Robin Sammartino has joined Teamamerica as contracting manager, Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii. Previously, she was contracting manager, Northeast USA for WORLD2MEET. She has also served as contracts manager for WebBeds Europe.
Well known in the USA’s National Capital Region, Roxana Rivera has been named sales manager at the Arlington (Va.) Convention and Visitors Service (Stay/Arlington). Previously, Rivera served in senior sales roles for more than a dozen years at the Newseum, the Washington, D.C. attraction that was dedicated to explaining and supporting the role and responsibilities of a free press.
Nick Hughes, currently sales director, tour operations for dnata B2B, across the Gold Medal (and previously) Travel 2 brands, has joined Princess Cruises. He will begin his new role on October 17, and replaces Rachel Poultney, who announced last month she was leaving the line to enter the world of public relations.
Mark Topley says that he has “signed” with the New York Yankees! He has taken over the position of senior manager of strategic ticket sales & tourism for what is arguably the most famous sports attraction/team in the U.S. Previously, Copley promoted live entertainment experiences, including a tenure as manager, group & corporate sales at the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group.
Carsten Burgmann, a veteran of more than 20 years in tourism sales and marketing, is taking over as director at Neckermenn Reisen—the Anex Group brand—replacing Michael Nickel, who had spent less than a year on the job. “We are pleased to have already found a successful expert who is very familiar to us, who now takes over the Neckermann team and brand marketing in a permanent position,” said Murat Kizilsac, head of Anex Group Germany. Burgmann has more than 25 years of experience in the tourism industry, having served as commercial director at Anex Tour itself, director of sales and marketing at ETI and director of Sales at L’tur.
Barrhead Travel, one of the largest independent travel groups in the UK, with more than 900 employees and more than 60 locations across the county, has appointed a new regional sales manager for Scotland—Matt Hands. He started his new job August 8th. Hands has more than two decades experience working in retail travel and more than 10 years as a store manager with Barrhead.
Derek Jones, CEO of the upscale British tour operator Kuoni for the past 14 years, is leaving parent company DER Touristik. In a statement to staff Jones thanked the team for their dedication and resilience and said the UK Group was now well placed to recover strongly in the months and years ahead.
Dave Duncan was recently named chief sales officer at Explore St. Louis. He joins the organization from his post as director of sales and marketing at the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown. Previously, Duncan had served in senior sales and management positions in the hotel industry in San Antonio, St. Louis and Orlando.
Dirk Janzen is taking over the position of vice president sales, The Americas, Lufthansa Group Airlines, responsible for global market strategy, joint ventures, as well as passenger sales across North and South America. He succeeds Frank Naeve, who was in charge of The Americas region for the last three years until his recent appointment as senior vice president global markets & stations for the Lufthansa Group. Janzen, who has been a part of Lufthansa for more than two decades, will be relocating to New York from Brussels.
Delta Air Lines has appointed Alex Antilla as vice president, Latin America. Based in Santiago, Chile, he will oversee Delta’s business and customer experience strategy throughout Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, as well as the airline’s partnerships with the LATAM Group (Delta and LATAM Joint Venture pending U.S. Department of Transportation approval. Delta and LATAM Joint Venture pending U.S. Department of Transportation approval) and Aeromexico.
Antilla has worked with Delta for 16 years in the trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic and Latin American regions, and in this new role he will focus exclusively on Latin America. Before this new position, he served as managing director, Latin America pricing and revenue management. He has been based in Minneapolis, Tokyo, Atlanta and Amsterdam during his career with Delta.
Lorne Edwards has started a new position at Visit Phoenix. He is now chief sales officer. Previously, he was senior vice president of sales and services. Edwards has been with the DMO for more than ten years. Prior to that, he was a senior sales executive for Hyatt Hotels.
Uniq Brown has been named as associate guest experience at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt in Manhattan, New York City. Brown began working for the attraction more than a year ago as a guess experience ambassador.
Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) reports that Steve Solomon, vice president of global customers and data products, has been promoted to chief commercial officer, a new executive role at ARC. Solomon will help lead ARC’s long-term business strategy and commercial capabilities while serving as a key advisor and business partner to the ARC executive team. Prior to ARC, Solomon held senior roles at Kastle Systems, Fannie Mae and MicroStrategy, with diverse experience across strategy, sales, marketing and customer engagement. He began his career with Citigroup’s Global Institutional Bank and spent a number of years as a managing consultant with Willis Towers Watson.
Louisa Gomez has been appointed partner success specialist at Hoteltrader. She joins the company from Hotelbeds, where she worked for more than four years as an area yield manager. Prior to that, she served for nearly 13 years at Tourico Holidays as a product support manager.
Choose Chicago has appointed a new director of corporate communications—Isaac Reichman, who joins the organization with considerable experience in the field of public information. His resumé also includes experience as a fellow in the City of Chicago’s Office of the Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The San Francisco Travel Association has strengthened its marketing division with the appointment of Aaron Danzig to the team as manager of digital and social media marketing. Danzig comes to the organization from Hilton Hotels & Resorts where he worked for more than seven years.
Darragh Flood has been appointed manager, contracting, for the Globus family of brands. He joins the company from Hotelbeds. Previously, he held senior management positions at G2 Travel, Destination America (The Travel Corporation), and AmericanTours International.
Industry Jobs
From SearchWide Global:
—Visit Seattle is searching for a senior vice president of engagement & public affairs. More details here.
—A luxury hospitality global group sales organization is looking for a director of sales, Northeast. More details here.
—Destinations International has an opening for a senior director of Human Resources & Culture. More details here.
—The Explore Ashville Convention and Visitors Bureau is recruiting for a new vice president of business development. More details here.
—The Springfield (MO) Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a president and CEO. More details here.
—Explore Sisters (Sisters, Oregon) is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—Experience Scottsdale has an opening for a national sales manager. More details here.
—Brand USA, the USA’s destination marketing organization, is recruiting for a senior vice president of integrated marketing. More details here.
—The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence has an opening for a new executive director. More details here.
—Explore Butte County in California is looking for an executive director. More details here.
—The City of Vacaville, California is searching for an executive director for its Downtown Vacaville. More details here.
—Visit Williamsburg has an opening for a chief marketing officer. More details here.
—Visit Walla Walla (“Where wine, culture and the beauty of the outdoors meet”) is searching for an executive director. More details here.
—The Fredericksburg (Texas) Convention and Visitors Bureau is recruiting for a new president and CEO. More details here.
—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.
—Discover Santa Clara™ is searching for a chief executive officer. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a new director of 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 Wichita is searching for a new vice president of sales. 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.
—G Adventures, the small group adventure tour operator, has an opening for a tour leader (CEO) in Hawaii. More details here.
—The Royal Caribbean Group is looking for an on-site copywriter, digital content. More details here.
—The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida, has an opening for a communications and public relations representative. More details here.
—Epsilon is searching for a vice president, sales (travel and tourism, remote). More details here.
—MGM Resorts International has posted a job for the position of public relations manager (hybrid) in Las Vegas. More details here.
—Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation is looking for a senior director, communications. Job is based in Burbank and reports to the senior vice president, marketing & communications. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a communications manager. More details here.
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Other Openings:
— Icon Park, the entertainment complex on International Drive in Orlando, has an opening for a director of trade sales. More details here.
—There is an opening for a senior manager of social media currently available at Visit Florida. More details here.
