Mean, Median + Other Statistical Weapons
Every once in a while, we have to remind INBOUND readers of the trove of government data available and the different ways that one can use it to better understand international visitors to the United States. You can find one example (what follows is the short form) of how monthly data on the ages of visitors—and where they are from—can help you better fine-tune your marketing and promotional mailings, texts and online posts, etc. and improve your chances of actually having their collateral read!
In the following table—it was generated from data that one can find at https://www.trade.gov/i-94-arrivals-program —you can see that there are subtle regional differences in the age bracket numbers of key demographic groups. This could suggest that, if one wanted to prioritize an ad campaign by age groups, you should probably begin gathering your own lists by targeting those groups. And so on. (BTW, the table below was compiled from fairly current data—that is, for the month of February, 2022.)
If you find that you want to launch a data collection and mining program, you might want to contact David Huether at the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). He is deputy director for research, and he can probably help you point your venture in the right direction. You can reach him here: David.Huether@trade.gov. In the meantime, start studying the numbers. After a while, they just might start talking to you!
Visitors to the U.S. by World Region/Country of Residence & Age
February 2022
| World Region | Ages 18-24 | Ages 25-34 | Ages 35-44 | Ages 45-54 | Ages 55-64 | Ages 65 and + | Mean* Age | Median* Age |
| Western Europe | 39,538 | 91,281 | 79,237 | 81,508 | 61,367 | 38,259 | 40.7 | 40.0 |
| Eastern Europe | 2,418 | 6,839 | 7,433 | 5,466 | 3,611 | 2,466 | 40.1 | 39.0 |
| Asia | 11,041 | 27,790 | 15,739 | 15,151 | 21,769 | 17,755 | 44.6 | 43.0 |
| Middle East | 3,119 | 7,196 | 7,367 | 6,404 | 4,967 | 3,630 | 41.8 | 41.0 |
| Africa | 947 | 2,369 | 2,555 | 2,088 | 2,033 | 1,594 | 44.2 | 43.0 |
| Oceania | 1,458 | 4,188 | 3,947 | 3,551 | 2,742 | 1,815 | 42.0 | 41.0 |
| South America | 25,063 | 48,490 | 55,840 | 47,727 | 32,939 | 23,485 | 39.1 | 39.0 |
| Central America | 5,071 | 12,515 | 16,862 | 13,811 | 8,928 | 7,825 | 41.0 | 41.0 |
| Caribbean | 4,461 | 11,333 | 14,463 | 13,671 | 10,426 | 6,557 | 42.9 | 43.0 |
| Total Oveseas | 97,364 | 93,116 | 212,001 | 203,443 | 189,377 | 148,782 | 103,386 | 40.9 |
* “Mean” vs. “Median”: The mean (or average) of a data set is found by adding all numbers in the data set and then dividing by the number of values in the set. The median is the middle value when a data set is ordered from least to greatest. The mode is the number that occurs most often in a data set. (Created by Sal Khan)
Western Europe includes: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, plus.
Eastern Europe includes: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine plus.
Asia includes India: Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, PRC (excluding Hong Kong), Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam plus.
Middle East includes: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates plus.
Africa includes: Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa plus.
Oceania includes: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand plus.
South America includes: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela plus.
Central America includes: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, plus.
Caribbean includes: Antigua-Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, plus.
More Number: international data just made available via the U.S. International Trade Administration include the following;
● Non-U.S. Citizen Air Passenger Arrivals to the United States from foreign countries, totaled 2.891 million, +193 percent compared to March 2021 and (-44.4 percent) compared to March 2019.
● On a related note, overseas “visitor” arrivals (‘I-94’/ADIS (Arrival and Departure Information System). totaled 1.379 million, the fifth consecutive month overseas visitor arrivals totaled over 1.0 million. (See March 2022 I-94 Advance Release by visiting the I-94 Program Page)
● Top Countries of Total International Air Traffic Passenger Enplanements to and from the United States were Mexico 3.37 million, Canada 1.49 million, the United Kingdom 865k, Dominican Republic 790k and Germany 464k (Note: Air travel to/from Europe totaled 3.0 million passengers, up 862% over March 2021).
● Top U.S. Ports serving international locations were New York (JFK) 1.84 million, Miami (MIA) 1.74 million, Los Angeles (LAX) 1.08 million, Newark (EWR) 840k and Chicago (ORD) 547k.
● Top Foreign Ports serving U.S. locations were Cancun (CUN) 1.27 million, London Heathrow (LHR) 789k, Toronto (YYZ) 673k, Mexico City (MEX) 596k and Paris (CDG) 420k.
Interested in an interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit our I-92/APIS International Air Passenger Monitor for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.
IPW Orlando—A Continuing Sense of Optimism
It’s less than two months until the kickoff of business at the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW June 4-8 at the Orlando Convention Center in Florida. This year is the eighth time that Orlando is hosting the event—more than any other destination—but this opening will be different. You’ll have to wait and see “just one of the many changes” for this year’s edition, Senior Vice President of Business Development and General Manager of IPW Malcolm Smith told INBOUND in our recent conversation in order to update to us on the latest developments of the global trade show.
One significant change that everyone working on IPW, especially Smith, can point to, is the level of enthusiasm on the part of delegates who will come to Orlando. He explained that last year’s IPW was held under trying conditions that affected everyone: “It was so challenging for people to make it to IPW 2021 last year,” with the absence of buyers from key overseas country markets and, for those who could make it—health and safety protocols in place that made it difficult for the special dynamic created through live, face-to-face discussions at a booth.
Also, there was still a ban on nonessential travel to the United States in effect, as well as bans to and from the USA in other parts of the globe. It was not until September that the U.S. government announced a Nov. 8 lifting of its ban from most EU nations and other markets. (The key markets of China and Japan still have strict limits on international travel.)
The Way Back—Filled with Buyers: The level of enthusiasm reaching US Travel now is contagious, and it is reflected in the numbers. Some of them include the following which Smith pointed out to INBOUND:
● As we spoke, the number of international delegates had reached a level that doubled in size compared to last year’s IPW.
● As of the end of March, 728 international buyers and 377 media from 62 countries have registered to attend IPW.
● There are also be 280 domestic buyers and 70 domestic media; more than 1,400 international and domestic buyers and media are registered for IPW 2022.
● Nations sending the largest international delegations in 2022 are the United Kingdom, Brazil and Canada.
● Excluding the challenged markets of China and Japan (two of the USA’s top three overseas country markets), the number of international delegates had already reached 89 percent of what it was three years ago in Anaheim.
● Markets starved for Visit USA product are pushing never-before-seen levels of delegates—Australia, for instance, is positioned to having the seventh-largest number of operators and journalists.
● The US Travel registration numbers come in the wake of another U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office finding that, in February International visitors spent $9.5 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the United States, an increase of 98 percent compared to February 2021.
Other notes:
● Key to the changes that were implemented at last year’s IPW in Las Vegas was the expansion of additional networking time—before and after the business appointment schedules.
● The 8-30 AM -to-10-AM and 4:15 PM-to-5:00-PM networking element has been popular, were made possible largely by shortening business appointments. Though appointments are slightly reduced, there are still 42 of them, each with sufficient time for buyers to contact or visit sellers.
With its format creating more networking time at both ends of the IPW schedule, Malcolm Smith says, “The worst thing you could do is stay in your hotel room and send e-mails.”
● A survey indicated that 75 percent of those who participated like the new format.
● The IPW Focus—the live educational component of the event—will actually be held on the exhibit floor. At IPW last year, health and safety protocols didn’t allow for certain numbers of people to be gathered in such fashion, so delegates who took part in the program had to go outside the exhibit floor.
● Delegates will be able to listen to the program content using headsets.
● The pre-marketplace orientation session that usually targets first-time IPW delegates is expected attract experienced IPW delegates as well, due to the changes made to the program content and procedures since 2019, which was the occasion of the last full IPW agenda.
● Something new: For the first time ever, Disney’s Epcot will be the backdrop/location of a major function.
● Something new No. 2: Visit Orlando and Visit Florida are staking out an Engagement Zone called The Orange Grove in the public concourse outside the Convention Center.
● Something new No. 3: Visit Orlando has put together an optional event—Destination Downtown Orlando —on Tuesday evening. Buses will be available to take delegates to and from the downtown Orlando event.
● And of course, there is more; the above is merely a sampler.
For the complete “Who-What-When-Where-How” information on IPW, visit your www.ipw.com website. Also, check out this earlier article on IPW with highlights on what other officials from US Travel, Visit Orlando, and Brand USA discussed the upcoming event: IPWUpdate.
Joining Smith in the webinar presentation and discussion were: Michael Martin, manager, international marketing, IPW; Cathy Reynolds, lead manager, IPW press operations; Phil White, travel industry sales director, Visit Orlando; and Aaron Wodin-Schwartz, senior vice president, public affairs, Brand USA.
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More than just a few years ago, INBOUND had the opportunity to see how Malcom Smith handles a tense situation—that is, a moment or more that measures someone’s ability to remain cool and calm midst extreme tension, or grace under pressure.
For Malcolm Smith, as far as INBOUND is concerned, that moment came at about 10:17 a.m. on the morning of May 6, 2015 when he was about half-way through a symposium presentation on what was new for the upcoming IPW (It was held May 30-June 3 in Orlando that year) during a day-long educational seminar that was part of the two-day RTO Summit East which was held at the Wyndham New Yorker hotel in New York City, right around the block from one of the main entrances to Penn Station, one of the busiest railroad stations in the world.
Suddenly, there was a thunderous “BOOM!” that caused the large windows of the rattle in the Crystal Ballroom of the hotel, where the Symposium was taking place. The sound and the vibrations (and, according to some in the room, there was also a bright flash) were frightful enough to stop everyone from taking notes or checking our smartphones.
Smith stopped speaking and stood comfortably in place, looking back and forth almost nonchalantly. He glanced at his notes, I thought, making sure that he would not lose his place. After a pause during which others went to the windows to get a better look in the direction of the apparent explosion, nothing more happened.
Smith then continued his presentation for about a minute … and then, “BOOM!” This one made most nearly everyone antsy and squirming, looking toward the windows or looking about. (Later, I learned that some people were understandably nervous about an explosion not that far from Penn Station … is the busiest railway station in North America, with 1,000 passengers alighting and departing there every 90 seconds …)
Sometime in the next 30 to 60 seconds, a hotel official stood in front of the nervous crowd and instructed everyone to go down a floor to the hotel lobby and wait for further word on what to do. This included Malcolm.
Murmuring minutes led to more minutes and the hotel official finally announced that the “BOOMs” we had heard just outside the hotel were the result of gas explosions beneath the street (8th Street) outside that blew off a couple of manhole covers. Things like that rattle people.
There was more, but gradually, the nervous tension eased, and attendees were back in the Crystal Ballroom. Malcom, who remained calm and reassuring—almost pleasant about the whole matter—did not get to finish his presentation. But I wanted to tell him what I neglected to do that morning almost seven years ago in Manhattan: Thank you for staying calm and collected when it mattered. It turned out to be a good sign for one who was going to endure a bundle of challenges in the years ahead.
IPW’s leadership is in good hands.
NYC’s in Top 10 LGBTQ+ Wedding Destinations
London is World’s Number One for LGBTQ Destination Wedding in 2022. Meanwhile, Miami and Los Angeles make Top 20, as do Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.
In what is probably the most far-reaching release of information on the subject, the global travel and tourism industry has a bundle of information on a sector of the LGBTQ+ market that wasn’t readily available until recently—destination weddings.
As one might expect, when the tourism subject is global, it usually means that New York City—it is the most popular U.S. destination of overseas visitors worldwide—is somewhere near the top. And, so it is, although the list released by jewellerybox, a London-based independent jewellery shop that sells fine jewellery online, has London ranked as No. 1 and NYC at No. 10 (See table and list below.)
In fact, New York City is the only U.S. destination in the Top 10, although Los Angeles and Miami do make the Top 20.
Top 10 LGBTQ+ Wedding Destinations in 2022
| City & Rank | LGBTQ + Danger Index Score | LGBTQ+ Openness in the City | No. of Years Same Sex Marriage Has Been legal | LGBTQ+ Score/Number |
| 1. London, UK | 299 | 4.94 | 7 | 7.01 |
| 2. Paris, France | 287 | 4.45 | 8 | 6.74 |
| 3. Madrid, Spain | 279 | 4.87 | 16 | 6.04 |
| 4. Barcelona, Spain | 279 | 4.75 | 16 | 5.93 |
| 5. Toronto, Canada | 309 | 4.78 | 16 | 5.51 |
| 6. Lisbon, | 306 | 3.78 | 11 | 5.46 |
| 7. Valencia, Spain | 279 | 3.94 | 16 | 5.39 |
| 8. Amsterdam, Netherlands | 265 | 4.72 | 20 | 5.35 |
| 9. Stockholm, Sweden | 322 | 4.18 | 12 | 5.22 |
| 10. New York City, USA | 187 | 4.91 | 6 | 5.21 |
● Cities ranked 11 through 20: (11) Sitges; (12) Calgary; (13) Vancouver, BC; (14) Maspalomas; (15) Melbourne; (16) Miami; (17) Antwerp; (18) Los Angeles; (19) Berlin; and (20) Oslo.
● London is the world’s best LGBTQ+ wedding destination, followed by Paris, which is the world’s 2nd best LGBTQ+ wedding destination.
● New York City is the world’s 10th best LGBTQ+ wedding destination in 2022. With same sex marriage having been made legal 6 years ago, average summer temperatures of 23.7˚C (74.6˚F), a high “Instagrammability” score owing to over 32,000,000 posts and over 1,300 romantic hotels and restaurants for couples to choose from, it is not surprising that New York City has been named among the world’s top 10 best LGBTQ+ wedding destinations.
● A total of three Spanish cities have featured in the top 10. While Madrid is the world’s 3rd best LGBTQ+ wedding destination; Barcelona, with an LGBTQ+ score of 5.93, has been named the world’s 4th best LGBTQ+ wedding destination and Valencia, having an LGBTQ+ score of 5.39, is the world’s 7th best LGBTQ+ wedding destination.
● The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same sex marriage nearly 21 years ago in 2001. Two Dutch cities have featured in the top 30 LGBTQ+ wedding destinations, including Amsterdam, in 8th place and Rotterdam, in 29th place.
● São Paulo, Brazil and Leipzig, Germany, in 24th and 59th place in the overall ranking, respectively, offer the cheapest accommodation at an average of $74.58 per night. However, Ibiza Town, Spain, in 39th place in the overall ranking has the most expensive rooms going for $294.50 a night, on average.
Click here to read the complete jewellerybox article.
You know what a powerful force the LGBTQ+ community is for the travel industry. Connect THRIVE Summit presents a multi-layered approach to strategically tapping into this group that’s highly motivated to explore the world and has big spending potential. Register today for this year’s Connect THRIVE Summit, June 4-5 in Orlando, collocating with IPW.
Through industry panels, case studies and networking opportunities, learn to connect with the LGBTQ+ community in a way you never have before.
We can’t wait to see you THRIVE in Orlando.
TRADE TALK & Tourism Industry Buzz 🐝
● Travel and tourism’s cultural sector had to recover from “a devastating 2020” that saw museum visitorship drop a precipitous 77 percent … and 2021 posed its own set of challenges: while vaccination programs were rolled out and travel restrictions were eased, COVID-19 and its variants persisted, claiming more lives than in 2020. “But compared to the pandemic’s first year, museums globally stayed open for more days in 2021, paving the way for a recovery that’s been cautious at best,” Jing Culture & Commerce said in a recent article, which also cited The Art Newspaper and its latest ranking of the world’s most popular institutions. Read complete article here.
● New from TravelAbility (www.travelability.net) is Accessible Journeys, a quarterly consumer magazine, produced by TravelAbility and Melange Magazines. Travelability is also producer of the upcoming Emerging Markets Summit being held June 5-7, 2022 at the Hilton Orlando, near the Orlando Convention Center and the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW, which is being staged June 4-8, 2022. Learn more about the publication and the trade show here: www.travelability.net.
● From CNN: “Ralf Teckentrup, Condor’s CEO, said in a statement that the colorful stripes (see below) are the airline’s ‘new trademark.’ Accordingly, it’s not just Condor’s exterior that’s been reimagined. Condor’s logo on its social media account is now emblazoned with stripes, while boarding passes and inflight items like blankets are being reimagined. Condor promises crew uniforms will also ‘shine in the new design,’ with more details and photos to come.”
● Travel Alberta has appointed KBC PR & Marketing as UK in-market representative. Effective April 1, 2022, UK-based KBC assumed responsibility for Travel Alberta’s travel trade sales and marketing activities in the UK, with a brief to build awareness of the province’s tourism experiences. “We are excited to work with KBC to inspire UK visitors to experience Alberta,” said Tannis Gaffney, chief marketing officer with Travel Alberta, adding, “The UK is key to Alberta’s tourism recovery strategy as travel roadblocks are removed and the world competes for pent-up demand.” The agency adds travel trade representation for Alberta to its client portfolio which also includes the Utah Office of Tourism, the Great American West, Explore Georgia, the Florida Keys & Key West, Destination British Columbia and the U.S. Travel Association. Click here for complete article.
● The operator of Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport—JFKIAT—has launched a Selfie Station, an experiential pop-up activation conceived in collaboration with Harlem and Brooklyn-based entrepreneurs. The venture features original brands Project 96, Bag Shop NYC, and Against Medical Advice, and their unique perspective of New York while incorporating elements of their own brand identities. But you should get there right away, as The Selfie Station, which is located at Gate B27, will be there through April 29. Bag Shop NYC, also featured in the Selfie Station, is a reusable bag brand whose designs are inspired by iconic New York City imagery. More information here.
● Pre-Summer Splurge of Hiring at TUI: In what is, perhaps, a sure sign that the pandemic-shattered travel and tourism economy is on its way to recovery, the TUI Group—it is Europe’s largest tour operator—has said that it is planning to recruit 1,500 people across Europe, including 1,000 resort jobs in holiday destinations. Sybille Reiß, a member of TUI’s executive board, said of the move: “TUI has continued to invest in the digitalization of its own processes and products during the pandemic. “We expect summer 2022 bookings to return close to normalized summer 2019 levels and are now expanding our teams in the areas of digitalization and destinations to continue writing our success story after two years of the pandemic. After all, it is our colleagues who make us one of the leading tourism companies in the world.” Among the many articles on the subject is this from Travel Gossip.
● USA Holidays for Brits Could Come from Someone’s Kitchen: The UKs largest independent travel agent Hays Travel, which has more than 450 branches and sends thousands of Brits on their holidays to the USA, plans to increase the number of its those who are part of its homeworking division by 25 percent next year—after it increased its size by the same number over the past year. In fact, as reported in Travel Weekly UK, the homeworking division has enjoyed growth of 64 percent since 2019, when it had 269 homeworkers. It now has 442 agents. One reason for the increase in the division’s numbers was the acquisition last year of Explorer Travel and its 70 or so homeworkers. Click here for the complete article.
Partner of the Week – TourOperatorLand.com
Featuring Travel Nevada
Nevada measures close to 111,000 square miles in size (That’s about 286,000 square kilometers.), making it America’s seventh largest state and bursting with so many places to experience all over the state. The Nevada Division of Tourism, which is responsible for marketing and promoting all of Nevada’s tourism attractions worldwide, is also tasked with reaching out to these travelers, media, and travel industry representatives with a global vision in mind. From ghost towns to the famous neon lights of Las Vegas and Reno, backcountry adventure to luxury dining and shopping, visitors can learn all Nevada has to offer at www.TravelNevada.com.
Travel Nevada has put together itineraries to serve up some ideas of what to do and where to visit for first-time travelers to the state—no matter what your point of departure is:
● Great Basin National Park – One of the least visited national parks, no big crowds!
● Hoover DAM – The streamlined design, which remains an Art Deco masterpiece to this day.
● Lake Tahoe – The jewel of the Sierra Nevada.
● Lamoille Canyon – rugged glaciated peaks that tower a whopping 11,000 feet in elevation.
● Sand Mountain Recreation Area – An Off-Roading Paradise.
Verified Destination Contact
Yennifer Diaz
Travel Nevada
Phone: 775-687-0645
Following are examples of royalty-free, high-res photos, courtesy of the
Travel Nevada that you will find available at TourOperatorLand.com
Want to see more? Then, click on Travel Nevada’s TourOperatorLand pages. For more information on how to partner with TourOperatorLand.com, contact Betsy Cooper, Director of TourOperatorLand.com and Partner Engagement.
bcooper@connecttravel.com and/or 415.728.1085.
HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Openings and Changes
Linda Horowitz has been named director of member engagement, U.S. Travel Association. She joins from Visit Fairfax, a major DMO for the northern Virginia region just outside Washington, DC. She also served as tourism services manager for Destination DC.
Chris Ellis has taken leave of his position with Visit Florida, where he served for since last autumn, to return to Brand USA, where he worked several years before deciding to take on a senior position for 7M Tours, an operator known primarily for bringing visitors from India to the USA. Now, he’s back at Brand USA as director of partner engagement. Before his first tenure at Brand USA, Ellis had worked for Visit Orlando and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. .
Ellen Flatley has begun working in her new position as destination manager-North America East at TUI Musement, which comprises TUI’s tours and experiences division. Well-known in the travel and tourism industry, Flatley’s resumé shows that she has had considerable experience across sector lines, serving in senior sales positions with TripAdvisor Experiences; the National September 11 Memorial & Museum; and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
Expedia Group™ Media Solutions has announced the appointment of/return of, Rob Torres as senior vice president. Recognized across the travel and tourism industry as a travel media leader, in his new role Torres will oversee Expedia Group’s global advertising business. Torres spent the last 15+ years at Google as the managing director of advertising and marketing for the company’s travel division, overseeing sales, strategy, product development and relationship management for Google’s largest travel advertising partners. His move marks a return to Expedia Group, where he spent 7 years as vice president of strategic accounts, working closely with key hotel partners.
Amy Brown has been named senior vice president, sales & services at Visit Fort Worth. She joins from Visit Austin, where she spent almost nine-and-a-half years, lastly as director of sales. Prior to that, Brown was national convention sales manager for the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she served for six years.
The Norfolk Tourism Foundation and VisitNorfolk have announced the appointment of Kelsey Backe as the foundation’s new director. Backe previously served as the managing director of The Hurrah Players, a not-for-profit family theater company in Norfolk. Prior to that, she was development director for the Zeiders American Dream Theater, a nonprofit professional theater company in Virginia Beach. Founded in 2004, the Norfolk Tourism Foundation is a nonprofit that functions as an adjunct agency to VisitNorfolk, the city’s destination marketing organization.
The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau has promoted Joe Heller to the position of senior vice president, marketing & communications. In his expanded role, Heller will lead the greater marketing and communications team that now includes four core areas of focus – marketing, communications, content and partnerships. Heller joined the Philadelphia CVB in 2019.
Morgan Maravich has been promoted to the post of senior director, sales & business development, at the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). Maravich came to GBTA in 2019 from NTA (formerly the National Tour Association), where she served for nearly five years. Previously, she worked for Destination DC.
Manoela Gentil Bopp has been appointed marketing strategy manager of Disney Destinations. She had been working for Disney, in effect, providing PR service for the Jeff group. She will report to Cinthia Davis, director of sales and marketing for Disney Destinations for Latin America. Before working for the Disney brand, Bopp was at FSB Comunicação in Rio de Janeiro for more than a dozen years, mostly as a communication advisor.
Liana Guiry has been appointed as the new vice president sales, marketing and customer experience at the Canlan Ice Spots Corp., a BC-based company whose attractions revolve about the ability to “book party room or the entire spors complex.” Guiry has had extensive experience in progressive positions of leadership across global financial services, hospitality, and tourism. She has held sales and marketing roles at Revera Inc., Delta Hotels and Resorts, Destination Ontario and AMEX.
Nicholas Rigas has been promoted to director of events and experiences at the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. He’s been with the DMO since 2017. His previous experience includes a brief tenure at The White House doing advance work, and more than five years in sales and marketing at the Garces Group, a Philadelphia-based hospitality group specializing in personal dining experiences.
Richard Santos has been promoted to the position of heading of source air manager at the Brazilian OTA Decolar. Santos has been with the company for four years. Previously, he served as a department supervisor. He has worked in the tourism industry for 10 years, including a tenure at LATAM.
Jessica Payne has moved to the role of business development executive at Riviera Travel. Payne has worked in Riviera’s contact center for the past year, and before that spent five years overseas as a rep in Rhodes, Costa del Sol, Majorca, Mexico, Thasos and Thailand. She will manage a number of trade accounts across the UK, including working with agents who want to start selling river cruise and touring holidays.
Peter Ulwahn, previously chief digital officer of TUI Musement, has moved up the ladder to become chief executive of the division starting May 1. Musement comprises the tour operator’s tours and activities businesses. Ulwahn takes over from David Schelp, who has been with the group since 2002 and took over leadership of TUI’s tours and activities business unit in 2009 and completed the integration of the travel-tech start-up Musement acquired in 2018. TUI Musement has since been transformed into a leading digital platform for excursions, activities, attraction tickets and transfers. Ulwahn has been with TUI for more than 26 years.
Jessica May has been named the new Alltours regional manager for southern Germany. As the regional manager for the country’s south, May will be looking after the needs of travel agencies in Baden-Württemberg and more. The company said in a release announcing the appointment that “May knows both the counter and the work at a tour operator.” After her training in an Alltours travel center, she became a tour guide on Tenerife with Alltours Air Travel. Most recently, she was jointly responsible for the marketing & retail B2B department at Rhomberg Reisen in Austria.
Tammy Blount-Canavan has been named president and CEO of Visit Seattle. She begins her new job effective May 9, succeeding longtime leader Tom Norwalk, who retired earlier this spring. Blount-Canavan’s history with the area spans two countries and three decades first in the hotel industry in her hometown of Vancouver, BC, to a previous role as President and CEO of the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau. And she has strong ties to the Puget Sound area, having served as President and CEO of the Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau from 2008-2012.
Kimberly Barrett has been named brand communications manager for the United States Golf Association. She joins from Athena Global Advisors. Previously, she was communications manager for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. Barrett is actually returning to the golf industry. Prior to her Philadelphia experience, she was coordinator, international media, for the PGA.
Diego Camacho has told us that he is taking leave of the travel and tourism and has become a part of the jobs site, Indeed.com, as an account executive. He joined the company from the Empire State Building attraction. Previously, Camacho held senior sales positions with such well-known New York tourism experiences as Madame Tussauds New York, New York Water Taxi and Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.
Debbie O’Neill has been promoted to the role of general manager of the escorted touring specialist Jules Verne—it is a part of the Der Touristik UK Group—after 30 years with the company, a period during which she has served as a sales consultant and has worked in a number of roles within the business.O’Neill will report to Francis Torrilla, managing director of Der Touristik UK’s specialist travel division.
LATAM Airlines Brazil has announced the appointment of Aline Mafra as its new director of sales and marketing. She succeeds Diogo Elias. Mafra has worked at LATAM for 17 years. She started out as a pricing analyst prior to the merger 10 years ago of Chile’s Lan and Brazil’s Tam into LATAM.
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Job Postings
From SearchWide Global:
—The Muncie Visitors Bureau is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit GreenvilleSC is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—Visit Tulsa is recruiting for an SVP-president, Tulsa Regional Tourism. More details here.
—The Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau has an opening for a vice president of marketing and communications. More details here.
—Visit Albuquerque is searching for a vice president of sales. More details here.
—Destinations International is looking for a senior vice president of marketing & communications. More details here.
—Visit Wichita is searching for a new vice president of sales. More details here.
—There is an opening for the position of chief tourism development officer at OneSpartanburg Inc. More details here.
—The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau is looking for an executive director, PHL Diversity. More details here.
—The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for a director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. More detailshere.
—Visit Tucson is recruiting for an executive vice president. More details here.
—The Manistee County Visitors Bureau in Michigan, is searching for a new executive director. More details here.
—Conference Direct, a provider of global meeting planning solutions, is searching for vice president of global sales. More details here.
—Meet Minneapolis has an opening for a vice president of equity, diversity and inclusion. More details here.
—The South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new CVB director. More details here.
—The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new chief financial officer. More details here.
—Visit El Paso is searching for a director of marketing and communications. 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 sample of some of those jobs currently listed.
—World View space tourism is recruiting for a program manager, customer experience. Location: Austin, Texas. More details here.
—There is an opening for a Luxury Leisure Travel Manager at the AMPM Group, New York City Metropolitan Area. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for an executive assistant who will report directly to the president/CEO. More details here.
—New Orleans & Company is looking for a marketing manager its tourism sales & marketing department. More details here.
—The U.S. Travel Association, the association for the whole of the U.S. travel and tourism industry, has posted an opening for the position of manager, grassroots and PAC. More details here.
—Key Tours, Fairfax Virginia, a tour operator to Europe, Asia, Domestic USA, and Latin America seeks a multi-talented candidate to join its team as a senior travel consultant. More details here.
—Tulsa Regional Tourism has an opening for a vice president of sales & experiences. More details here.
—Remote travel advisor Sky Land and Ocean Travel, United States. More details here.
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Other Openings:
—The storied major league baseball team, the New York Yankees, have posted a job description to manage their tourism efforts moving forward. They’re looking to fill the position fairly quickly. More details here.
—Several dream assignments, including one for a regional partnership manager, are currently available at Visit Florida. 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
