The Inbound Report

Covering the Inbound Tourism Industry Since 1996

HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Openings and Changes

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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

HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Openings and Changes

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Angela Montefinise has been named vice president, communications & marketing at The New York Public Library, one of the most popular visitor attractions (and occasional movie set) in NYC. Previously, she was senior director of communications and marketing. She started working for the facility/attraction in January 2010. Before joining the library, Montefinise was a journalist and/or editor who worked for the New York Post and Queens Tribune.

Graham Horner has joined the self-guided walking and cycling specialist Macs Adventures as chief growth officer, where he’ll have oversight for sales, marketing and customer experience. Also on the company’s agenda is international expansion, which will include the U.S. Horner joins from Vieveo where he spent more than three years. Previously, he was managing director at Simpson Travel, and prior to that, he was chief marketing officer for Scott Dunn. Of the announcement, Neil Lapping, Macs founder and chief executive said that, for the company, “international expansion will be a key component of our growth, particularly in the U.S. where the self-guided category is still in its infancy.”

Martin Pott is the new head of sales at Aldiana in Germany. Among other things, he previously worked for ten years as a regional and key account manager for Club Med and has been in the service of the joint venture between DER Touristik (parent company of New World Travel, a New York/Los Angeles/Miami receptive tour operator) and the Swiss investment company LMEY since March 7th. Pott succeeds Stefanie Selbach, who only came to Aldiana in August 2021 and left the company for family reasons.

Robert Aaron is shutting down his work as an independent contractor and taken on a new role as sales manager at Inside Out Tours in New York City. He is well known in the NYC tourism community for his work at the Empire Hotel Group for more than 20 years.

Nadine Heubel, managing director of Heinemann Americas—it is a major presence in duty free programs—will leave the company later this year. She will step away from her role beginning July 1. In the meantime, she is expected to work alongside her successor from April 1 to ensure a smooth transition. Current Gebr Heinemann senior international key account manager Nicolas Hoeborn will succeed Heubel. Hoeborn joined Heinemann in 2008, before moving to Bacardi in 2011. He took on the role of senior international key account manager back with Heinemann in 2016 and joined the management team of Heinemann Americas in 2018.

Roxanna Torrens has concluded “a fabulous 25-year era for me with Planet Hollywood/Earl Enterprises!” as she told friends and colleagues on a social media post. Torrens, a habitué of the tourism industry trade show circuit who seems to know everyone on a first-name basis, has moved on to another position in the industry—guaranteeing that she will still be around for some time to come. She has taken on the role of regional trade sales director for North America at Merlin Entertainments.

Lauren Salisbury been promoted to the position of senior director of global communications, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. Salisbury, who joined the organization last spring, had been director of global communications. Previously, she held senior public relations/communications positions at several organizations, including stints at Santa Monica Travel & Tourism and MMGY Global.

Sarah Weetman, who joined Travelsphere and Just You parent G Touring in January 2018 as head of trade sales, will now take on a wider role as sales director role for the group, the company has announced.  “I am delighted to announce Sarah’s promotion to sales director, a role that truly reflects her significant contribution to our continued success,” said Alastair Campbell, G Touring managing director, adding, “Sarah has been outstanding in driving our growth strategy with the travel trade since joining G Touring in 2018. Sarah did a fantastic job of supporting our partners throughout the pandemic and as part of our leadership team.” Weetman has also worked for Royal Caribbean International and All Leisure Holidays.

Sören Hartmann is leaving DER Touristik at the end of 2022.  A member of the board of REWE (which owns DER Touristik) and CEO of DER Touristik Group, Hartmann will leave the Cologne-based group at the end of the year. Responsibility for the tourism division will be reorganized in the board of directors. Hartmann moved from the TUI Group to REWE Touristik in 2010 and initially took over the management of package tourism. With his appointment as CEO of DER Touristik on May 1, 2014, he was given overall responsibility for DER Touristik. By taking over the tour operator business and sales of the Kuoni Group, DER Touristik has further expanded its leading role in European tourism. In 2016, Hartmann was initially appointed general manager of the REWE Group and in 2017 a member of the REWE Group board. The 59-year-old will continue to be available to the company in an advisory capacity.

Laura Kreutzer is joining SeaWorld Parks and Resorts and will be managing the sales & marketing efforts for SeaWorld Youth Programs. This means that she will be headed back to Orlando at the end of April. Prior to her new job, Kreutzer was corporate director, group sales at Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Previously, Kreutzer had been business development manager—student discoveries, part of the Globus family of brands.

Fox World Travel has announced the promotion of Brianne Bloom as vice president of vacation travel. In her role, Bloom will be responsible for the overall operational performance and strategic direction of the retail vacation travel team. Her initial focus will be continuing a strong recovery and strategically enhancing workflows to improve customer and associate experience. Bloom joined Fox in 2020 and during her employment has played an integral role in navigating the vacation travel team through COVID, launching many valuable process improvements including virtual consultations, agent chat and the implementation of new air booking technology for vacation agents. Bloom brings more than 10 years of leadership experience in the retail space with a focus on associate engagement and business line growth.

After almost 20 years, Renata Cenni has spent her last day on the job with Hotelbeds. She started her journey started in July 2002 in London where she was hired as a contract manager for LATAM and the Caribbean for GTA, which was later acquired by Hotelbeds. “It has been an incredible journey where I am very proud of all the achievements,” she said in a posting, adding, “Thank you Hotelbeds, thank you everyone that has been part of those amazing years. I am excited to share what is next on my journey, but first let me to enjoy this time with my family and stay tuned!”

Marisol Lecumberri has joined G2 Travel as head of contracting, hotel division, North America. She comes to her new position from Hotelbeds, where she worked for nearly four years. Prior to that, she was with GTA and Tourico Holidays—both of which had been acquired by Hotelbeds.

Phil Gouel has been promoted from senior director corporate-strategy to vice president of vacation packages at Southwest Airlines. In this newly created role, Gouel will be responsible for leading the evolution of the Southwest Vacations product, along with Southwest’s standalone hotel and car ancillary products. Gouel has been with Southwest for more than five years. Previously he was part of the senior management structure at the global consulting firm, Oliver Wyman.

Jet2holidays has promoted Lloyd Cross to general manager of trade sales after more than a decade with the operator. He has been a part of Jet2’s trade team for the past eight years, working with agents to grow their business with the company. In his new role, Cross will be responsible for ensuring Jet2’s trade team are providing agent partners with the knowledge, support and data they need to sell Jet2holidays’ product confidently. Cross will report to Jet2holidays head of trade sales Alan Cross.

Aya Désirs du Monde, a French tour operator that includes USA destinations and experiences in its product line, has announced the appointment of Rina Andria within its teams. He’ll hold the position of sales manager for the brand in the northern part of France as well as the Île-de- France.

Andria has strong credentials in the tourism business, have worked at Jet Tours, Thomas Cook and MisterFly.  He joins Bruno Didkovsky in charge of the South of France.

Marissa Maheu-Mendes has been promoted to the position of public relations & influencer marketing manager at Toronto-based Sunwing Airlines. Maheu-Mendes, who joined Sunwing more than five-and-a-half years ago, was previously public relations & promotions supervisor. Prior to joining Sunwing, she was marketing coordinator for Canada at Pulse Communications & Travel Marketing.

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Job Postings

From SearchWide Global:

—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.

—Visit Seattle is searching for a new president and CEO. 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.

—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.

—The City of Virginia Beach is searching for a vice president of marketing. More details here.

—The Chicago Botanic Garden has an opening for an associate vice president, visitor experience. More details here.

—The Colorado Tourism Office is looking for an international program manager. More details here.

—The Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association, based in Orlando, has an opening for a director of communications and marketing. More details here.

—Legends in New York City has an opening for a manager of tourism & trade sales. More details here.

—Tulsa Regional Tourism has an opening for a vice president of sales & experiences. More details here.

—VISIT DENVER, The Convention and Visitors Bureau, is seeking an associate director, public relations & communications. More details here.

—MMGY Global is searching for an account executive. More details here.

—The Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada, is recruiting for a new director of communications and marketing. 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

HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Openings and Changes

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Lynn Osmond has been named as the new president and CEO of Choose Chicago beginning May 9. Osmond, who was given a four-year contract to lead Choose Chicago, is well known in the Chicago business and tourism communities; she has served as president and CEO of the Chicago architecture Center for more than 25 years. Osmond succeeds David Whitaker, who left the organization last September to take over as president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Horacio Gutierrez has been named the new general counsel for Disney. Gutierrez replaces Alan Braverman as general counsel, who is retiring after serving as Disney’s top lawyer for nearly two decades. Fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish, Gutierrez has worked in private practice in the U.S. and Venezuela, Gutierrez has also worked as an in-house lawyer at Microsoft and Spotify. Read here to learn more about this most important figure in the Disney leadership.

Karen Gruenberg has stepped down as senior vice president of marketing and strategic alliances for Brand USA after a decade of service. “It has been an honor and privilege to help create this important organization, with our talented team, and the support of the travel industry domestically and internationally,” she said in a social media posting. Gruenberg has launched a consultancy, focusing on developing strategy, value and deliverables for the global tourism spectrum. Prior to joining Brand USA, held senior management roles at several organizations. This included nearly 13 years with Meet Minneapolis, where she was vice president of marketing and project manager of more to life.

Ashleigh Osborne has joined Connect Travel (publisher of INBOUND) as director of sales for the eTourism Summit. She comes to the company from ConventionSouth magazine where she was director of sales and where she worked for more than nine years.

Renato Henrique Camargo has left CVC after seven years and the tourism industry as well. He has taken an executive position at MetLife Brasil. Before he worked for CVC, he held a senior position at Trend Operadora, which was later acquired by CVC. Previously, he held senior positions at XD Turismo and Tourlines Corporate Travel.

Mayte Kubicsko has joined the team at Unlimited Biking as tour manager. Before joining the company, she served in a managerial capacity for several well-known tour operator brands, including Abreu Tours and AlliedTPro.

With professional sports teams becoming more and more a part of a destination’s visitor experience, they are hiring sales professionals to accommodate this need. In Detroit, The Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team, is growing its ticket sales and service team with the hiring of Tom Hager as account executive, client services. Previously, he was the co-founder, writer and photographer for Seattle-based AthletesForGod.com

In the UK, Lisa Harkness, a well-known regional sales manager at Travelpack who lost her job with the company as a result of the global pandemic, has been has brought back to her post. A few months after she lost her job at Travelpack, she landed at Tesco. And since May last year, she’s been working as an assistant manager at Barrhead Travel, one of the largest travel companies in the UK. Harkness’ area covers Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Cumbria, Sunderland and Newcastle.

Andres “Andy” Fuentes has joined Scenic Group USA as its newest regional sales director, covering Florida. Fuentes has worked in the cruise industry since 2006, spending most of his time in sales and business development for luxury cruise lines. Said Ann Chamberlin, vice president of sales at Scenic Group USA, said “As a native South Floridian – and bilingual to boot – he knows so many of our great Florida travel partners and I have no doubt his strong passion for the industry and love of his many travel advisor friends will solidify our strong presence in one of the largest cruise markets in the USA.” Scenic Group includes Emerald Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Mayflower Cruises & Tours and Evergreen Tours.

Brittany Lynn has joined Break the Ice Media, a Finger Lakes/Rochester, New York-based public relations firm that specializes in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, as an associate consultant. She will provide client support through developing and writing content, implementing strategies, and executing on client project plans. She brings seven years of diverse marketing and communications experience to the company, previously serving in university and government settings in the state of Georgia. Brittany resides in the Atlanta Georgia area and is the agency’s first hire who lives outside of New York State.

An employee of Visit Omaha for the past seven years, Erin O’Brien, has been promoted to director of marketing and content, responsible for overseeing the execution of Omaha’s digital brand and presence. She joined the CVB in 2014 as social media manager, and prior to Visit Omaha, worked for the Omaha Public Library and the Tallahassee Democrat, a Florida newspaper.

American Express Global Business Travel has appointed AirPlus executive Yaël Klein to lead its team in Germany, the travel management company announced. Klein, who has been with AirPlus for 22 years, most recently as chief marketing officer and chief product officer, will join Amex GBT on July 1 as VP and general manager for Germany. She will be responsible growing products, services and customer relationships in the country and will report to Jason Geall, Amex GBT’s SVP and general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Hotelbeds, the world’s largest bedbank, has announced the appointment of Bertrand Sava as its new general manager for the retail arm of the business. French national Bertrand joins the bedbank from one of the payment industry leaders, Worldline Global, a well-known player in the payment industry sector. He has also held senior positions at the Ingenico Group and Visa. Hotelbeds now has a network of more than 60,000 travel trade buyers, as well as a portfolio of more than 300,000 beds.

Casper Urhammer has become co-CEO for the tour operator division FTI Group, which is the third largest tour operator in Europe. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, the group employs more than 12,000 people worldwide. Before joining FTI, Urhammer owned STA Travel KK, Japan, the world’s largest travel company for student and youth travelers.

Travel and Tourism veteran Keith Douglas has re-launched his consulting business, KD&CO, an advisory company focused on business development, innovation, and strategy in commercial real estate, hospitality, travel and tourism. Douglas made the move following his departure from Chicago-based Sterling Bay. Previously, he was managing director at One World Observatory in New York City. He also served for nearly 10 years as managing director of Rockefeller Center and Top of the Rock.

Arveena Ahluwalia has joined Travelzoo® as global director, premium membership. In this position, she will drive and manage the launch of Travelzoo’s paid subscription-based premium membership product.

Ms. Ahluwalia has both start-up and corporate experience with consumer brands and in finance. She joins Travelzoo from Evelyn & Bobbie where she was chief operating officer. Prior to that, she worked as general manager, digital, of Freshly Inc., vice president of global real estate at Citi, financial analyst at Google, and financial analyst at UBS Investment Bank.

Tiffany Russell has been appointed director of communications for the City of Virginia Beach. Russell had served as the interim director since November 2021. A native of Virginia Beach, Russell has spent time in various roles including event coordinator for the Virginia Beach Convention Center, director of public relations and vice president of marketing for the Virginia Beach CVB and most recently as the marketing and communications manager for the Communications Office. Overall, she has spent more than 20 years in the areas of marketing and promotion on behalf of the city, the CVB or activities in the area. It’s a little-known fact that Virginia Beach is the State of Virginia’s most populous city with some 450,000 residents.

The tour operator APT has announced appointment of Brad Bennetts as its new head of sales and business development. Bennetts, who will take on the job in June, joins the company from easyJet holidays, where he has been head of distribution for more than a year-and-a-half. Before easyJet, he had tenures at Kuoni and the Africa Collection. Among its experiences, APT sells product from Canada and the USA, including Alaska. Bennetts succeeds Jessica Shelton-Agar, who left APT to move to the Middle East in January, following ten years at easyJet.

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Job Postings

From SearchWide Global:

—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 (S.C.) 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.

—Visit Seattle is searching for a new president and CEO. 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 Tennessee Hospitality Association is looking for an executive director. 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.

—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 sample of some of those jobs currently listed.

—The Space Coast Office of Tourism in Florida is seeking a deputy director. More details here.

—Tulsa Regional Tourism has an opening for a vice president of sales & experiences. More details here.

—VISIT DENVER, The Convention and Visitors Bureau, is seeking an associate director, public relations & communications. More details here.

—The C&O Canal Trust, based in Williamsport, Maryland, is looking for a director of public relations, marketing, communications. More details here.

—Visit Detroit has an opening for a sales coordinator (hotels, tourism). More details here.

—MMGY Global is searching for an account executive. More details here.

—Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California is looking to hire a public relations director. More details here.

—The Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada, is recruiting for a new director of communications and marketing. 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

HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Openings and Changes 

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Kenley Moy, who has been with the San Francisco Travel Association for more than two decades, has been promoted from his position as vice president of national sales offices to a newly created role—vice president of global sales and strategic partnerships—which will encompass the national and international sales teams in charge of self-contained meetings. Moy will focus on building stronger strategic alliances for SF Travel with third-party meeting management companies and business event strategists, and shape the organization’s presence at trade shows around the world.

Juliette Losardo has been selected as the new exhibition director of World Travel Market (WTM) London, one of the leading global events for the world’s travel and tourism industry. The annual event is slated to take place at ExCeL London on November 7-9 this year. She joins WTM London from Clarion Events, where she was group commercial director, and has also held senior roles at Centaur Media and Getty Images. Losardo is an experienced business leader with a record of more than 18 years at leading companies in the international media and events sectors. Losardo succeeds Simon Press, who has left the company to pursue new opportunities.

Visit Denver has named Flávia Light as its new vice president of tourism, responsible for leading international sales and marketing efforts while serving as a connector for Denver’s cultural community. She is also responsible for overseeing VISIT DENVER visitor centers and assisting with new tourism event generation. Relocating to Denver from Orlando, Light most recently worked for GoPegasus, a tour operator, DMC and transportation company, where she served as director of strategic growth marketing and sales, overseeing international business development for the leisure and group segments. Prior to that, she spent nine years as marketing and sales director with Walt Disney World, Disney Destinations.

Recouping and rebuilding in the wake of the global pandemic that did so much damage to the travel and tourism industry, the flight search engine Viajala has hired Rodrigo Melo as its new director. The company is headquartered in Colombia. Previously, Melo was a regional sourcing manager for Hotelbeds, and prior to that, he was regional director of product development for Tourico Holidays.

In Tennessee, Molly Brown has taken over as the new owner of Tour the Upper Cumberland, which is slightly less than an hour east of Nashville. Previously, Brown was executive director of Putnam County Tourism. She plans to elevate and expand the Upper Cumberland agency in order to promote its attractions, history, experiences and other points-of-interest in the 14-county region. In addition to her other previous work, Brown has served as public relations media manager for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

Gina Gemberling has been named president & CEO of the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau after serving in the position on an interim basis for for nearly a month. Gemberling was picked to succeed Gretchen Hall, who has left after more than 20 years with bureau. Hall is joining Destinations International as its chief operating officer. Gemberling joined LRCVB in 2018 as vice president of sales and services, and she was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing in 2020. She previously spent 24 years working for the Springfield (Illinois) Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she held roles in sales, service and marketing before becoming executive director.

In Kentucky, Janette Marson has been named president & CEO of ShelbyKY Tourism. Shelby County borders part of Louisville and Jefferson County. Marson comes to Shelby County with a long career in marketing, advertising, and public relations. For almost nine years, she was the Executive Director of the Lake Cumberland Tourist Commission in Russell County. Currently, Marson is also president of the Kentucky State Tourism Association. Marson, who starts her new job, replaces former President & CEO Chenelle McGee, who went on to the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism as international sales director.

Ann Kavanagh has been named executive director of the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) Kavanagh, who will perform the role remotely with travel to the region as required, replaces Christina Oliver who has relocated to the USA with her family. The appointment takes effect from 18 April and Kavanagh will be supported in her role by APTRA Administrative Officer Sharolyn Paul. Prior to her appointment to lead APTRA, she spent more than 30 years operating her own PR and communications firm, Kavanagh Communications, which is located in London.

The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department has hired a new director of state parks—James Timberlake. He succeeds Kris Marek, who retired late last year. Timberlake comes to Oklahoma State Parks from Santa Fe Family Life Center, a nonprofit sports and fitness complex in Oklahoma City. He had served as the center’s executive director since 2015. “We are so lucky to be able to add someone of James’ caliber to our team,” Jerry Winchester, executive director of the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department, said in a statement.

Worldwide Attractions has announced the appointment of Issy Wiggins-Turner as USA Sales Director. UK based, Wiggins-Turner will be representing Worldwide Attractions’ U.S. clients on the UK, Irish, French and German markets. A widely known veteran of the tourism industry, A veteran of the industry, having honed her sales skills within the car hire and travel industries, she operated her own firm for more than 20 years, primarily fashioning tailor-made cruise and land holidays.

Joe Tropia has been named senior manager of marketing programs at Superblue, an initiative designed to champion artists whose ideas are best expressed through large-scale immersive installations. Superblue Miami is now open, and more locations will be announced soon. Tropia departs One World Observatory in Manhattan. His work there followed a tenure as director of trade and group sales, North America, for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; as well as a spell as director of marketing at National Geographic Encounter.

The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB announced the appointment of John R. Melleky to the position of arts and culture manager for the Tourism Division of Collier County. Melleky joins the organization with extensive experience in development, fundraising, strategic planning and event/festival organization. He most recently served as the senior development officer at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, The State Art Museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida.

Rental Escapes, a luxury villa company specializing in providing private villa rentals worldwide, has announced the appointment of Willie Fernandez as chief marketing officer. Fernandez is responsible for driving Rental Escapes’ global brand strategy and marketing initiatives, as well as overseeing the product teams who liaise with the company’s network of valued travel advisor partners and villa suppliers. Fernandez joins the company from World Travel Holdings, where he spent 15 years, lastly as vice president/general manager for the Villas of Distinction brand.

One of the most closely followed travel and tourism industry professionals is making a career pivot. Following 20 years in the service of TUI—this includes a turbulent period during the darkest days of the global pandemic—including a four-years tenure as head of TUI Germany, Marek Andryszak is leaving the field and has joined the Polish outdoor specialist 8a.pl, which is regarded as the market leader for outdoor and mountaineering equipment in Poland. In a post on his LinkedIn pages, Andryszak spoke fondly about it his time with TUI, even if it occasionally meant some friction with travel agents, who felt that he was not doing enough for their sector of the industry.

TruTravels, a youth specialist operator in the UK, has hired James Lavin as part of a wider recruitment drive and growth strategy. Lavin is tasked with helping the operator’s expansion by supporting existing travel agents and developing new agency partnerships. He is based at TruTravel’s head office in Kingston, London. Lavin started his travel career nearly 14 years ago as a Thomas Cook travel agent. He also worked as a rep in Kos for Club 18-30 and as UK and Ireland sales manager for youth brand Contiki.

Bannikin Travel & Tourism, best known for its focus on adventure-based tourism, is expanding its expertise to include food and culture. Toronto-based Bannikin sees adventure, food and culture-based tourism as holding the most potential for positively impactful tourism that best celebrates a destination’s authentic sense of place. Trevor Jonas Benson joins as CEO. Cultural connector, multilingual researcher, and outcome-driven manager Camilo Montoya-Guevara joins as manager, strategy & development. Experienced strategist with expertise in agritourism, wine tourism and urban regional planning, while Caroline Morrow takes on the role of tourism development specialist.

Benson has been supporting the development of strongly sustainable businesses and flourishing destinations in Canada and abroad since 2006. Montoya-Guevara has worked on over 30 tourism strategy and development projects in Canada and internationally. Morrow’s experience includes national strategy planning, product development and visitor experience design, and she has a strong interest in connections between land management, food systems, tourism, and healthy ecosystems.

Honeyfund, the honeymoon and universal gift registry site has announced the appointment of Erin Gunnuscio as vice president of marketing. She brings over 15 years of travel-focused product and marketing leadership experience to the role in addition to branding strategy and a track record of facilitating synergistic partnerships. Prior to joining Honeyfund, Gunnuscio spent a decade at the Tripadvisor company, SmarterTravel (it was sold last year to Hopjump, a Boston-based digital marketing company) where she led brand development, user acquisition, strategic partnerships, and social media strategy for the portfolio of travel brands. Gunnuscio also completed back-to-back three-year tenures at Bókun, a booking management software for tours and activities, and Cybereason, a cybersecurity technology company.

Leonardo Ferrazzo is the new sales and marketing manager in Brazil for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. He was recruited for the position by Imaginadora de Destinos the rep for the SeaWorld brand in Brazil for the past 12 years. Ferrazzo will be responsible for sales strategies, relationships with tour operators and the overall travel trade. A veteran of more than 15 years in the travel and tourism industry, he has had experience with LATAM Airlines and other sectors of the tourism business.

Sonya Singh has joined Toronto-based VoX, taking over as public relations manager for VISIT FLORIDA. Previously the director of marketing and communications at Fairmont Royal York and Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto Canada, Singh has also managed public relations for Visit California. She has also served in senior public relations roles for a variety of companies in the Toronto area.

Laura Robertson has joined the UK luxury tailormade tour operator Exsus Travel as the latter took the step of recruit a worldwide travel expert to join its team. Robertson previously worked for If Only and Barrhead Travel, including the Scottish agency chain’s Canada Travel Specialists division. Robertson has been a part of the travel and tourism industry in the UK for more than 16 years.

Allianz Partners has announced that Elena Edwards has been promoted to chief markets officer at Europe-based Allianz Partners Group and that Jeff Wright has succeeded Edwards as CEO of the U.S. business unit. Prior to his promotion to CEO, Wright was the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Edwards will also retain her position as CEO for North America, overseeing the company’s business units in the US and Canada. Edwards first joined Allianz Partners in 2019 as the General Manager for the U.S. business unit, where she provided executive leadership on strategy, prioritization and execution. Wright joined Allianz Partners in 2019, and has over 17 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Transat A.T. Inc. has named one-time pilot Marc–Philippe Lumpé as chief airline operations officer, in charge of all of the company’s airline operations. Lumpé will replace Jean-François Lemay, who has led Air Transat since 2013, effective June 1. Lemay, whose departure was announced previously, will work alongside him during a transition period. He has over 20 years of professional experience in the aviation industry and has held various management positions, including with Virgin Atlantic Airways, Qatar Airways, Air Berlin and Thomas Cook Airlines. Earlier in his career he served as a pilot for Lufthansa.

Laura Wilson has been appointed as Fred Holidays sales and product manager for the brand’s newly-launched worldwide tour and package offering. Wilson leaves her position as business development manager for Fred Olsen Travel where she led the Fred Cruise and Travel Norwich Airport brands. Prior to joining Fred Olsen Travel, she spent seven years at CMV where she held different positions, including national sales manager within the trade sales team. Fred Olsen sells North American and East Coast product.

Explore St. Louis has named Catherine Neville as its new vice president of communications A well-known figure in the St. Louis area, Neville joins the organization from the Hermann Farm and Museum in the area, where she was chief curator. Previously, Neville was producer and host of a television show, tasteMakers. Prior to that, she was publisher of Feast Magazine, where she spent more than 11 years.

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Job Postings

—Travel Wisconsin has openings for a social media manager and an industry services manager. Deadline for submitting an application is March 14 for the social media manager position, and March 16 for the industry services manager job. More details here.

From SearchWide Global:

—The Manistee County Visitors Bureau in Michigan, is searching for a new executive director. More details here.

—Visit Seattle is searching for a new president and CEO. 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 Tennessee Hospitality Association is looking for an executive director. More details here.

—The South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new CVB director. More detailshere.

—The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau is seeking a new chief financial officer. More detailshere.

—Visit El Paso is searching for a director of marketing and communications. More detailshere.

—Visit Greater Palm Springs has an opening for a vice president of sales. More detailshere.

—Visit Dana Point is looking for an executive director. 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.

—Snowmass Village in Colorado is looking for a tourism manager. It’s a new position, focused on operations and management of the Snowmass Tourism office. More details here.

—The Space Coast Office of Tourism in Florida is seeking a deputy director. More details here.

—Visit Denver, The Convention & Visitors Bureau for Denver, is looking for a director of government and community affairs. More details here.

—The Museum of Science in Boston is searching for a group and tourism coordinator. More details here.

—The Colorado Tourism Office Communications is looking for a senior manager. 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.

—AEG Worldwide is searching for a director touring – operations in Los Angeles. More details here.

—New England Excursions has an opening for a tour guide. More details here.

—Sun Shine and Blue Water Travel in Orlando is looking for a travel guide. More details here.

—Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism is searching for a tourism assistant director. More details here.

—There is an opening for a tour guide at the Carolina Polo and Carriage in South Carolina. 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

HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Openings & Changes

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Long-time travel and tourism industry advocate Isabel Hill has retired from her post as director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). Another long-time travel and tourism industry figure, julie heizer (right), has been named as NTTO’s acting director. Hill was a part of the U.S. government’s national tourism office since 2003. She became director of NTTO in February 2013. Heizer’s career of more than three decades in the industry included tenures as deputy director for tourism development at the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development; executive director of the Virginia Peninsula Tourism & Conference Bureau and vice president of tourism for the Washington DC Convention and Tourism Corporation before joining NTTO in 2003.

Cassady Bailey, who has been with Brand USA for nearly a decade, was recently promoted to the post of vice president, partner engagement and marketing for the organization. She had been senior director of partner engagement and planning for four years. Bailey has been with Brand USA since the fall of 2012, when she started out as a business development assistant. She joined the organization from the U.S. Travel Association.

Travel Alberta has appointed Jon Mamela as senior vice president and chief commercial officer, leading tourism and destination development for the organization. effective March 14, 2022. He joins Travel Alberta from Destination Toronto, where he was executive vice president & chief marketing officer. Mamela’s resumé also includes a tenure as chief marketing officer and senior vice president, marketing & sales at Destination Canada. Mamela knows Alberta well. He served as Travel Alberta’s vice president, marketing and sales from 2010-2011.

Kai Duve has taken up the role of commercial director at Eurowings, a German low-cost carrier headquartered in Düsseldorf and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Previously head of cabin crews in Frankfurt at Lufthansa, he will be responsible for human resources, finance, IT, strategy and procurement at the carrier. As a member of a three-person management team headed by chief executive, Jens Bischof, Duve succeeds Frank Bauer, who, after three years on the Eurowings executive board, is moving to the Lufthansa finance division.

Flight Centre Travel Group has appointed Tom Walley to the newly created role of global managing director of Corporate Traveller, which specializes in business travel for small to medium-size enterprises. Walley became a part of Flight Centre more than 20 years ago and has worked for the company’s corporate and leisure divisions in the UK and Australia. He will retain his current position of general manager for Corporate Traveller in Australia.

Decolar has announced the appointment of Daniela Araujo as its new director of sourcing, air.  Araujo, former head of international sales of Gol Linhas Aéras for trade. Before joining Decolar, Araujo worked for more than five years with Gol airlines.

A familiar presence, Marion Wolf is now the new face at Visit Florida for German-speaking Florida  visitors. She will be in charge of sales and marketing at the German agency Lieb Management for the state’s tourism office and will be responsible for the German, Austrian and Swiss markets. Wolf has been working in tourism for more than 30 years. For the past few years, she and her agency MS Wolf Marketing had looked after Visit St. Petersburg for some time. For Wolf, the move is a return to Visit Florida: She had already worked for Visit Florida from 1994 to 2003 as director of marketing Germany/Austria/Switzerland, at that time from their Frankfurt office. 

Classic Vacations, a global luxury travel wholesaler, has named Melissa Krueger as chief executive officer. Krueger succeeds David Hu, who served as president and CEO of Classic Vacations for the past 13 years. Krueger has been with Classic Vacations for nine years, most recently leading its groups division as vice president and general manager.

Visit Lake Charles has announced the addition of Timothy P. Bush as its chief marketing officer. Most recently, Bush was the chief tourism development officer for OneSpartanburg, Inc., with the mission of building a vibrant Spartanburg through business, economic and tourism development. Previously, Bush was the president/CEO of Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou Tourism for nearly six years where he directed the strategic vision along with developing tourism products to drive more economic impact to the community. He was also was the marketing manager for Visit Macon with for nearly two years

Jim Vozzella has been appointed as a senior sales manager at 360 CHICAGO Observation Deck. He came to the attraction from Getting Local, in which he helped spread the word about a new contactless tourism solution. And for more than nine years, Vozzella was a performer at the Laugh Out Loud Theater in Chicago.

Portsmouth, Virginia has named Dr. Alexander Benitez as the city’s new director of museums and tourism. Benitez has 30 years of experience under his belt working for various state and university museums, and the Smithsonian Institution. Between 2016 and 2022, Benitez served as the Director of Moundville Archaeological Park at the University of Alabama, where he oversaw the preservation and cultural interpretation of one of the most important Native American heritage sites in the United States. Benitez also held the position of assistant professor of anthropology at George Mason University.

The DMC Network announced the promotion of Aoife Delaney to the role of vice president, business development. The company said his promotion signals the DMC Network’s commitment to growing bigger and better than ever before at the outset of 2022, and ensures its HQ leadership team will be in a solid position to work with all DMC Network partners during a promising year of recovery and growth. Based in Dublin, Ireland, Aoife has over 15 years of industry experience, including five years as the DMC Network’s director of global sales & marketing for Europe & Asia.

Thomas Osswald has taken over as managing director of Derpart. Osswald, who Derpart this month, began his job with De began his career in 1994 in the travel agency franchise sector in various managerial positions at Lufthansa City Center Reisebüropartner and became its managing director in 1999. Beginning in 2009, Osswald held various managerial positions at the Amadeus subsidiary i: FAO Group and at the parent company Amadeus, including being commercial director for key customer relations, commercial and key account services. Osswald succeeds Andreas Neumann and Aquilin Schömig, who left the company at the end of 2021.

Cherie Richards has stepped down from her post as chief of staff for Not Just Travel, which she joined in June 2020. Previously, she served for almost 12 years as director of commercial at Global Travel Group.

Marking its recent entry into the space tourism industry, World View, a leader in stratospheric exploration, has announced the appointment of Dale Hipsh as president of tourism and exploration. He joins the company from Hard Rock International, where he served for nearly a dozen years, lastly as senior vice president. Earlier in his career, he spent more than six years with Hard Rock as vice president of operations at the Seminole Hard Rock & Casino.

Long-time veterans of the U.S. inbound tourism industry, brothers Eric and Andrew Thomas have gotten together and rolled out Esploru℠—a new receptive tour operator which offers tailor-made luxury product in North America. Originally launched in 2019, the Thomas brothers, sons of the late Albert Thomas, who established City Tours USA in 1978, had to put their product “on the shelf” during the global pandemic that devastated the international inbound tourism industry in 2019 and 2021. They re-introduced the brand at last month’s Fitur in Madrid. Headquartered in Miami Beach, you can find Esploru online at www.esploru.com.

Susan Klein has been named chief marketing officer at VisitPITTSBURGH.  Klein joins the organization following a four-year stint as the head of content marketing for Doublespace, Inc., a marketing and branding agency with clients in finance, technology, arts and nonprofit. Prior to that, Klein spent eight years in San Francisco, most recently serving as head of marketing communications and visitor services for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Anna Karnowski has joined the sales team at peek, a booking software and marketplace for virtual and in-person experiences for travelers and locals. She joins the company from the One World Observatory in Manhattan, where she was senior director of sales. Previously, she served in sales positions at  SPYSCAPE and New York Water Taxi.

The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Alissa Steele as marketing manager, responsible for developing and executing marketing activities in support of sales and branding initiatives for the bureau and its partners. Previously, Steele she served as an advertising specialist for the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team, and as an advertising coordinator at Rivers Casino Philadelphia.

Aerospace and space travel company Virgin Galactic Holdings has named Blair Rich its president and chief business officer as the company prepares for the launch of commercial service later this year. Rich will lead all aspects of the company’s commercial strategy including sales, marketing, business and product development, communications, operations, and customer experience. Prior to joining Virgin Galactic, Rich spent 23 years at Warner Bros. Entertainment, starting as an intern and rising to lead worldwide marketing for the company.

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Job Postings

From SearchWide Global:

—Visit Seattle is searching for a new president and CEO. 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 Tennessee Hospitality Association is looking for an executive director. 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.

—The Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau has an opening for the position of vice president. More details here.

—A world-wide hospitality group is looking for an executive director of hotel sales & marketing a position that would be based in San Francisco, Toronto or remotely. More details here.

—Visit Greater Palm Springs has an opening for a vice president of sales. More details here.

—Visit Dana Point is looking for an executive director. 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.

—Snowmass Village in Colorado is looking for a tourism manager. It’s a new position, focused on operations and management of the Snowmass Tourism office. More details here.

—The Space Coast Office of Tourism in Florida is seeking a deputy director. More details here.

—Visit Denver, The Convention & Visitors Bureau for Denver, is looking for a director of government and community affairs. More details here.

—The Museum of Science in Boston is searching for a group and tourism coordinator. More details here.

—The Colorado Tourism Office Communications is looking for a senior manager. 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 Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (think Penn State University area) has an opening in Sports Tourism Sales. More details here.

—AEG Worldwide is searching for a director touring – operations in Los Angeles. More details here.

—David Tours & Travel in Philadelphia is looking for a group travel coordinator. More details here.

—Yakima Valley Tourism has an opening for a communications & travel trade manager. More details here.

—In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, there is an opening for a guest experience associate at the Hollywood Wax Museum. More details here.

—The City of Virginia Beach has an opening for a convention and tourism representative. 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

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