Stefanie Zinke was recently appointed director of global sales for Visit Tampa Bay. She joins the organization from The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, where she was senior international tourism sales manager, and where she worked for nearly eight years. Previously, Zinke held senior-level positions at the New Zealand Wine Center, Christie + Co. and TravelClick.
Christian Böll takes over the management of the Berlin luxury travel company Windrose Finest Travel. He succeeds Stephan Braun, who is moving to Munich to take on new tasks within the FTI Group. Böll has some 30 years of experience in tourism. Most recently, as senior vice president. business innovation at DER Touristik, he was responsible for potential further development opportunities. During his career, the business manager has specialized in particular in the cruise and hotel sector. He worked for Aida Cruises for ten years, designing the Aida and Arosa brands and overseeing their market launch. He has also worked for Nicko Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Robinson and Steigenberger.
Fabio Monteiro has been hired as groups and events sales manager for the new SUMMIT One Vanderbilt observatory in Manhattan. Previously, he was part of the sales/business development team at City Experiences. Prior to that, Monteiro was group sales manager for Blue Man Group, where he served for more than nine years.
Tom Norwalk is retiring as president and CEO at Visit Seattle, effective on March 31, 2022, after 16 years of service for the organization. Previously, Norwalk, who joined the Seattle organization as senior vice president of sales and marketing, tenure in the hospitality and tourism sector included a lengthy tenure in senior management positions for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.
Rod Hanna has been appointed director of branding, independent program, and related projects for Red Label Vacations. Hanna brings a wealth of knowledge with a firm understanding of the Canadian travel industry, including over 15 years of leadership experience and proficiency in growing and maintaining excellent industry relationships. His most recent work includes the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, where he was the director of sales for Canada & Latin America, before being the SLTA’s national trade sales manager for Canada. He has held various roles within the Sunwing Travel Group in his seven years there, and previously worked with Selloffvacations.com.
Stuart Maas has been promoted to director of marketing and conference sales at the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. He was hired in 2016 as sales and marketing Manager. Previously, Stuart was the director of sales, marketing, & I.T. for Tahoe Sports and Powder House Ski & Board. Maas will lead the promotion of the destination to small and medium groups, and conference groups of all sizes.
Clare Verwoerd has been named as a new marketing executive for Jac Travel, DMC Division, Webbeds Europe. She is based in the UK. Previously, she was a visual merchandiser for Primark Stores Limited for more than five years.
Louise Tansey, former Bourne Leisure national trade sales manager, is joining Vertical Travel Group as trade sales manager. She will be responsible for representing the group’s Cyprus and Greece specialist tour operator Amathus Holidays, its Disneyland Paris specialist Instant Breaks and in-house accommodation-only supplier Bedbank. Tansey will also work with Vertical’s homeworking teams and be the point of contact for its consortium travel agency members for the tour operators. She is due to join the business on October 4. Tansey spent 13 years at Haven, Butlin’s and Warner Leisure parent Bourne Leisure, which ended its trade sales channel last December.
The two managing partners of America Unlimited, Julia Kurz and Timo Kohlenberg, have added Andreas Neumann as a new CEO for America Unlimited and for Feinreisen. Neumann will be responsible for business development and growth. Neumann is expected to start his job by March 1, 2022 at the latest. He had announced at the end of August that he wanted to give up his position as managing director of the Derpart travel agency franchise system. Before moving to Dertour, Neumann worked, among other things, as head of Explorer Fernreisen and as division manager for long-distance travel for Dertour as well as for TUI and Airtours.
The widely known and highly regarded Greg Evans Consultancy has been appointed by the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism to be its first-ever UK based agency. “We are excited to be working with such a diverse and fascinating destination such as New Jersey,” Evans remarked. “We are very much looking forward to reconnecting with our trade and media colleagues and help to encourage travel to the United States from November.” Said Jeff Vasser, executive director of “The UK and Ireland are extremely important markets for New Jersey and we’ve found visitors and the travel trade alike appreciate the depth and breadth of diverse offerings we provide here. We look forward to leveraging the strong experience and relationships offered by Greg Evans Consultancy to benefit our state.” Evans is largely credited with increasing the profile of Philadelphia as a destination in the UK.
The Washington County Visitors Association (WCVA) in Oregon has announced that Wendy Popkin will join the organization as vice-president of destination sales on November 1, 2021, to lead the organization’s direct group sales efforts. Popkin brings more than 30 years of tourism expertise to the organization. She currently is executive director of the Oregon Hospitality Foundation, a role she has held since 2012. From 2003-2012, Popkin was principle of Popkin Solutions, which delivered strategic counsel and project management expertise to create measurable sales marketing, and event programs for hospitality and tourism organizations such as Travel Oregon and Clackamas County Tourism and Cultural Affairs.
James Phillips has been named to the position of WebBeds’ president–Americas. A company statement said that Phllips brings an extensive, 25-year travel and hospitality career to the company. His experience started with a leading tour operator. He then spent a decade working with the Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Kempinski group of hotels. Subsequently, he held leadership roles with GTA for sourcing in the EMEA and Americas regions and with Hotelbeds for Sales and Marketing. Most recently, James has been advising several companies, working with the state of Connecticut’s venture capital arm on its travel portfolio.
Blue Bay Travel has promoted Tasha Smith to the position of business development manager, to further strengthen the long-haul specialist’s relationships with its trade partners. She will continue to manage Blue Bay’s in-house trade support team and will take on the task of finding new ways to maximize sales through travel agents, which is a priority growth area for the business. Smith re-joined Blue Bay Travel in March 2021, having held a sales advisor role at the company between 2014 and 2016.
Former Wisconsin tourism secretary-designee Sara Meaney has joined Milwaukee-based lobbying firm Michael Best Strategies as a senior adviser. Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed Meaney as Wisconsin Department of Tourism secretary in December 2018. The Republican-controlled Wisconsin State Senate never confirmed her appointment. She left the position in December 2020. Most recently, Meaney was chief marketing and communications officer for the Dohmen Company Foundation in Milwaukee. Prior to serving as tourism secretary, Meaney held executive leadership roles with Milwaukee Film, the BVK advertising and marketing agency in Glendale, and Hanson Dodge Creative in Milwaukee.
Chris Ellis was recently name regional partnership manager, Central East Florida Region, for Visit Florida. Previously, Ellis was director of 7M Tours. Prior to that, he was senior director, global trade development, for Brand USA. He also served as senior manager of travel industry sales for Visit Orlando.
After serving more than 15 years in senior positions in public relations and communications in the hospitality industry, Lori Lincoln has joined the San Francisco Travel Association as vice president, global public relations and media relations.
Nancy Richardson has been promoted to the position of senior tourism marketing specialist at Idaho Department of Commerce—Tourism Development. Richardson has served at the department for 13 years, joining the department in 2008.
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Job Postings
—Visit Lauderdale is hiring. The DMO points to an opening for a customer relations specialist (in global trade development) posted by Broward County for Fort Lauderdale/Visit Lauderdale. More details here.
From SearchWide Global:
—The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau has an opening for a director of marketing. More details here.
—There is an opening for the position of president & CEO at Visit Fort Wayne. More details here.
—The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association is looking for a CEO. More details here.
—Visit Savanah has an opening for a vice president of communications & marketing. More details here.
—Destinations International is searching for a vice president of equity, diversity & inclusion. More details here.
—Valdosta-Lowndes Co. Conference & Tourism Authority has an opening for a catering and sales director. More details here.
—The City of Tacoma has an opening for a director of venue & events. More details here.
—Visit Dana Point is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Milwaukee is searching for a vice president of marketing and communications. More details here.
—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.
—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.
—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
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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.
—City Experiences has an opening for a national associate director of tourism. More details here.
—Traders Village, a Houston area amusement park, is looking to hire someone for its tourism sector. More details here.
Las Vegas-based Legends, which focuses on premium experiences for its customers, has an opening for a groups and tourism manager. 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 Miles Partnership has an opening for a Travel Media Sales and Marketing Executive. Location: Remote. More details here.
—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 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.
—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
