Katja Jahn has left G2 Travel North America after more than four years, and has joined TripArc/Travel Edge/Kensington Tours where she is vice president procurement DMC. Previously, she had been senior product manager at YMT Vacations; and manager, tour development at AmericanTours International, where she served as manager of tour development.
Former Tourico and Hotelbeds executive Matias Elisavetsky has been appointed as the first chief commercial officer for the transportation booking platform Bookaway following the recent global launch of the Bookaway Group. The company’s mission is to modernize the ground and sea transportation industry by supporting local, independent transport suppliers around the world to bring their operations online. The former director of sourcing at Hotelbeds, Matias brings just over 16 years of global experience in commercial strategy in the travel and tourism industries, managing client relationships and driving new contracts. Mattias spent just over 11 years at Tourico Holidays, where he became executive vice president of global product development before the business was acquired by Hotelbeds in 2017.
Maria Vazquez has been named product manager at AmericanTours International, one the largest tour operators in the Americas. Her résumé includes tenures as an area contract manager for Hotelbeds; area sourcing manger, Florida & South USA; and senior product manager, Florida, for AlliedTPro.
Peter Gamez has taken over as president and CEO of Visit Oakland. A lifelong San Francisco resident and familiar figure in the region’s travel and tourism industry, Gamez replaces interim CEO Michael LeBlanc, who stood in following the departure of Mark Everton who left the organization last April after five years to become president / CEO at the Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority. Gamez has held senior sales, marketing and business development roles for several different lodging entities, including a tenure of more than 14 years with Joie de Vivre Hospitality.
Brian Fisher, who was a founding board member of the Lake County Tourism Improvement District, which is located about 100 miles northwest of Sacramento and is home to several lake attractions in Central California, has been named the first executive director of the tourism promotion agency. Prior to starting his curated apartment hotel business in Kelseyville, known as Suite on Main, Fisher held a number of executive sales and management positions in advertising including publishers including The Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast, and Hearst Publishing.
The aviation and travel technology provider Dohop has announced the appointment of Sarah Hanan to its executive team as commercial director. Sarah joins from Omio where she led the team that delivered the company’s strategic partnership program. Also on her resume: Hanan was commercial director at UK-based Cheapflights, where she spent nearly 14 years.
Tom Maynard has been appointed new head of UK and Europe sales for Virgin Atlantic. He joined the airline from travel management company (TMC) BCD Travel, and before that he worked for management consultancy McKinsey & Co in Singapore and New York.
Cindy Hartner has taken on a new leadership role within the DMC Network’s headquarters team as senior director of global sales for the company. Hartner has played pivotal roles on both the sales and operations side of the DMC Network business. She is active with the MPI community, having served as president for both the MPI Washington State Chapter and ILEA Dallas Chapter, as well as serving on both the ILEA Seattle and MPI Dallas Ft. Worth boards. DMC Network’s member-owned community of destination management companies operate in 100 destinations across North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Europe.
In the UIK, Rob Carroll has been appointed senior product manager for the Leger Shearings Group. He will lead and direct the product management team across both the Leger Holidays and Shearings brands. Carroll joins the company from the Association of Group Travel Organizers. A veteran of more than two decades in the travel and tourism sector, his previous experience includes tenures in senior roles with Airedale Tours, Railtrail Tours Ltd., Great Rail Journeys Ltd., and Wallace Arnold Tours
The Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau has appointed Meagan DeGaia as destination manager. In this newly created position being funded by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, DeGaia will be responsible for supervising, managing, implementing and reporting on the Maui Nui Destination Management Action Plan, its Community Enrichment Program, as well as signature events within Maui County. Prior to joining the Maui bureau, served as Makoa Quest’s president and director. DeGaia was also the media publisher for the Neighbors of Wailea and Mākena and Neighbors of West Maui publications, where she partnered with local nonprofits, community organizations and residents.
Kim Borneman has been hired by the San Diego Tourism Authority to serve as its national sales director for the West Coast, overseeing sales for the San Diego Convention Center. Borneman joins the organization from Visit Dallas, where she served as regional director of sales for the West. Previously, she spent more than five years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in different sales positions.
The Travel Corporation (TTC) has appointed Nicholas Lim as its new Asia CEO. In his new position, Lim will report to Gavin Tollman, TCC president. Lim is no stranger to TTC having headed TTC Asia as managing director from 2018 to 2020, and before that, as president (Asia) for Trafalgar from 2011 to 2018. Prior to his appointment as CEO of TTC, Lim was general manager of Norwegian Cruise Lines in Asia. TTC, which is headquartered near Anaheim, California, owns 40 travel brands, including tour operators, hotels, and transportation companies. It operates in 70 countries and has 40 offices around the world, and it serves 1.9 million travelers annually
Benjamin Maddy has been appointed sales manager for Fogo de Chão in New York City. Well known in the city’s travel and tourism community, Maddy’s career has included senior sales positions at Ripley’s Believe it or Not, ATTRACTOUR, The Madison Square Garden Company and Discovery Times Square.
Renata Cenni of Hotelbeds recently made the move from Los Angeles to Orlando to take over as the company’s regional director for North America. Cenni joined Hotelbeds three-and-a-half years ago. Previously, she was head of sourcing, Americas, West Coast / Latin America for GTA, where she served for almost 16 years.
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Job Postings
From SearchWide Global:
—Discover The Palm Beaches is looking for an associate vice president of group sales. More details here.
—Discover The Palm Beaches is searching for a director of events, tradeshow & strategic sales partnerships. More details here.
—The Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau, which represents an area of coastal communities in northwestern Michigan, has an opening for a new executive director. More details here.
—The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau is seeking a senior vice president of convention sales. More details here.
—The Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade is searching for a director of marketing and communications. More details here.
—The Roebbelen Center @ the Grounds, a multi-purpose event facility on 60 acres situated between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, is seeking a general manager. More details here.
—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 senior vice 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.
—The Oklahoma State Fair is seeking 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.
—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.
Also, 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.
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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.
—Sky Land and Ocean Travel in Philadelphia has an opening for a virtual travel coordinator. More details here.
—Barefoot Wanderlust Adventures has an opening for a travel specialist who can work from a remote location. More details here.
—New York City & Company has an opening for a coordinator, global communications. More details here.
—Delta Air Lines is searching for a specialist, reservations strategic initiatives. 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 Eustis, Florida is looking for an events & tourism manager. Salary range is $50,361 to $75,670 a year. More details here.
—The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, is searching for a director of corporate and travel industry sales, the Americas, in New York. 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
