Be Ready for Chinese Space Travelers
Luxury spacesuits and more about China: The recent success of two separate trips into space by separate teams that included billionaires Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson has them talking and speculating at Jing Daily, the New York City-headquartered publication that analyzes and reports on the Chinese luxury consumer class (Its tagline does, after all, note that its focus is “The Business of Luxury in China”).
Don’t expect those who sell to groups or FITs to ask operators about net rates or meet-and-greets for those coming to the U.S. to take off into space, but be aware of the phenomenon’s appeal to those who have the resources to pay for the product.
As Jing Daily puts it in a recent issue: “Over the past seven years, China has been stepping up its space exploration, with around $6.5 billion raised by commercial space companies ranging from private VCs and commercial firms to regional governments. China landed a rover on Mars in May and made one more giant leap in July when a spacecraft capable of flying to the edge of the atmosphere took off and returned to Earth on the same day … But for now, Mainland tycoons are more focused on enterprises that support the country’s space ambitions, including launch vehicles and satellites, rather than helming their own private crafts.”
There is more about the subject—including such matters as luxury space suits and other space-inspired designs—in the complete article, which you an access here.
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What is a global study tour? And who goes on them? These are just two of the questions raised in an article by Helena Beard, founder and managing director of the marketing and consulting firm at Guanxi is quite involved in the Chinese market, especially as it concerns the UK. (Guanxi is headquartered in Brighton, England.) But on this particular subject, the impact on the United States is obvious. So …
Question: What is the global study tour market?
Answer: A global study tour is a trip abroad made by a school-aged child for the purpose of learning. There are four main categories of global study tour:
1. The most common type of global study tour involves a group of children visiting a foreign country to learn something (usually the language) with some elements of sightseeing as part of the itinerary.
2. “Camp education” is common in the States, where students stay in a camp and confine their activities to the camp and its surrounding areas. The content is around education, with most courses offering a theme; sport, art, science, technology—are all popular. Many of the summer schools favored by high-achieving students applying to America’s best universities offer campsite programs.
3. A third option is the “School immersion” tour, where the student has a curriculum-based experience within a foreign school or university.
4. The fourth type is aimed at students with a clear ambition to study abroad in the future. This type of study tour aims at enhancing the actual university application and is intended to give the student the best chance of success.
The impact of China—the single largest country of origin for international students worldwide—is especially significant for the United States. Some 350,000 Chinese students were enrolled in U.S. universities and schools in the 2019-2020 school year.
Read the complete article here.
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This year, China is expected to become the first country in the world where more than half of total retail sales originate online. Jing Daily has partnered with Wunderman Thompson Intelligence to produce “Transcendent Retail: APAC,” an 81-page report that explores 17 emerging trends and innovations that have taken hold in China and assesses the readiness of local markets to embrace them, with survey datafrom more than 10,000 consumers in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Australia.
The 81-page report is Filled with actionable insights, expert interviews, and deep market analysis, “Transcendent Retail: APAC” is a great read for any brand, marketer, or retailer interested in leveraging China’s next-generation commerce trends to reach consumers worldwide.
For more on this report, click here.
For Brazil, It’s Feliz Aniversário Disney
. . . and more
● 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World to Launch in October. There are reasons why it is generally acknowledged that Orlando is the largest Brazilian city outside of Brazil. It is evident everywhere in the Orlando area—from Brazilian bank branches to Brazilian-owned homes and vacation properties to Orlando-based tour operators who specialize in Disney product. The city and its attractions—Disney in particular—have made the area the theme park capital of the world and the most visited long-haul destination for Brazilians.
So, it follows that the company will stage a celebration for Disney’s 50th anniversary. It was on October 1, 1971, the Walt Disney World Resort officially opened, including Magic Kingdom Park, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations in Orlando begin in October and span 18 months, including special events, exclusive merchandise, new shows and attractions and many surprises.
For starters, Azul Airlines‘ first Airbus 320 has been painted in honor of the 50th anniversary. Beginning in October, the first commemorative aircraft for the 50th anniversary celebration will be in operation in Brazil, in a partnership between Disney and Azul, which operates about a third of all departures from the country. In total, there will be four Azul aircraft in honor of the special date, which will arrive until 2022. The Airbus A320, painted red, yellow and black, accommodates 174 customers and will pass through airports in more than 40 Brazilian cities, including Congonhas Airport, in São Paulo, and Santos Dumont Airport, in Rio de Janeiro. Disney and Azul named the action The Most Magical Fleet in the World.
The last time Disney did a similar promotion here was pre-pandemic, with Latam Airlines, in honor of the opening of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, in Orlando and Anaheim parks
● Signs of recovery show up in latest ABRACORP survey. As reported by the Brazilian travel trade publication PANROTAS, the recently released second quarter report of the Brazilian Association of Corporate Travel Agencies (ABRACORP) showed, as expected, that this sector of the country’s travel and tourism industry remains weak and underperforming. Overall turnover for the sector was 75 percent less than it was for the same period in 2019. There were, however, some positive signs of recovery.
For instance:
—The national figure for car rentals registered a decline of just 2.17 percent compared to the benchmark year of 2019.
—The national hotel industry, has reached an almost 50 percent recovery compared to 2019, with a decline in ADR of some 18 percent.
—As anticipated, the segment most impacted was international air travel, with a drop-off of 90 percent. Domestic air travel, meanwhile, fell by 73 percent, according to the ABRACORP survey, with a reduction of 18 percent in fares.
“The performance of the national rental gives us an indication that the travel habit is changing a little, with a greater presence of this mode of transport, more individualized.” Said ABRACORP executive president Gervasio Tanabe.
● And from PANROTAS and FecomercioSP, the partnership between the Brazilian trave trade publican and the São Paulo-based economic research organization, respectively, there is this outlook in its just published Brazil Overview: “JULY SALES ARE HEATING UP. Sales of leisure travel in Brazil in the first half of July were the best since the beginning of the pandemic. Hotel rates and airfares for travel in Brazil are already at pre-pandemic levels. For tour operators, according to Braztoa (Brazilian Association of Tour Operators) results are equal or better than pre-pandemic levels for 22 percent of the members.”
But, says José Guilherme Alcorta, CEO of PANROTAS, conflict between individual governments is impeding a recovery—some countries still don’t accept Sinovac or Coronavirus vaccines (50 percent of Brazilians have received Coronavac shots). He says, that “without speaking the same “language” we will not come back as we should. As we can.”
For a PDF version of the Overview, click here
TRADE TALK: Face-to-Face Means More Sales…
● Face-to-face calls, meetings, generate more sales: Recently released results of a study conducted over the previous year revealed that sales professionals anticipate they will make an average of 23 percent more deals a year when they are able to speak to their contacts face-to-face, rather than using only video or phone conferencing options. According to the study, carried out by Accor, the same people also think that one face-to-face meeting has the equivalent impact of roughly three video or conference calls, demonstrating the value of face-to-face.
One major reason for this “trend away from tech,” one article said, is that almost a third (30 percent) said they found it difficult not being able to see another person’s body language and nonverbal cues. Additionally, a further 22 percent said they find it harder to engage in small talk to form personal relationships when using video and conferencing options only. Click here for the complete article.
● Disney Taking 2,000 jobs out of Socal and moving them to Orlando. The company announced the plans at the same time that it indicated it is building a new regional campus in Lake Nona. Many workers in digital technology, finance and product development will relocate to Florida, it said. The move is expected to be completed by the end of next year. Disney hasn’t disclosed the exact location of the new campus yet. The company cited Florida’s “business-friendly climate” and no state income tax. “With Disney’s move and large investment in our community, we are delighted to welcome one of the world’s most recognized brands to Lake Nona. By choosing to build a new regional campus in Lake Nona, Disney will become part of this smart city where cutting-edge ideas turn into realities,” said Nick Beucher, president of Tavistock Development Company, owner/developer of Lake Nona.
● With departure of Reserve with Google, what’s next? From Outlook Traveller: “Reserve with Google was launched in 2017 allowing users to book an appointment or reservation with nearby service providers directly from the search engine. Restricted to the fitness industry in its early phase, it facilitated bookings only for spas, studios and gyms. With time however, Google incorporated more services and industries. The Travel industry organically occupied the stage along with Entertainment, Food and the Beauty industry.” Read complete article here.
● Echoing what numerous tour operators and other tourism industry sectors have been telling INBOUND’s publisher, Connect Travel, in a series of webinar discussions over the past year, frontline hotel staff did not have an easy job during the past year. Tasked with enforcing mask mandates, reminding guests which services were temporarily unavailable due to the pandemic and putting their own health at risk daily, these workers still managed to keep guests happy. The hotel industry in general maintains a strong overall customer satisfaction score in the recently released J.D. Power 2021 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study.SM But, now that the pandemic is waning, hotel guests have made it clear they want breakfast and other hotel amenities.
“Frontline staff have been the real heroes of the North American hotel industry during this past year, managing to navigate a very difficult situation while holding overall hotel guest satisfaction steady and actually improving customer satisfaction with staff interactions,” said Andrea Stokes, hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. Following are additional key findings of the 2021 study:
—Hotel staff, flexible cancellation policies save the day in crisis. Overall hotel guest satisfaction across the study is 830 (on a 1,000-point scale), which is unchanged from 2020 and 10 points higher than in 2019.
—Satisfaction with breakfast declines. One area that is a major drag on customer satisfaction in the study is breakfast. In all but one hotel segment, guests were particularly dissatisfied with reduced variety and quality—if breakfast was offered at all. Through the study fielding dates, more than a third (36 percent) of hotels eliminated buffet-style serving.
—”I want my smart TV.” The study showed an increase in demand for smart TVs in hotel rooms.Hotel “need to haves” that have grown the most in importance since 2020 are smart TVs (+9 percentage points), balcony/views (+6 percentage points) and healthy living/wellness amenities (+5 percentage points).
Study Rankings: The following hotel brands rank highest in guest satisfaction in their respective segment:
⦁ Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton
⦁ Upper Upscale: Hard Rock Hotels
⦁ Upscale: AC Hotels
⦁ Upper Midscale: Drury Hotels (for a 16th consecutive year)
⦁ Midscale: Tru by Hilton (for a second consecutive year)
⦁ Economy: SureStay by Best Western (for a second consecutive year)
For more information about the 2021 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index (NAGSI) Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/resource/jd-power-north-america-hotel-guest-satisfaction-index-study.
● Go City goes big in branding its ticketing business: “It’ official” the news announcement screamed in an ALL CAPS headline: “IT’S OFFICIAL! Leisure Pass Group is now Go City®.” “The ‘change marks our shift to a single brand that is passionate about transforming the way people see and experience the world’s greatest destinations.” The rebrand to Go City follows its expansion to more than 25 cities spread across four continents, with the most recent additions of Amsterdam and Stockholm. Go City also has operations in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, Oahu, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco and New York. Find out more about Go City here: https://lnkd.in/dGdG7CN/
● TUI UK is continuing flexible working following 16 months of home working due to the pandemic.
It will become a permanent feature of the company’s working culture, the company said in an announcement. During the global pandemic, almost all office-based jobs became work from home positions. After it conduct research about its employees, TUI found that many have adjusted their working practices and have discovered benefits, including a better work-life balance. Employees that they would like to continue working remotely. As part of the “new ways of working,” TUI employees will only be required to attend the office once a month to attend face to face team meetings or collaboration events, enabling individuals to make their own choice about how often they would like to work. While TUI’s offices will remain open, individuals will be able to decide what working environment works for them best. The tour operator said that the shift to permanent flexible working will offer greater flexibility and attract future employees from a wider employment market.
As a result of all of this, TUI has created a new position of Workspace Director. Belinda Vazquez, Workspace Director of TUI UK said: “We have listened to our employees in order to define a clear framework that ensures ultimate flexibility, whilst creating positive experiences.”
● And if you’re going to WTM, there is this bothersome matter—Heathrow Airport is introducing a £5 terminal drop-off charge. A £5 (just about $7) drop-off charge at Heathrow will come into effect beginning in October 2021—just in time for World Travel Market, which takes place November 1-3 at ExCel. The fee will apply to vehicles using the designated drop off zones located directly outside the airport terminals. The airport said the service will operate by way of an automatic number plate recognition system and the charge can be paid online, via mobile phone, automated telephone service or by autopay functionality. Blue badge holders will be exempt and passenger who don’t want to pay can be dropped off at one of Heathrow’s long-stay car parks, where they can take a free bus transfer to the terminal. For details, read here.
Have German Visits to USA Hit a Plateau?
NTTO updates country market profiles with latest data showing a multi-year flatline for German visitation to the USA.
The numbers crunchers at the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) have done it again—they’ve turned out the latest annual profiles of key international source markets for inbound travelers. That’s the good news. The sad news is that these profiles dish out even more sad news which illustrate and detail the utter collapse last year of overseas travel to the United States. (International travel from the bordering countries Canada and Mexico have experienced the same crash.)
Even so, the analysts at NTTO provide travel U.S. sales and marketers and DMOs with the statistical equipment to review the data and use it to help them develop their own marketing plans and strategies. And one of the facts reflected in the data on Germany—long a Top 5 country source market for travelers to the United States—is that they have been flat since 2016. The following two tables show that, in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the number of visitors annually, as well as the amount they spent for their U.S. travel, were essentially the same. No change.
One can’t expect to measure data for arrivals and spending for 2020 (or 2021 for the matter) against totals for 2016-2019 for a fair year-on-year comparison. Still, were you to study the other tables a little more closely, some factors such as the favored port-of-entry destination for Germans, might surprise you. For instance. In 2020, Miami’s position as a port-of-entry destination for Germans arriving in the U.S. increased more than 4 percent—a huge increase in a measure of this category.
Also, Of the top 10 overseas arrival markets in 2020, Germany saw the 2nd largest market share % change decline in arrivals between 2019 and 2020 and it posted the 3rd largest market share decline in arrivals for the two years.
And for those Germans who did visit the U.S. last year, there was a year-on-year decline on visits to art galleries and museums; casinos and visits to national parks and monuments. These and other shifts and changes—however modest—are factors that travel marketers should take into account.
(More on this in the future, but note for now that other top markets really hurt when one looks at the declining volume of travelers and percentage change in arrivals or shifts in market share are: UK, China, and Japan.)
German Market Profile: Trip Purpose—Main Purpose
German Market Profile: Trip Purpose
German Market Profile: Information Sources Used for Trip Planning
German Market Profile: Activity Participation A
German Market Profile: Activity Participation B
German Market Profile:Transportation Types Used in the U.S.
German Market Profile:Select Traveler Characteristics
Forgoing a massive table here, we looked at the changes in share between 2000 and 2020 and found
Shifts in share total seem to be negligible for the sample of major destinations below, although Miami, which had more lift than did other major destinations, did well last year (if, indeed, any destination did “well”) in the greater for the Southeast U.S. and West Coast U.S
German Market Profile—Ports of Entry Used to Clear U.S. Customs
A final note: Those interested can access the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the NTTO team of analysts here: https://www.trade.gov/travel-and-tourism-research-team/
World’s Top 20 Airlines for 2021 Named
Also, a rating of most valuable airline brands. AirlineRatings.com has announced its 20 Top Airlines in the World for 2021. Tops is Qatar Airways.
To be named in the top twenty, airlines must achieve a seven-star safety rating and demonstrate leadership in innovation for passenger comfort. The editors of AirlineRatings.com look for a consistent level of service, innovation, and staff engagement from each major contender.
“We are focused on leadership and airlines that innovate to make a real difference to the passenger experience.” Said Geoffrey Thomas, editor-in-chief of AirlineRatings.com, adding, “in our evaluation, we also consider the audited feedback from passengers on our website.”
Qatar Airways was ranked number 1 because of its cabin innovation, passenger service, and its dedication and commitment to continue to operate throughout the COVID pandemic.
Also, the airline has a host of industry firsts: First to complete the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) important Operational Safety Audit, first to be fully COVID audited and compliant by both AirlineRatings.com and Skytrax, and among the first to trial IATA’s COVID Safe Travel Pass.
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U.S. Carriers Still Top Global Brands: The total value of the world’s top 50 most valuable airline brands has declined by a third, decreasing from $108.6 billion in 2020 to $72.9 billion in 2021.
“The airline sector is one of the most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with international travel at a near complete standstill since the beginning of 2020,” said Brand Finance Airlines. “With airlines forced to ground a significant amount of their fleets and cut flights down to worryingly low numbers, brands are grappling with depleting cash reserves and a dependence on government or state support.}
Yet, even though the world’s top airline brands lost a third of their value since the last annual report of Brand Finance Airlines, U.S. carriers are emerging from the Covid-19 crisis with their brand value ranking intact. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines retained the top three spots in the 2021 ranking. Their brand value slumped 30 to 40 percent, but they still continued to dominate the ranking. The following graphic gives one a closer look of Brand Finance Airlines’ Top 10 global airline brands
“As predicted, airline brands have had a turbulent ride since the outbreak of the pandemic, with brand values plummeting across the board. With recovery closely tied to vaccination rates, we will likely witness short-haul flights and airline carriers rebound quicker compared to long-haul,” said Savio D’Souz0a Valuation Director, Brand Finance Airlines, adding, “airlines that successfully manage to fly through the economic storm of the pandemic and protect their brands, are likely to be more resilient and perform better as we return to normality.” For a copy of the Brand Finance Top 50 brands, click here.
HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Openings & Changes
Air Transat UK & Ireland commercial director Adrian Keating has been promoted to lead a wider range of markets in the Americas and across Europe. Keating, who will retain his leadership role for the Canadian carrier in the UK and Ireland, will assume revenue responsibility for a range of other markets. Keating has considerable experience in the airline sector; before joining Air Transat three years ago, he served in senior management positions at Malaysia, Etihad Airways and easyJet.
Stefan Merkl is joining the global trade sales team at Go City® (formerly the Leisure Pass Group) as vice president of trade sales, Americas, responsible for new business development. Merkl is knowledgeable about the product. While operating his own consulting business for more than five years prior to joining Go City, he was a contractor who was responsible for new business development at the Leisure Pass Group. He also did contract work for the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority; Tower Tours LCC; the Flyer San Francisco and Unlimited Biking. Prior to operating a consultancy, Merkl was senior international tourism sales manager, Asia Pacific & Middle East, for the Philadelphia CVB. Before that, he was vice president, sales and marketing, for the Red and White Fleet, San Francisco.
David Whitaker has been named as the incoming president & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau following a six-month nationwide search process. Whitaker will formally take over effective Aug. 16, 2021 when his one-time boss, Bill Talbert who has led the Miami CVB DMO since 1990 (for nine years as chief operating officer and then as president and CEO) moves into a supporting role prior to a one-year consultancy beginning in October. Whitaker had been with Miami for 17 years (1990-2007) lastly as executive vice president. most recently as EVP and CMO. Whitaker then served as president and CEO of Destination Toronto (2007-2015) and chief marketing officer for Brand USA (2015-2016) before his tenure at Choose Chicago.
Yi Louis Lu has left his position as senior manager, global trade development for Brand USA, and moved to Baidu Inc., where he will work on the Corporate Strategy-Mobile Ecosystem Group. Before his tenure at Brand USA, he was international sales manager at Destination DC.
Timothy Wolfe has been named director of the Colorado Tourism office, effective Aug. 23. Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade announced Wolfe’s appointment Tuesday after a three-month search for a replacement for longtime director Cathy Ritter, who left the position in April. During the interim, deputy director Jill Corbin has served as the interim director. Wolfe’s appointment came after a three-month search for a replacement for longtime director Cathy Ritter, who abruptly left the position in April. Deputy Director Jill Corbin served as the interim director. Previously, Wolfe, who operated his own consultancy recently, was the general manager for the historic, 241-room Brown Palace in downtown Denver and its sister property Holiday Inn Express Denver Downtown. He also served as the general manager for The Antlers, now a Wyndham Hotel, from 2011 to 2014 when it was part of the Pyramid Hotel Group.
Kathy Formosa has been named senior contract manager at WebBeds, working out of the company’s Orlando headquarters. Previously, she was product manager at AmericanTours International, where she served for more than six-and-a-half years. Prior to that, she was director of escorted tours at Team America.
Sam Lacy has taken over as the full-time executive director of the Bourbon Capital Community Alliance (BCCA) in Bardstown, Kentucky. The BCCA is a nonprofit organization tasked with driving the bourbon industry forward here in Bardstown / Nelson County, KY. It is an organization that Lacy had been running on a part time basis since March of 2019. Lacy’s full time job had been as director of marketing & bourbon experiences at Visit Bardstown. Before his tenure at Visit Bardstown, he was director of marketing & communications for Travel South USA.
The Brazilian tour operator Primetour has announced the hiring of executive Claudia del Valle as its new commercial head. She will take care of the operator’s operational and sales areas, focusing on luxury products for travel agencies and Primetours’ independent consultants. Claudia del Valle has more than 35 years of experience in tourism, always dedicated to the areas of Operations and Sales. Much of her management duties took place at Queensberry and Costa Cruises.
Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has announced the promotion Todd Mitsuhata to director of global business development. Mitsuhata joined the organization in 2016 as manager, Asia Pacific & Latin America, and was subsequently promoted to his most recent position as senior global business development manager. In his new role as director of global business development, Mitsuhata will further position Santa Monica within the international markets in this recovery period by leveraging his knowledge and understanding of the global industry, first-hand experience working with top travel retailers and operators, building co-op campaigns with major companies like United Airlines, and leading the launch of in-market activations such as Pier One at Sydney Harbour in Australia.
Steven De Blois has been managing director of StudentUniverse—it’s the Flight Centre Travel Group’s online travel booking platform for students—replacing Mike Cleary, who spent nearly 10 years at the company, the last four as managing director. De Blois was most recently managing director and head of product at Umapped, the itinerary platform owned by Flight Centre. He has also held senior-level positions at Air Canada and Expedia. In his new post, de Blois will be responsible for leading all aspects of StudentUniverse in the four countries where it operates: the U.S., Canada, Australia and the UK.
Hays Travel, the largest independent travel agency in the UK, has promoted divisional manager Natasha Marson to head up its Independence Group as the agency continues to grow the division. Marson joined Hays Travel in 2019, after several years at TUI, and became divisional manager for Wales and the Midlands.
Trade Show News Network (TSNN) has announced the appointment of Lorry Tenny as editorial director. She is an award-winning editor, writer and strategist who has worked in publishing for more than 25 years, 16 of which have been spent covering the meetings and events industry. In her new role, Tenny will be overseeing TSNN, the No. 1 online news source for the trade show industry, and Corporate Event News, an online news publication for corporate event planners and professionals. Tenny has also held editorial roles at travel trade publications Travel Weekly and TravelAge West.
Phillipa Standley has been promoted to head of product at Attraction World. With the promotion will also join the attraction ticket specialist’s leadership team. Attraction World chief executive Olly Nicholls said Standley, who joined the business in 2009, has played a “pivotal” role in the firm’s efforts to negotiate the COVID-19 crisis.
Zoran Jelkic has been appointed senior vice president, long-haul for Air France-KLM. The announcement was part of the reorganization of its sales teams around the world. As part of the group’s transformation, the geographic zones will be reduced from 8 to 4—two domestic markets, France and Benelux, and two international zones: Europe and long-haul. A long-time veteran of Air France, Jelkic joined the airline more than 24 years ago.
Jean Paul Zapata has joined Sonoma County Tourism as its new director of business development. Zapata has experience in the destination marketing sector, having most recently served as the director of public relations for Visit Oakland, and prior to that, as the media relations manager for Visit Greater Palm Springs.
VisitNorfolk and the Norfolk Tourism Foundation have announced that Angela Blackwell Carter has been named the foundation’s director. A native of the Hampton Roads area, she has served in several leadership roles capacities throughout the region. Most recently, she served at the vice president for leadership programs at Hampton Roads Chamber.
David Fudge of North Platte, Nebraska has been elected to a second term president of the Nebraska Travel Association. Fudge has served on the NETA board since 2017 and was president in 2018-19. Fudge has been involved with Nebraskaland Days in North Platte since 2005. The purpose of the organization is to produce Nebraska’s Officials State Celebration He spent six years on its board of directors prior to being retained as the executive director in 2011.
Gisel Vidals has been promoted to the position of head of North America business development at Headout. She joined the company in January of this year, responsible for business development in the USA. Previously, Vidals was vice president of global sales for Big Bus Tours. Before that, she held senior management positions with Skyline Sightseeing and for the Super Shuttle collection of brands.
It was a fortuitous sequence of events. First, Randy Fiveash retired in April as director of tourism for the State of Connecticut ago after serving in the position for almost 13 years. Then, not many days later, his wife, Shari Fiveash, accepted the position of president and CEO of the Greater Fayetteville (N.C.) Chamber of Commerce, he followed her to North Carolina. Just days later, on May 5, city and county officials took advantage of the situation and tapped Randy Fiveash to get back into the tourism industry, this time as interim president and CEO of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Said Randy Fiveash: “I was retired for about 20 minutes.”
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Job Postings
Visit Dallas, one of the Top 100 Places to Work in Dallas-Fort Worth, has the following job openings. For more details, click on the individual links: Administrative Assistant; Diversity & Inclusion Resource Manager; Event Manager; Sales Coordinator; and Site Coordinator.
From SearchWide Global:
—In Arlington, Texas, there is an opening for president and CEO of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau. More details here.
—Freeman is searching for a vice president, national graphics. More details here.
—Visit Dallas has an opening for a new president/chief marketing officer. More details here.
—Visit Estes Park, about 90 miles north of Denver, is search for a director of finance & administration. More details here.
—Destination Door County (Wisconsin) is looking for a president and CEO. More details here.
—In Oregon, the Josephine County Visitor Association’s Destination Marketing Organization, Experience Grants Pass, us searching for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit San Antonio has an opening for director of market strategy. More details here.
—The Oklahoma State Fair is seeking a president and CEO. More details here.
—The San Diego Tourism Authority is looking for a chief sales officer. More details here.
—Visit Pittsburg has an opening for chief sales officer. More details here.
—Visit Carlsbad is searching 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.
—Travel Portland is searching for a vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion. More details here.
—Visit Wichita is searching for a vice president of marketing. More details here.
—Destinations International is searching for a senior director, membership engagement. More details here.
—The Valdosta-Lowndes County Conference Center & Tourism Authority in Georgia is looking for a new executive director. More details 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 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.
—The Cedar Rapids Iowa tourism office has an opening for a director of communications & marketing. More details here.
—New York City & Company has an opening for a coordinator, tourism development. More details here.
—American Classic Tours, Inc. in Grayslake, Illinois, has an opening for a tour manager. More details here.
—Visit Denver is searching for a cultural tourism programs manager. More details here.
—Jet Blue is searching for a manager of corporate communications, and his based in Long Island City N.Y. More details here.
—Ralph Lauren is search for a coordinator, brand activation (regional tourism – West). 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.
—Visit Seattle is searching for a director, international tourism. More details here.
—The Philadelphia office of Tiquets, the global ticket booking company for attractions, is looking for a U.S.-based supply coordinator (the company is headquartered in the Netherlands. More details here.
—Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City is looking for a manager of tourism and travel. 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.
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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
