Rich Sun has been appointed Trip.com Group‘s general manager for the Americas. He will lead the Group’s ambitious “Local Focus, Global Vision” business approach in the region. With a long career in the U.S. travel and tourism sector, Sun now takes on a broad scope of work spanning across key Trip.com Group business units in the Americas region. He will also lead the management and development of the vacations, hotel and international business lines, including the Trip.com platform, in key target markets in the region.
Prior to joining Trip.com Group, Sun was the founder and CEO of Universal Vision Corporation, one of the largest tour operators and wholesale travel agencies in North America in 2016, Universal Vision was acquired by Trip.com Group as a part of the travel group’s global expansion, securing a key player in the attractions supplier space with a vast network and strong resourcing in key target markets.
Visit Spokane recently added a new member of its sales team. Chuck Carter joins the organization as sales manager, bringing more than 20 years of experience in hospitality sales. He previously worked for West Coast Hospitality Corporation and as global director of sales at RLH Corporation.
Live Nation has promoted Jenifer Smith to head its urban tour marketing and strategy, thus heading up all marketing efforts for the live-entertainment’s roster of R&B and hip-hop tours within the concerts division. According to a statement that was issued with the announcement, Smith will be “developing and building out the urban tour marketing team as one of the fastest growing and most popular sectors in the industry.”
The global tour operator Collette recently promoted Sawyer Shoates to regional director of sales for the Central USA. He will report to David Cook, Collette’s vice president of U.S. sales. Shoates joined Collette in July 2011. Until recently, he was Collette’s senior business development manager for Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and southern Indiana.
The San Diego Tourism Authority has hired Michaelene Sullivan as its new vice president of sales and services, a position tasked with directing the sales team while representing the organization with clients and stakeholders on a local and national level. Sullivan, who currently serves as director of sales and marketing for the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego, brings a wide range of experience from her 18 years with Hyatt including in food and beverage, events and sales.
The Coconut Traveler in Hawaii has announced the appointment of Kim Abrahamson as senior travel designer. In this role, Abrahamson will create exceptional trip itineraries to the Hawaiian Islands for The Coconut Traveler’s discerning clientele. Abrahamson has over 35 years of experience working in travel and tourism, with a focus on the Hawaiian Islands. Her professional background spans senior roles in luxury leisure travel, destination management, and hotel sales. Prior to The Coconut Traveler, Abrahamson was an Experience Architect at HAWAI’I VIP LLC, where she curated authentic travel experiences to the Hawaiian Islands for clients.
Hertz has announced that Liz Bowyer has joined the company as executive vice president of corporate affairs, effective June 1. Bowyer will be responsible for Hertz’s strategic approach to communications, corporate reputation, and the company’s social responsibility and sustainability initiatives. Bowyer has spent her career working at the intersection of communications, politics and law. She’s been a television producer for NBC News, a speechwriter and researcher at the White House, and an attorney practicing complex civil litigation. She was also a managing director at Goldman Sachs.
UpStay, a provider of advanced ancillary upselling technology solutions for the hotel industry, has announced the appointment of Dave Crory as director of business development for the company’s North American market operations. Following UpStay’s official entry into the North American hospitality industry, Crory will be tasked with ensuring that the company continues to experience rapid and sustainable growth while ensuring that regional hotelier needs for advanced upselling technology are fully met. Crory brings more than 30 years of dedicated expertise in working for hospitality-based organizations to his new role at UpStay. Prior to taking on the position of director of business development, Crory served as president of Comeback Hospitality Consulting, LLC.
The Indiana County Tourist Bureau Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Laura Herrington as the new executive director for the Indiana County Tourist Bureau. Herrington began her employment with the tourist bureau in 2014 as financial assistant/marketing coordinator and then as office manager in 2017, according to a news release. In May 2021, she was named interim director after the retirement of the previous executive director. Herrington’s appointment as executive director comes as the tourist bureau implements a plan of strategic growth by bolstering their online presence with a refreshed website as well as through social media. Also included in the plan are special marketing campaigns highlighting the importance of travel and tourism to Indiana County.
In the UK, Newmarket Holidays has recruited former Saga cruise executive Mel Gambling and ex-Travelopia aviation head Rob Kinnersley to its executive product team. Kinnersley will serve as head of transport and aviation, while Gambling will be the company’s new head of cruise and events. Gambing worked at Saga Travel for 22 years, along with Jetline Cruise and Secret Escapes. Kinnersley, who has more than 20 years of experience in supplier negotiations and relations—14 of them were spent at Travelopia— said joining Newmarket was a “privilege.”
Zaxby’s, the quick-service restaurant brand with more than 900 units—mostly in the U.S. South—that is popular among groups attending sporting events, has announced that Patrick Schwing has been named chief marketing & strategy officer. He joins Zaxby’s from Inspire Brands, where he has served as Arby’s chief marketing officer and president of the Franchise Association for more than two years. Prior to Arby’s, Schwing held domestic and international marketing roles at Procter & Gamble, where he worked across the group’s portfolio on brands such as Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences and Oral-B.
In a move that was described by one trade press outlet as “a shake-up in the senior leadership of the corporate travel arm of Flight Centre Travel Group,” long-time company veteran Andy Hegley has taken on the post of managing director at the company’s UK and Ireland business. Also, Donna Joines has been promoted to succeed him as general manager for sister brand Corporate Traveller in the UK. The group’s managing director for EMEA, Steve Norris, said both Hegley and Joines bring unique skills and expertise to their respective roles that will ensure the company’s corporate businesses maintain a positive trajectory in the year ahead.
Janette Roush was recently promoted to the position of executive vice president, marketing & digital at New York City & Company. She had been serving as executive vice president, marketing at NYC & Company. Roush now leads the company’s marketing and digital divisions. She will continue to oversee the organization’s domestic and international promotional campaigns, B2B marketing for the travel trade and meeting planners, partnerships, and promotional strategy for the company’s tentpole campaigns. Prior to joining NYC & Company, Roush spent over two decades marketing Broadway at organizations such as Broadway.com and AKA, a global leader in entertainment advertising and strategy.
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Industry Jobs
From SearchWide Global:
—Visit Dallas has an opening for a director of the Film & Creative Industries Office. More details here.
—The Pacific County Tourism Bureau, which serves the Washington coast and Long Beach Peninsula and Pacific County, is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Visit Vancouver WA is searching for a director of group sales. More details here.
—The Los Angeles Convention Center is recruiting for a new general manager. More details here.
—Visit Bath, in Virginia, is seeking a president and CEO. More details here.
—The Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is searching for a president & CEO. More details here.
—Discover Santa Clara™ is searching for a chief executive officer. More details here.
—The Orange County Convention Center, site of the recent 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.
—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 Greenville SC 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.
—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.
—Epsilon is looking for someone to lead selling activities for the LATM, Central America, and Canadian territories with the tourism vertical. Job is remote. More details here.
—City Experiences is seeking a National Tourism Account Manager for its sales operation in Chicago. More details here.
—The Fruit Company in Hood River, Oregon is recruiting for a tourism manager. More details here.
—CVS has an opening for an executive travel consultant. More details here.
—In Atlanta, Delta Vacations is recruiting for the position of copywriter, Atlanta/Hybrid. More details here.
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Other Openings:
—There is an opening for a senior manager of social media currently available at Visit Florida. More details here.
—The Wisconsin Department of Tourism is searching for an Industry Marketing and Partner Relations Manager. The position is headquartered at the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s office in Madison, Wisconsin. More details here.
—Argonaut, a Noble House Hotel, has an opening for an area managing director in San Francisco. Click here for more details.
Travel Wisconsin has an opening for a visual production specialist. More details here.
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