TRADE TALK & Travel Industry Buzz
● The just published edition of the Brazilian Overview Monthly suggests that the second half of this year has some good reasons for the tourism industry in South America’s largest overseas source market for inbound travel to be cheered. José Guilherme Alcorta, CEO of Brazil’s PANROTAS, which partners with FECOMERCIOSP—the São Paulo-based business and economic research organization—in producing the overview, told subscribers in a cautious-but-still-upbeat-message “We are, clearly, more optimistic, and the numbers support us. But also, we are alert and still unable to do long term plannings.” Click here to download the June edition of the Brazilian Overview Monthly Report
● German Operator Says Outlook for Long-haul Travel Looks Good: From Touristik Aktuell, July 4, 2022: “Tour operator Alltours expects an increase in participants of over 25 percent for the 2022/2023 winter season compared to the pre-crisis winter of 2019/2020. ‘After two difficult years, we feel that we have a lot of catching up to do, which will continue in the coming winter season,’ says Alltours owner Willi Verhuven. ‘We expect a significant increase in bookings for all travel destinations, especially for long-distance travel.’”
● Brightline expansion to Orlando area won’t include station on Disney property. As reported by the Palm Beach Post, the rail line says it moved the station away from the Disney Springs entertainment complex to place it closer to Orlando-area employers. Just prior to the news, Brightline announced that in addition to expanding its service to Orlando International Airport, it now plans to build stations at the Orange County Convention Center and an alternate site near Disney Springs, but not on Disney-owned land. Click here for the complete Palm Beach Post article on the announcement.
● Dot Erased in Favor of New Brand: Places Dot, LLC, a content strategy company focused largely on the use of AI to produce the most relevant and targeted text-based content possible, has announced that it will rebrand and start doing business as “Intentful.” The rebranding reflects the company’s realization that its services can, and presently do, provide significant value to clients in a broad array of industries, allowing it to offer such services beyond its original travel-oriented (or “Places.”) target market.
Said Marina Petrova, CEO, “We came to realize that the name ‘Places Dot’ no longer appropriately conveyed the way we provide value-added service to our customer base. We are excited to introduce our new name, which we feel more accurately reflects the way we are able to contribute to our clients’ success – producing content matched to customer intent.” Leaving the Intentful venture day-to-day operations, Jonathan Elkoubi, co-founder and previously CCO of Places., will return to the helm of his consultancy firm, NAVEW (the North American Visitors Experience Watch), to maintain his focus on the travel sector.
● New Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO) via the International Trade Administration: April 2022 total international inbound travel volume (visitor arrivals) to the United States was 4,330,371 – a year-over-year increase of 216.5 percent and 61.5 percent of April 2019 arrivals. Want to view interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit ADIS/I-94 Visitor Arrivals Monitors (Country of Residence) and (Country of Citizenship) and its I-92/APIS International Air Passenger Monitor for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.
● From Travel Weekly (UK): A&K Travel Group, the company owned by Geoffrey Kent and Heritage Group, has confirmed the acquisition of two Crystal Cruises ocean-going ships. Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony will resume service in 2023 after an extensive refit and operate under the Crystal Cruises brand which has also been acquired by A&K Travel Group. Click here to read the complete article.
● With all the hype already being afforded in China to Singles Day, we thought better to ask an expert on such things—Z.J. Tong, a USA-based marketing consultant who knows the Chinese travel market and is also a widely-listened-to podcaster/influencer—what he thought about the hype and whether it was worth investing in by U.S. travel marketers. (Singles’ Day is a holiday celebrated in China on November 11. Unmarried people commemorate the occasion by treating themselves to gifts and presents, leading Singles’ Day, or Double 11 as it’s also known, to become the largest online shopping day in the world—by quite some margin.)
Here’s what Z.J. told us: “Historically I haven’t seen Singles’ Day to feature outbound travel products as much since Single’s Day usually carries deep discount and outbound travel products usually have limited room for further discounting. Plus, at this moment, there are not many US-bound travel products listed on Chinese OTAs, other than products that are catered to Chinese travelers who are already in the US. In general, I do not recommend travel products to participate in Singles Day campaign because with reduced profit goes with the quality of service.”
● Canada Jetlines, the new all-Canadian, leisure airline, has announced that the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) has provided approval to the carrier’s subsidiary—Canada Jetlines Vacations Ltd.—as a travel retailer and travel wholesaler under the Travel Industry Act, 2022. TICO is mandated by the Ontario government to administer the Ontario Travel Industry Act, 2002 and Ontario Regulation 26/05 which governs approximately 2,100 travel retailers and travel wholesalers registered in Ontario—providing Canadian travelers with confidence from their stamp of approval. For a complete news release on the action, click here.
● Back at pre-2019 Booking Levels? According to Amadeus’ Demand360 business intelligence data, hotel reservations have been on par with pre-pandemic 2019 booking levels since March this year. April 2022 was the first month to surpass 2019 occupancy levels and continued to climb in May hitting a new high of 63 percent, compared to 60 percent in May 2019. High performing countries like the U.S. saw occupancy levels of 68 percent for the month, 7 percent above 2019’s performance, while Canada reached 64 percent occupancy in May, 8 percent higher than the same time in 2019. Forward looking on-the-books data tells a similar story globally with the summer months of June, July, and August currently tracking just one percent off 2019 levels. For more on the Amadeus report, click here.
● A recent TTG article tells us that more than half of Britons are more likely to book a U.S. trip after Covid testing was lifted, but almost the same number said travel and accommodation costs were a worry, new research has found. Last month, Kansas City-based MMGY Travel Intelligence surveyed 774 Americans and 436 Britons and found that, among British respondents, 49 percent said the cost of airfare and lodging would impact their decision to travel to America, while 39 percent said personal safety concerns were an issue. Click here for the complete article.
● From the Nuremberg-based Travel Data + Analytics (TDA): In May 2022, holiday travel bookings in sales exceeded both the previous month (+ 13 percent) and May 2019 as a benchmark to the pre-Covid level: the latter by a remarkable 51 percent. The catch-up race of the low-booking winter months is still ongoing: Cumulatively, the backlog of the summer season 2022 to the previous month melts by a further 10 percentage points to a minus of currently 13 percent to the booking level at the end of May. As the positive booking trend continued in June, so far, it is to see: The current summer season will have achieved the turnaround in two months.
With the continuing extremely good holiday demand in the German market, it can no longer be ruled out that the 2022 summer season will return to growth as the first travel season since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic – provided that the airlines’ many flight cancellations due to staff shortages do not thwart the Germans’ holiday desire. Whether and to what extent this effect will have an impact will only become clear with the June data. More details here: Strong holiday demand is going on – Travel Data + Analytics GmbH
● Globally, “The summer months of 2022 are expected to be exceptionally strong, with many noting that the summer of 2022 is actually three summers merged into one.“ This is the ultra-short summary of the recently released Airports Council International World in its 10th annual quarter assessment reviewing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, its effects on airports, and the path to recovery. You can read the complete report here.
Overseas Travel to USA Has a Good 1st Half
t was the earliest such release of data that INBOUND can recall. And there is nothing better to the ear of someone in the travel and tourism industry than the good news in the release of National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) data that is early.
The reader of the Top 20 Overseas Source Markets for the U.S., either for the past month or the year-to-date totals through last month, have just about something encouraging for everylne selling and promoting Visit USA market travel—whether it’s done in the U.S. or through in-country efforts abroad.
Some thoughts on all this good news:
● Western Europe has resumed its standing as the top regional overseas market of Visit USA product. As in decades of the past, more than two out of every five visitors to the United States from abroad come from Western Europe, with familiar markets a part of the Top Ten: the UK, German, France, Spain and Italy. The strong performance should definitely help the buzz for the Brand USA UK and Europe Travel Week event Monday, September 26 to Thursday, September 29 in Frankfurt.
● Still in the Top 10 from South America is the newcomer, Colombia, which—were not it still dealing a massive movement of millions of Venezuelans seeking refuge in Colombia—would probably be a permanent fixture in this ranking.
● No surprise, but welcome nonetheless is the strong showing by India, which has been able to secure additional airlift from the Middle East and whose travelers use these air carriers to connect on flights to and through Europe, and to the United States.
● There was a slightly supportive tone for tourism among the BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, with all of them home to more than 3 billion people. At the organization’s just ended 14th Annual BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration at the end of the event, in the 64th (out of 75) point, the group acknowledged “the urgent need for tourism industry recovery and the importance of increasing mutual tourist flows.”
● As for China’s outbound travel, the data show that, with half of 2022 now past, 2022 is pretty much a lost year for the industry. Should the government continue to relax some of the Covid crisis measures it has had in place since the beginning of 2020, there is a possibility that Q4 might be salvaged.
Top 20 Overseas Tourist-Generating Countries
Month of June 2022
| Country of Residence & Rank | Number of Arrivals | % Change vs. 2021 |
| 1. United Kingdom | 266,656 | 2666.4% |
| 2. India | 141,109 | 1693.0% |
| 3. Germany | 129,039 | 1490.1% |
| 4. Colombia | 111,834 | (32.0%) |
| 5. France | 95,051 | 1451.9% |
| 6. Brazil | 94,397 | 635.2% |
| 7. South Korea | 86,165 | 586.0% |
| 8. Spain | 64,332 | 704.6% |
| 9. Australia | 63,031 | 2520.8% |
| 10. Italy | 59,563 | 848.9% |
| 11. Argentina | 43,963 | 32.9% |
| 12. Ireland | 41,174 | 4197.9% |
| 13. Japan | 40,966 | 386.3% |
| 14. Dominican Republic | 38,316 | 9.5% |
| 15. Netherlands | 34,193 | 1046.3% |
| 16. Chile | 31,530 | 399.4% |
| 17. Israel | 30,233 | 48.9% |
| 18. Sweden | 26,053 | 2344.0% |
| 19. Poland | 25,543 | 1794.9% |
| 20. China, PRC | 25,422 | 511.7% |
| Total Top 20 Overseas Countries | 1,448,570 | 311.6% |
Top 20 Overseas Tourist-Generating Countries
Year-to-Date Through Month of June 2022
| Country of Residence & Rank | Number of Arrivals | % Change vs. same period 2021 |
| 1. United Kingdom | 1,391,901 | 3130.1% |
| 2. India | 580,717 | 293.9% |
| 3. Germany | 572,396 | 1499.9% |
| 4. France | 528,945 | 1827.4% |
| 5. Brazil | 511,635 | 1126.9% |
| 6. Colombia | 464,526 | (0.9%) |
| 7. Spain | 310,377 | 734.1% |
| 8. South Korea | 274,306 | 474.4% |
| 9. Italy | 239,439 | 780.6% |
| 10. Argentina | 239,135 | 99.5% |
| 11. Australia | 216,007 | 1943.8% |
| 12. Chile | 200,433 | 289.0% |
| 13. Dominican Republic | 183,015 | 21.7% |
| 14. Netherlands | 181,952 | 1264.2% |
| 15. Ireland | 172,142 | 4611.1% |
| 16. Ecuador | 167,646 | (1.0%) |
| 17. Peru | 142,885 | (24.1%) |
| 18. Japan | 142,533 | 245.0% |
| 19. Israel | 141,806 | 142.5% |
| 20. Switzerland | 121,913 | 1401.4% |
| Total Top 20 Overseas Countries | 6,783,709 | 301.1% |
Overseas Visitors to the U.S. by
World Region of Residence
For Month of June 2022
| Region | Number of Arrivals | 2022 Share | % Change vs.Same period 2021 |
| Western Europe | 840,554 | 40.7% | 1492.4% |
| Eastern Europe | 71,679 | 3.5% | 271.2% |
| Asia | 390,798 | 18.9% | 543.8% |
| Middle East | 78,570 | 3.8% | 69.1% |
| Africa | 32,549 | 1.6% | 194.1% |
| Oceania | 75,006 | 3.6% | 2079.1% |
| South America | 363,872 | 17.6% | 0.4% |
| Central America (Excluding Mexico) | 99,363 | 4.8% | (31.4%) |
| Caribbean | 113,216 | 5.5% | 33.3% |
| Total Overseas | 2,065,607 | 100.0% | 162.7% |
Overseas Visitors to the U.S. by
World Region of Residence
Year-to-Date Through June 2022
| Region | Number of Arrivals | 2022 Share | % Change vs. Same Period 2021 |
| Western Europe | 4,089,968 | 42.7% | 1627.3% |
| Eastern Europe | 298,650 | 3.1% | 253.5% |
| Asia | 1,454,498 | 15.2% | 319.4% |
| Middle East | 350,887 | 3.7% | 130.5% |
| Africa | 134,625 | 1.4% | 165.5% |
| Oceania | 254,655 | 2.7% | 1552.2% |
| South America | 1,917,657 | 20.0% | 60.6% |
| Central America (Excluding Mexico) | 534,074 | 5.6% | 9.9% |
| Caribbean | 534,024 | 5.6% | 57.8% |
| Total Overseas | 9,569,038 | 100.0% | 229.4% |
INBOUND reminds the reader that, if you find that you want to dig deeper into your data collection and analysis program, you might want to contact David Huether at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). He is deputy director for research, and he can probably help you point your venture in the right direction. You can reach him here: David.Huether@trade.gov.
FLA’s Formula: Don’t Stop Now—We Didn’t
VISIT FLORIDA’s leader didn’t let the pandemic stop its marketing program. Shortly after INBOUND sat down last month to interview Dana Young, president and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, to get an update on the condition of the state’s tourism industry during the recent IPW trade show in Orlando, the occasion seemed more like a legal deposition than a casual interview. Anticipating just about any possible query, Young, an exceptionally able attorney, was prepared well in advance to make key points. And she did.
Equipped or, one might suggest, armed with sheaths of data, tables and the presentation points to make that she had in front of her, Young was able to refer to the right material at just the right inflection points in order to highlight and/or emphasize a point. Although INBOUND had heard her speak at an industry function several years beforehand, we didn’t really know that much about the former state senator, lawyer and lifelong Floridian.
Twenty minutes with Young, followed by a review of answers to some follow-up questions, were illuminating. The reams of data and lists of numbers were—and still are—impressive. She cited the kind of numbers that one doesn’t forget throughout our discussion.
But what seemed to INBOUND to matter the most were the emphases she made with those points that counted the most for the woman who heads an organization where both domestic and international visitors to Florida are equally important. Some of them follow.
● “We Didn’t Stop” is what Young told INBOUND most emphatically. After the COVID-19 virus flattened the global tourism industry in the spring of 2020, she still had a budget For FY 2020-21 to deploy and “a marketing team that is second to none” to help her. Young said that VISIT FLORIDA “re-started” its marketing efforts in August of that—well before other DMOs did.
● Work the Domestic Market, which has gotten larger. Traditionally, the domestic market—or drive market—especially the group travel market sector, translates into those travelers or group travel segments within 300 miles of a destination. (While not a hard-and-fast rule, it is a measure that is likely to be around for a while, as 300 miles is roughly the range of a charge for electric automobiles, which are becoming increasingly popular.) Survey data were also telling VISIT FLORIDA that COVID-19 was increasing the range of the Domestic Market to measure up to 700 miles, as motorists seemed to want to put distance between themselves and other, well-traveled and well-known destinations. A longer day trip puts Florida within day trip range from much of the Southeast and Midwest U.S.
● Keeping Florida Top-of-Mind of Buyers Matters. Although the international travel trade show circuit basically shut down for a year-and-half (from April 2020 to October, when the U.S. government announced that it was lifting its ban on EU countries and some other nations), Young and her marketing team managed to make in-country visits to all of its top markets. And even though Europe and Asia’s top markets were essentially closed, Florida was able to take advantage of its proximity to, and long-standing relationship with, South and Central American markets which, for the most part, had less restrictive border measures in place (the data below seem to confirm this notion).
● Keeping It Live and In-Person: While other DMOs in the United States stayed home, VISIT FLORIDA resumed international staff travel in June 2021, traveling to Mexico, Colombia, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and Germany—and making a statement to most of its key international markets.
What their numbers tell us—Florida kept its marketing stayed strong: Young shared more data sets than one could possibly imagine in emphasizing its point about working its key markets, a global pandemic notwithstanding. A sampler* follows.
Key Market Stats*
- 2021 Domestic Visitation: 117.4 million (+55.7 percent from 2020 and 0.2 percent from 2019)
- 2022 Q1 Visitation: 34.1 million (up 35.1 percent from 2020 and up 7.2 percent from 2019)
- Market Share: Florida captured the largest share (13.6 percent) of domestic overnight vacation travelers of all the U.S. States in 2021
Florida, VISIT FLORIDA’s Young points out, has shown consistent growth in a wide variety of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), including:
- —Hotel demand: exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time in Q1 2022.
- —Rooms sold: grew by 31.4 percent in Q1 2022
- —Average daily rate (ADR): up over 38 percent from Q1 2021
- —Occupancy rate: increased by nearly 24 percent in Q1 2022
- —Over 39 percent of visitors traveled to Florida by plane in Q1 2022, marking the highest share for air travel since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
- —Total enplanements in Florida were up over 70 percent in Q1 2022
Data for 2022 Q1
- A month ago, VISIT FLORIDA released its Q1 visitation estimates that show Florida welcomed 36 million total visitors between January and March 2022.
- This marks a 14 percent increase from Q4 2021, and the third consecutive quarter that overall visitation has surpassed 2019, pre-pandemic levels.
- Over 34 million of these visitors were domestic, which capped off twelve solid months of domestic visitation growth from 2019.
- VISIT FLORIDA is also seeing substantial progress on the international side, with 1.3 million overseas travelers visiting Florida in the first three months of the year.
- This marks an increase of over 169 percent from Q1 2021, and puts Florida’s quarterly overseas visitation 14 percentage points closer to full recovery than the rest of the United States.
- In addition, 578,000 Canadian travelers visited our state in Q1, representing a 955 increase from the same period last year, and making Canada once again our No. 1 international origin market.
Top 10 Overseas Countries—Q1 of 2022
- UK
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Argentina
- Chile
- Peru
- Germany
- Ecuador
- France
* The information was sourced from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office, Global Agency Pro. and VISIT FLORIDA.
● Finally: Does Dana Young have any specific target goals regarding the number of tourists—both international and domestic—she would like to see visit Florida this year (and in 2023 and 2024) as it works to reach and exceed 2019 levels? “Though VISIT FLORIDA doesn’t make projections,” Young told us, “We are committed to building upon 2021’s record-breaking visitation growth and taking Florida’s tourism industry to new heights both this year and beyond.”
New and/or Cool!
What’s New and Cool: INBOUND offers brief profiles drawn from the current annual issue of TheTourOperator.com of New and/or Cool attractions and experiences as our way of introducing the latter to our readers.
● SoFI Stadium—Los Angeles, California: Home of the NFL Rams and the Chargers, SoFI Stadium is the centerpiece of the 300-acre Hollywood Park complex in Inglewood. The state-of-the-art stadium and host of Superbowl LVI is one of the largest and most technologically advance in the NFL with its incredible Infinity Screen video board. SoFI Stadium welcomes guests on immersive tours with opportunities to run through the tunnel, check out the locker rooms and test their football and test their football skills on the field. (Sofistadium.com)
● The Ballpark Loudon—Loudon, Virginia: “America’s Favorite Pastime” is re-imagined. The Ballpark Loudon delivers an active entertainment experience that combines cutting-edge technologies, top-of-the-line skill development opportunities and a full-service restaurant. The Ballpark Loudon features four HitTrax™ Suites, interactive batting cages that combine eSports with baseball. Game opportunities range from team competitions to home run challenges and take place in virtual backdrop settings of more than 40 ballparks. (Theballparkloudon.com)
● Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience—Vacherie, Louisiana: Visit Spuddy’s Cajun Foods in Louisiana’s River Parishes for home-cooked plate lunches or to purchase smoked meats made in-house, Spuddy’s offers a Cajun Cooking Experience, where visitors can put on an apron and head into the kitchen for lessons on how to make local delicacies like a roux for gumbo and andouille. (cajuncookingexperience.com)
● Viking Mississippi River Cruises—Mississippi: Viking’s new cruises on the Mighty Mississippi offer a different type of journey for the curious explorer—one that allows you to be immersed in American history and culture. The newest ship on the Mississippi has all outside staterooms, private verandas, spacious public areas and Viking’s signature Scandinavian design. Immerse yourself in the region’s culture with an included excursion at every port, including Natchez and Vicksburg. (vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destintions/mississippi/index.html)
● SUMMIT One Vanderbilt—Midtown Manhattan, New York City: Set against the incredible backdrop of the New York City skyline, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt blends elements of art and technology, taking the concept of an “observation deck” to entirely new heights. Explore three levels of mind-bending multi-sensory immersive experiences set atop the tallest commercial skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. Step out from the envelope of the building and stand on transparent glass 1,070 feet (325 meters) above Madison Avenue, enjoy a cocktail at Après or outside on the SUMMIT Terrace. (summitov.com)
TheTourOperator.com Partner of the Week
Austin—Live Music Capital of the World®
Austin, the Capital of Texas, is also known as the “Live Music Capital of the World®”. In the evening, the city echoes with the sounds of all types of music. This vibrant and pedestrian friendly cosmopolitan city offers a variety of things for travelers to see and do. Austin, with its lakes and rolling hills, is the gateway to the scenic Texas Hill Country.
Here are just a few itinerary ideas for which Austin is famous: Cultural and Art Tours, Family Fun Getaways, Music Tours and more.
For more detailed itinerary suggestions, contact one of Visit Austin’s Verified Destination Contacts.
Allison Lamell
Tourism and Marketing Specialist
VISIT AUSTIN
Phone: +1 512.583.7260
Email: alamell@visitaustin.org
Julie Chase
Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
VISIT AUSTIN
Phone: 512.583.7228
Email: jchase@visitaustin.org
Royalty-Free Hi-Res Photos—A Sampler from TheTourOperator.com Photo Finder
Want to see more? Then, click here for the Visit Austin’s pages in TheTourOperator.com. For more information on how to partner with TheTourOperator.com, contact Betsy Cooper, Senior Director of TheTourOperator and Partner Engagement for Connect Travel.
bcooper@connecttravel.com
and/or 415.728.1085
HODGE PODGE: Appointments, Opening and Changes
Fritz Joussen (left), who has led TUI, Europe’s largest tour operator, for nearly a decade, has announced that he is stepping down from his position as CEO effective at the end of September. He will be succeeded by current Chief Financial Officer Sebastian Ebel, an experienced TUI veteran of 24 years. Before he was appointed CFO in 2021, Ebel served on the company’s executive board, taking charge of growth across various sectors.
Joussen joined the leadership team at TUI in 2013, following a lengthy career at Vodafone where he was chief executive from 2003 to 2012. An engineer by training, he became a software developer in the USA. He spent 22 years in the telecommunications industry before joining TUI. During the COVID-19 virus and crisis, Joussen was credited with keeping TUI afloat and in a leadership posture. It was unclear, amidst all of the credits and praise he has received since announcing his departure from TUI, whether he will stay professionally active, as he is but 59 years old.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which just opened last year and has already become a major tourist attraction in Los Angeles, has announced that Jacqueline Stewart, currently the attraction’s chief artistic and programming officer, has been named director and president. She takes over later this month from Bill Kramer, who has been named chief executive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, succeeding Dawn Hudson. Stewart, who joined the museum in January 2021 before its opening that year, is a leading film historian, scholar and archivist who taught American film history at the University of Chicago, with a specialty in African American cinema, as well as the first Black host of Turner Classic Movies’ “Silent Sunday Nights,” which spotlights silent films. A MacArthur Foundation Fellowship recipient, Stewart was raised on Chicago’s South Side. She received her BA from Stanford University and her PhD from the University of Chicago.
Rob Lyons has started a new position as vice president, group sales & tourism strategy, at Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. Lyons has been a part of the company—one of the most recognizable sporting event venues in the United States—since early 2009. He began his career there some 14 years ago as an event presentation production assistant.
Gathan Borden has been appointed senior vice president marketing and communications at Destinations International. He joins the organization from VisitLEX in Lexington, Kentucky, where he is vice president of marketing and where he has served for more than seven years. He has overseen the advertising, branding, marketing, public relations, social media, visitor services and web strategies for the city of Lexington as it relates to travel and tourism. Borden is a 15-year veteran of the tourism industry, having spent time at Louisville Tourism in Louisville, Kentucky in various marketing roles, before accepting the role of vice president of marketing at VisitLEX.
Jill Kidder has left her post as president and CEO of Louisiana Travel Association, where she served for almost six years, and is now the CEO of Visit Baton Rouge. She replaces Paul Arrigo, who announced he plans to retire in September after 20 years leading Visit Baton Rouge.
Attraction World Group has made a number of senior appointments as part of a restructuring of its commercial team a year after its acquisition by Ten Oceans Private Equity. Among them is the naming of Isabel Beckermann (left), head of client success, as commercial director to oversee the group’s product supply and distribution strategy and strengthen links between the two. Also, Phillipa Standley, will move to a new role in the business as head of theme parks and USA partnerships to allow the group to forge ahead with contracting plans and expansion of its product range.
Lufthansa City Center (LCC) Reisebüropartner GmbH—the network of travel agencies and its own 23 stores—has announced that Thomas Klein has signed off and is taking charge of finance the franchise network. Klein is well known in the German tourism industry. He was CEO and CFO of tour operator Berge & Meer. He left the company shortly afterwards it was sold be TUI. LCC It brings together over 500 agencies worldwide (presence in 85 countries), 270 of which are based in Germany.
Nick Leonti has been named director of tourism development at the Port of Seattle. He comes to the organization from Visit California, where he was public relations manager. His tourism resumé includes a tenure of more than 15 years with Visit Sacramento, where he was director of tourism.
Katie Harber has joined Aurora Expeditions, where the former head of business development for Tradewind Voyages takes up the role of business development manager as part of the expedition cruise company’s plans to bolster its UK team. Harber will join the existing UK team of managing director Jos Dewing and BDM James Turner, and she brings experience from her previous roles with Tradewind Voyages, P&O Cruises and Shore Excursions.
Beverly Nicholson-Doty, a long-time veteran in tourism public relations in the Greater Miami area, has been appointed CEO of Figment Design, the Miami-based marketing and advertising agency. Nicholson-Doty, a former chair of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, has more than three decades of executive leadership experience, having served most recently as CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. During her career, she also served as commissioner of tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism from 2007 to 2018.
Harry Taylor, a former JTA sales manager, has joined The Travel Corporation as sales and business development manager. He’ll be taking care of Contiki, Costsaver, Trafalgar, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold. Taylor joined JTA in 2018 but during the pandemic he worked as a Covid testing operative for five months, and also as a car salesperson for six months, before returning to JTA. Previously, Taylor served a brief tenure with Saga Holidays.
EJ King has been named manager, social media, at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. In his new role, social King is responsible for overseeing the voice and message of the ACVB across all social media platforms, and for showcasing Atlanta as a top destination for business and leisure travel while ensuring content adheres to brand standards. He will also support sales and convention services to raise awareness for upcoming events. Previously, King served as lead brand ambassador for Porsche Experience Center Atlanta.
Visit Salt Lake recently named global marketing veteran Tyler Gosnell as its new chief brand and marketing officer, responsible for helping to develop Salt Lake’s brand image and increase public perception through cohesive brand narratives and strategic marketing campaigns. Gosnell has led global brand and marketing programs for leading destination marketing organizations including Visit California and San Francisco Travel, and has most recently been a key member of the destination management and marketing team at the Royal Commission for AlUla in Saudi Arabia.
Christian Lesjak will be the new sales director at Condor effective September 1, 2022 and will be responsible for partnerships with tour operators, travel agencies and cruise lines. He reports directly to Ralf Teckentrup and succeeds Paul Schwaiger, who left Condor in order to focus on other tasks. Lesjak is currently responsible for network planning and development at Finnair. He is already familiar with the German market from various positions at several airlines.
In the wake of the announcement late last month by Fritz Joussen that he was stepping down as CEO of TUI, there might have been a tendency on the part of those who cover the travel trade to overlook another significant development at TUI—that is, the news that the company’s tour operations and airlines chief, David Burling, has had his TUI contract extended ahead of schedule by two years until May 2026. He has worked for the company in various roles for more than 30 years after starting his career at Thomson Holidays in 1990. Burling was instrumental in the merger with First Choice in 2007 before heading TUI UK and Ireland for four years—until 2015 when he joined the overall executive board.
Vertical Travel Group has appointed a new general manager, Chris Richmond, for its trade sales divisions to oversee its Bedbank.com, Amathus Holidays and VillasforTravel.com brands. Richmond was previously reservations manager for Amathus, the group’s Greece and Cyprus specialist operator. Prior to joining Vertical in October 2021, Richmond, who has more than 25 years of industry experience, worked in corporate travel at CWT for six years and had a short stint as call center manager for Biblio Travel.
Donna Jeavons is leaving The Travel Corporation (TTC) at the end of August to join Abercombie & Kent in September. Currently she is managing director for the UK and Europe, TTC Tour Brands. Jeavons, managing director of UK and Europe for TCC, said: “After eight fantastic years at TTC, it is time for a new challenge and I’m excited for my new role, but I leave behind a brilliant UK and Europe sales and marketing team, who I will miss very much and that I know will take the brands from strength to strength in this important market.”
Air Canada Vacations has announced the promotion of Ana Pa?ula De Souza to the position of director of sales. De Souza, who has been with the company for more than 15 years, was most recently national manager of corporate sales. In her role, she will be responsible for the development of the national sales strategy, as well as growing various lines of business and increasing distribution channels. Led by De Souza, Air Canada Vacations’ sales team now consists of Christine Faulkner, Erminia Nigro, Marigold Frontuna, Marco Gagnon and Matthew Djorsev.
Dustin Arnheim, senior vice president of sales and customer experience at Visit Baltimore, where he has served for three years, is leaving the organization to join Choose Chicago. Previously, he was with Visit Indy for nearly a dozen years, lastly as senior director of sales.
At Travel South USA, Angelica deStefano (left) has been promoted to the position of senior manager, industry communications & events, and Catherine Li has been promoted to manager, global partner programs. DeStefano joined the organization more than five-and-a-half years ago from YourDailyTech, where she was editor. Li’s past experiences include serving as an academic adviser at the University of Nebraska, a market coordinator at H&R Block, and an intern at Nebraska State Attorney’s General.
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Industry Jobs
From SearchWide Global:
—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”) are 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.
—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.
—Visit Wichita is searching for a new vice president of 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.
—New York City-based USA Guided Tours is searching for a tour guide in the New York City area. More details here.
—Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation looking for a senior director, communications. Job is based in Los Angeles, but reporting to the senior vp, marketing & communications. More details here.
—Santa Monica Travel & Tourism has an opening for a communications manager. More details here.
—Visit Seattle is recruiting for a coordinator, partnership and tourism. Location is also hybrid. More details here.
—The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau is searching for a creative copywriter. More details here.
—Tourism Australia has an opening for a director of public relations-North America. Job is in Los Angeles (hybrid). More details here.
—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.
—The Fruit Company in Hood River, Oregon is recruiting for a tourism manager. 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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