Renee Wilson recently joined NYC & Company as director, tourism market development-Canada, Europe & U.S. In her role, Wilson manages day-to-day travel trade activities in Canada; leads the development of the U.S. market and identifies new market segments; and supports in the European markets alongside Reginald Charlot, managing director, tourism market development. A native of The Bronx, Davis joins NYC & Company from Running Subway, the producers of Times Square’s new attraction RiseNY. Previously, she held roles at THE RIDE and Harlem Spirituals.
Joao Gonzaga has been appointed chief digital officer of the leading German tour operator, DER Touristik. Gonzaga will be responsible for group-wide digitalization of the European travel company, now operating in 16 countries. He succeeds Dr. Dirk Tietz, who left the company at his own request in late September 2020. In his role as CDO, Gonzaga heads an international team of experts and is member of the Group’s International Management Board. Gonzaga will report to Sören Hartmann, CEO DER Touristik Group. Gonzaga began his career as a system & solution specialist at Vodafone D2 in Germany. He later worked as Business Solutions Manager for Ericsson in Sweden before moving on to the tech startup scene in 2000. He was a co-founder of conVISUAL (renamed mVise) and later Kyntal, working in the US for a total of seven years. He joined.
Long-time industry figure Robert Y. Graff has been recruited to handle industry relations for the Nevada Division of Tourism (Travel Nevada). Well-known in the state’s travel and tourism industry, Graff comes to his new position from Bindlestiff Tours, where he was vice president of sales and marketing. Previously, he served for nearly 18 years as vice president of marketing & international sales for the Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters/Scene Airlines.
Nick Varney, chief executive officer of Merlin Entertainments, has retired from his post. Varney has a 12-month notice period during which the company’s board will identify his successor and ensure an orderly handover. Merlin Entertainments was formed in 1999 following a management buyout of Vardon Entertainments led by Varney, who subsequently became CEO of the group. Since then, the business has grown from 19 attractions to a global leader in location based, family entertainment, operating 140 attractions, 23 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 24 countries and across four continents.
Michele Cota has been appointed as the new executive director of Discover New England. Cota comes to the position after serving more than 13 years as trade and industry relations manager for the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development, followed by a stint of more than three years in the office of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). She succeeds Chris Jennings, who left the organization this past December.
Jens Penny is the new chief executive of The Appointment Group (TAG)—the touring, production, corporate, events and private travel specialist. He replaces Steve Barrass, who left the position after nearly four years in the position. He joined in August 2018 after over four years as senior vice president of Emirates Group, and prior to that over four years as chief executive of Gold Medal Travel. Penny joined TAG in April 2019. His CV before joining TAG include senior-level positions with dnata Travel Europe and Stella Travel Services UK and THE GLOBAL TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED.
Kathryn Scaduto has joined Visit Buffalo Niagara in a new position as marketing and social media specialist. Before joining the organization, Scaduto spent nearly a year-and-a-half working at Project Mona’s House, a social services organization in Buffalo.
Gabriel E. Martinez has been named vice president, distribution and channel sales, at Brightline Trains. The Florida-based operation took a hit during the global pandemic, but it says “We’re back on track with full service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.” Martinez brings an impressive resumé to Brightline. He has held senior positions at GetYourGuide, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
In the UK, Angus Bond has been brought in as a strategy consultant for Ocean Holidays as the operator seeks to expand beyond its top market of Florida. Previously, Bond held several senior roles at Virgin Holidays and Virgin Atlantic, where he was responsible for various commercial, e-commerce and digital functions. Ocean hopes to expand and diversify its product offering both through the trade and direct-to-consumer, with plans for growing existing sectors outside of Florida, including California, New York, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Randi Berman is now heading up enterprise business development at Peek Pro. a provider of booking software for tour operators. She joins the company from Monroe Systems for Business. Previously, Berman served in senior management positions for Entertainment Cruises, Ride the Ducks, Big Bus Tours and the Philadelphia Trolley Works.
The Miami-Dade Beacon Council, a nonprofit public-private economic development organization, has announced that William Douglas Talbert III, who retired last year after more than 30 years at the helm of the Greater Miami CVB, has been appointed as the Council’s new interim president and CEO following the unexpected passing of Michael A. Finney, who died last month following a heart attack. Talbert will serve as Interim president and chief executive officer until a new leader is identified by the search committee.
Laura Kreutzer has joined Seaworld Parks and Resorts in Orlando as senior manager, youth programs. Previously, she had been corporate director of youth programs for Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Kreutzer’s resumé shows that she has held senior positions at such tourism industry players as the Globus family of brands, Hard Rock International and Disney resort sales.
Peter Waugh has started a new position as director of sales at Running Subway Productions in New York City. The company operates a number of productions and experience, including RiseNY, in the heart of Times Square. Waugh’s resumé includes a tenure of nearly 10 years at the Shubert Organization.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced that Omar Eaton-Martínez has accepted the position of senior vice president for historic sites. Since 2018, Eaton-Martínez has served as the assistant division chief, historical resources, for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission overseeing a significant portfolio of historic sites and museums. He has also worked at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the National Park Service, the Office of the National Museum of the American Latino Commission, NASA, and he was a K-12 teacher in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Following a hiatus during which she lived through the pandemic, got married and moved to Sarasota, Mariale Ojeda has embarked on a new career with W2M WORLD2MEET as business development manager for North America. Prior to the impact of the pandemic, Ojeda had worked for almost 19 years at the Universal Orlando Resort, lastly as sales manager-international sales.
Jayne Lambert has been appointment business development manager for the Advantage Travel Partnership’s southern region. She joins Advantage from G Adventures, where she held a business development position. In her career, Lambert has also worked at TUI, Kuoni and Hurtigruten.
Katja Vortmann will be in charge of Derpart’s business travel department from June 1st as its business travel division is also being reorganized. Vortmann will take over the management of the business travel division from Hans-Jürgen Gutleben. Vortmann has been with the DER Touristik group for the past eight years as regional vice president, Germany North.
Brad Rosenberg has been named customer care representative at Rockefeller Center/Top of the Rock, a landmark attraction in New York City. He joins the organization from Where®, for whom he worked for more than three years.
Job Postings
From SearchWide Global:
—The Orange County Convention Center, site of the upcoming IPW 2022 in Orlando, has an opening for a deputy director. More details here.
—Longwoods International, a tourism industry leader in marketing, advertising and public opinion research, is searching for a senior vice president. More details here.
—The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a new vice president of marketing. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a new director of communications. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara is looking for a new CEO. More details here.
—Choose Chicago is searching for a senior vice president of sales. More details here.
—The National Comedy Center has an opening for a director of marketing and communications. More details here.
—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 details here.
—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.
—The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new chief financial officer. 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.
—The Grand Circle Corporation has an opening for a program director/tour director. More details here.
—BCD Travel is searching for a senior travel consultant. The job is a remote. More details here.
—Explore Minnesota Tourism is recruiting for a tourism, reginal coordinator – industry relations professional. More details here.
—The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), International Operations department is currently recruiting for an International Travel Specialist. More details here.
—Bloomingdale’s in Long Island City, NY, is looking for a senior manager of international marketing/tourism. More details here.
—There is an opening for senior manager, marketing, at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Los Angeles. More details here.
—Legends in NYC is looking for a manager, tourism and trade sales. 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.
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Other Openings:
—Major league baseball’s 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.
—Four job assignments are currently available at Visit Florida. More details here.
—Travel Wisconsin is recruiting for several positions. More details follow.
● Industry Services Manager: Careers (wi.gov)
● Content Marketing Writer- project: Careers (wi.gov)
● Social Media Assistant – project: Careers (wi.gov)
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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
