, where he led marketing for Services, a broad portfolio of businesses. While at Apple, Jon worked closely with product, engineering, and design to expand Services through his innovative brand, digital, and direct marketing approach
Jessica Roberts is the new president of the Blue Ridge Parkway Association, the promotional organization for the 469-mile scenic roadways that stretches from Afton, Virginia in the north to Cherokee, North Carolina in the south. Roberts already serves as executive director of the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority and the Tourism Partnership of Surry County. Mount Airy, NC is the “real” version of Mayberry, NC, the fictional community in the popular Andy Griffith show. The late Andy Griffith is from Mount Airy and is still warmly regarded there, where visitors will find a museum and theatre group that bear his name.
After serving nearly 22 years as president and CEO of Visit Fairbanks, Deb Hickok stepped down last month, and now serves as “Chief Germinator” of stratXcel, a consulting business which assists communities, destinations and businesses in planned growth through the melding of strategy and excellence.
Following some changes at the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA), Sarah Reynolds Lasser, senior director of business development, will expand her focus to the broader business community overseeing membership initiatives and group sales. Lasser has worked at ACRA for 10 years, selling Aspen as a meeting and event destination. In 2020, she was recognized by Smart Meetings as a “Smart Women in Meetings Stellar Performer” and received special recognition on behalf of ACRA as the Destination Colorado Member of the Year.
Fabiano Oliveira has been named the new commercial director of the startup Grupo Itapemirim’s ITA or Itapemirim (ITA) airline. He replaces who spent six months on the job for the startup air carrier. The company’s first flight is scheduled for June 29th between São Paulo-Guarulhos and Brasília, suggesting that the airline could feed domestic product to the long-haul international carriers who operate out of São Paulo.
Job Postings
From SearchWide Global:
—Visit Pittsburg has an opening for chief sales officer. More details here.
—Visit Carlsbad is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—Switch, An Experience Agency based in St. Louis whose product lines include digital marketing, business meetings and events, and trade shows, is looking for a president and CEO. More details here.
—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.
—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.
—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.
—Sesame Place, located in Langhorne, PA, not far from Philadelphia, has an opening for a public relations manager. More details here.
—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.
—Hill + Knowlton Strategies is seeking a talented vice president or senior vice president to 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.
—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.
—NYC & Company has an opening for a marketing coordinator. More details here.
—REI has an opening for an adventure travel program coordinator. More details here.
—Interdependence Public Relations in Denver 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.
—Ralph Lauren is search for a coordinator, brand activation (regional tourism – West). 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.
