First Travel Group (FTG) has appointed Fiona Taimana as marketing manager.

She has a wide range of industry experience in her specialist fields of marketing and customer experience.

With development in full swing, Sudima Christchurch City now has a new hotel manager to lead the charge – Maree Welgus.

Welgus is currently executive assistant manager for Sudima Lake Rotorua, and is an experienced industry professional.

Having an aviation buff as a husband has led Tauranga based travel broker Melanie Salisbury to establish an innovative and successful niche in her business.

Having started with Frontier Travel (later acquired by Travel Managers Group) 12 years ago, Salisbury recalls looking for ideas when the company launched a new website.

The Walshe Group is farewelling longstanding country manager Australia/New Zealand for Sultanate of Oman Tourism, Mona Tannous.

Tannous has made the decision to explore a new direction after 10 years with the organisation.

Travelport has announced the appointment of Scott Barber as managing director for Australia and New Zealand with effect from 5 February.

He replaces Kaylene Shuttlewood who has held the role for the past three years.

Becoming a broker after a number of years away from retailing has been made easier by the availability of new technology, according to a broker who returned to the ‘front-line’ just over a year ago.

Mark Hutchinson joined NZ Travel Brokers about a year ago.

Although his background does include considerable retail and wholesale experience, he was on the supplier side of the industry (including 15 years at Air Tahiti Nui) before taking the broker plunge.

Ann Mellor is now product manager cruise events and escorted cruises with House of Travel.

The new role is designed to grow the cruise business across the group through events and escorted groups.

Hamilton-based Sarah Weaver had only been a broker with Travel Managers Group (TMG) for seven months when she won the group’s Marketing Achievement Award last year and she says communication and engagement with customers are key to success.

‘In the early couple of months, while building my client base, I had the time to set up my Facebook business page and put a lot of thought into how I wanted it to look; learnt a lot about good content and how to get engagement and reach to make my posts seen, when to post and who

Thai Airways New Zealand recently appointed Nigel Taylor sales manager, New Zealand. He has extensive Industry experience and relationships through roles in fares and ticketing, GSA and airlines as well as more recently in Global Distribution Systems (GDS) with Sabre Travel Network.

‘Thai Airways is committed to the New Zealand market and with the appointment of Nigel Taylor to our team we look forward to working closely with our trade partners,’ says Khun Karun Sirarojanakul, general manager New Zealand.

Wendy Wu, a specialist in Asia travel, has promoted Paul Dymond to managing director of its New Zealand operations.

The announcement was made at the company’s 2017 Global Conference in Delhi recently, where Dymond was highly commended for his achievements and impressive sales performance within New Zealand.

Dymond is promoted from his role as general manager, a position he has held for the last two years and is tasked with leading the New Zealand arm of the business through its continued stages of digital transformation

Driving the cruise strategy for the House of Travel Group, including retail and digital channels, is a key responsibility of Jeff Leckey in his new role.

As reported in a One Minute Memo yesterday, Leckey is now general manager cruise for the House of Travel Group.

He will work closely with cruise line partners and with the Cruise Lines International Association  (CLIA) with a goal to growing the New Zealand cruise market. Increasing the network of HOT cruise consultants around New

John Sumner, most recently a travel and cruise specialist with Travel Managers Group, is retiring from 30 November.

‘After 54 years in the tourism industry it is time to hang up my boots,’ Sumner says. 

Brooke Serene, the boutique hotel management group, has promoted Georgina Torrington director of sales and marketing.
Previously marketing manager for the company, Torrington will provide the strategic direction of marketing, media, sponsorship and sales initiatives for the group as well as look after Christchurch and Canterbury based clientele.
Meantime, Simone de Jong has been named business development manager and will look after relationships with travel agents, wholesalers and inbound tour operators.

The travel industry will be saying a fond ‘Bon Voyage’ to an iconic member of the travel industry later next month.

Betty Wakelin, affectionately known as ‘Mrs Travel Te Awamutu’, is retiring.
It won’t be easy for her to step away from the desk as she is passionate about travel, and loves her clients. Leaving will be hard; retirement has never been a word that she has embraced and Wakelin is still recognised as a

After 21 years on the go, colleagues, friends and industry partners said goodbye to Adventure World’s general manager Dave Nicholson last night, as he plans to tackle new adventures.
A well-known leader in the New Zealand travel industry, Nicholson has flown the Adventure World flag at countless industry functions and agency famils.
He plans to take a year out to travel and spend quality time with his family.

Exotic Holidays has a new recruit in its operations team Dhan Dewage has joined as a team leader.

Originally from Sri Lanka he graduated in Tourism and Travel Management and has over five years of experience working with Total Holiday Options and Qatar Airways. 

Kelly Eichholtz is now area director of sales and marketing New Zealand with IHG New Zealand. 

Based at Crowne Plaza Auckland, Eichholtz is responsible for building and developing InterContinental Hotel Group’s (IHG) New Zealand-based sales, marketing and revenue teams. 

Staying calm under pressure is the key to becoming a successful corporate travel agent, says Chantelle Christian, domestic consultant with Orbit Wellington.

Adventure World has appointed Caryn Young, who celebrated her 10th year with the company in March, to the newly created role of head of operations.

Ken Orr is taking the helm of New Zealand’s largest hotel, Grand Millennium Auckland. The newly appointed general manager of the hotel has 21 years’ experience with Millennium Hotels and Resorts, including the last nine as GM of Copthorne Hotel Wellington, Oriental Bay.

The Langham, Auckland’s director of sales and marketing, Michael Shah, has been named the Sales & Marketing Associate of 2017 at the HM Awards – the Asia-Pacific’s leading awards for the hotel sector.

Sri Lankan destination management company (DMC) Tour Blue is now represented in New Zealand.
Mark Snoxell, of Exposure Down Under, says Tour Blue specialises in both Sri Lanka and the Maldives, concentrating on tailor-made itineraries for families and groups as well as some incentive travel work.
‘Tour Blue works closely with Asia Leisure – a hotel group we also represent here.’ Snoxell says it is advantageous for travel agents to use a DMC in Sri Lanka. ‘There is so much more to be added on if you work with the local experts. It is easy for them to access art, culture, surfing, academics, tea plantations and much more.’
mark@exposuredownunder.com

A familiar face, especially when it comes to promoting the Pacific, Wendy Fisher has been appointed New Zealand sales ambassador and business development manager by Edgewater Resort & Spa in Rarotonga.

The Tourism Export Council (TEC) Board has appointed Judy Chen to the role of chief executive. Chen moves to TECNZ from the position of director of sales and marketing with the Hotel Grand Chancellor group. Her hotel industry experience will add a new dimension to the evolution of the Tourism Export Council, says outgoing TECNZ chairman Martin Horgan.

Airline Marketing New Zealand has appointed Danielle Caltaux as the dedicated account manager for Air France KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in New Zealand.  Caltaux will be responsible for trade partnerships and relationships in the New Zealand market. Her previous position was Business Development Manager for Excite Holidays. 

Ken Freer, well known for his previous roles with House of Travel and Tourism Fiji among others, has taken up a fixed contract at Christchurch International Airport. He will lead the airport’s support of Alipay across the South Island and the development of new travel and retail platforms through Alibaba. This follows Christchurch Airport’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Alibaba to connect small and regional New Zealand businesses with Chinese visitors before, during and after their visit.

Ollie Joblin is the new business development manager NZ for both Tucan Travel and Sundowners Overland.

Joblin was previously a travel consultant with Flight Centre and is extensively travelled through Tucan’s ‘territory’ of South America and also in Russia, Mongolia and China – useful when promoting Sundowners’ product such as the trans-Siberian, Vodka Train and Silk Rd.

Todd Barry, general manager of Tucan Travel says New Zealand is a growing market for Tucan and credits at least partially the relatively new Air New Zealand flights into Buenos Aires and Houston – gateways for South America and Central America.

‘We are known as South American experts but we also do tours in North America, Asia, Africa and Europe.’

Adrian Turner is the new group general manager with New Zealand accommodation group, Quest Apartment Hotels. Quest Apartment Hotels New Zealand chief executive officer, Stephen Mansfield, says the new position was created to manage future growth. The group has plans to open up to 10 new properties in New Zealand over the next 24 months.

The government needs to ‘lower its sights’ to make it easier for skilled international travel agents to work in New Zealand, says Andrew Olsen, chief executive of the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ).

Olsen says that try as the industry might, it cannot convince the government that there is a skill shortage in the industry.

‘Visas should be made easier to obtain in this area,’ he says.

Ewan Cao is the new marketing manager for the New Zealand region with Tourism Malaysia. 

Cao has experience across tourism and media sectors, most recently with NZME and prior to that in the media division of Tourism New Zealand. A specialist in connecting Asian audiences with New Zealand experiences, he says he is looking forward to working the reverse of this in connecting Kiwis

Vanessa Tjemplon has joined Aircalin as sales executive New Zealand following a company restructure in the wake of Angela Hallett’s departure.
Tjemplon, who will be based in Auckland, has more than 14 years of industry knowledge and experience as well as a deep understanding of New Caledonia and Aircalin’s services.
Meanwhile, Chris Thistlethwaite will assume the role of country manager for New Zealand (in addition to Australia). Thistlethwaite, who has 17 years of experience in the travel industry in sales and management, will continue to manage

Combining traditional service with modern marketing and business is one of the keys to operating a successful independent travel agency, according to an agent who has managed to sustain that status for more than 21 years.

Edith Carpenter, managing director of Planet Earth Travel in Auckland, says having a distinct niche market (in her case the local Filipino community) is another major aspect to longevity as an independent.

By Lisa Bradley

The World Journeys team is living proof enforced change – and a bit of bottle – can lead to success that ultimately feels made to measure.

The company was created by a group of travel colleagues who broke away from Adventure World when the organisation was taken over by Australian corporate giant NMRA in 2007. A decade on, World Journeys is going strong.

But while the takeover provided the impetus for change, the World Journey directors say standing true to the company’s core principle of offering boutique experiences based on specialist knowledge is what has helped it clock up 10

By Julie Cleaver
After 51 years in the travel industry, Donald Foley has decided to end his professional journey and begin a personal one.
Foley, who is currently working as a broker alongside Janet Lewisham, has bought a caravan in Australia and is looking forward to ‘hanging loose’ for six months with his partner.
‘This year my wife Christine and I will travel along the coast of Australia. We can’t wait to be beach bums,’ says Foley while relaxing in his St Heliers home.

Emprendedor, intraprendente, giat... in any language, enterprising is the word to use when describing Kiwi Scott Cardwell’s bid to tear down the language barrier for travellers.
The 28 year old is developing a virtual reality, language-learning app called ImmerseMe, which has caught the eye of NZ Travel Brokers.
Dunedinite Cardwell recently returned from two months of travelling around 10 countries in Europe, Japan, China and Indonesia, where he and videographer Tim Armstrong filmed scenarios such as ordering off a menu for

India, connecting New Zealand and Australia’s capital cities, commemorative events and a whole lot of cake. Lisa Bradley reports on the rise of Simon Turcotte’s Singapore Airlines career.
On 21 September in Wellington this year the buzz was not coming from the Beehive but from the city’s airport where hundreds had gathered to witness the capital’s first long-haul flight.

After 24 years in the travel industry, industry stalwart Alka Thapar is pulling up anchor and heading to greener pastures. Where this maybe, she isn’t really sure, but she says it’s time for a break.
For the past two years, Thapar has been business development manager for Princess Cruises. In her varied industry roles, she has made many great friends and some of them were on the Emerald Princess yesterday to say good-bye.
‘I am sad to go – but it is time. It has been a humbling experience to be able to work with such great people in this industry and hugs all round. The varied personalities I have met during my time have certainly kept things interesting and never boring.’

True retail success can be found in returning customers and happy staff – just ask Chris Harrop, whose people-first attitude is winning him business and the respect of the industry. By Lisa Bradley

Chris Harrop is an agent of the people – he’s the man customers keep returning to for their travel needs and the employer staff very rarely leave.

Harrop is also a man with a ready smile who signs off an email with a cheery ‘toodle pip’. And a travel agent so well liked by his peers he received a standing ovation when he won the TAANZ Best Travel Agency Manager Retail Award in 2014.

Family man, keen rower who once represented Western Australia, head of an airline… and not yet 40. Lisa Bradley meets the man who is delivering AirAsia X back to New Zealand.

AirAsia X chief executive officer Benyamin Ismail’s visit to New Zealand last month was in keeping with the airline – cheerfully executed without fanfare and devoid of weighty corporate hoopla. 

Ismail visiting on a brand-building exercise, meeting industry players and the media before the airline kicks off its first flight on March 22 – and making time to take his team bungy jumping off Auckland’s Harbour Bridge.

A little over 25 years ago Bruce Poon Tip arrived home from Thailand disappointed with his first package tour. Knowing he could do a better job, a young Poon Tip set out to fill a gap in the market between all-inclusive bus tours and backpacking, financing his idea with whoever would believe in him, namely Visa.

Now, a mere 25 years later, Poon Tip is the owner of the world’s largest adventure tourism company and author of the best selling book Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business.

G Adventures celebrated its 25^th anniversary in December last year, and to mark the occasion launched numerous projects proving game changers for the face of adventure tourism.