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This week in Opportunities:

Timeshare Business Still Hot
Travel Insurance Segment Keeps on Growing
Online Corporate Travel Still Expanding
Internet Use Still Growing for Travel Business
Cruise Business Continues to Heat Up
New Opportunities!
Networking Opportunities
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

Survey Shows Timeshare Business Is Still Hot

The timeshare industry used to be the black sheep of the travel industry, infamous for direct sales pitches touting the benefits of vacation home rentals with dubious validity. But that's all changed over the past few years as some major industry players have entered the segment, from Cendant Corp. to Marriott International, and even Marriott's high-end Ritz-Carlton brand. So opportunities abound in what has now been renamed as the vacation home ownership or rentals, instead of timeshares. In fact, a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers' study cites the benefits of these vacation home communities to surrounding regions, including repeat visitors, jobs, consumer expenditures, high occupancy rates, and industry stability. According to a study conducted by the hospitality consulting firm for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the U.S. timeshare industry made a $66.7 billion economic impact on the U.S. economy in 2002. Combined direct and indirect economic impacts, as well as fiscal contributions for the industry, totaled $44.4 billion of output, 476,100 full-and part-time jobs, $15.9 billion in payroll and related income, and $6.4 billion in tax revenue during 2002. The study is the largest and most comprehensive the industry has undertaken, surveying 3,359 timeshare owners and 54 timeshare entities covering approximately 34 percent of existing timeshare resort units and approximately 67 percent of industry sales. According to ARDA, there are 1,590 timeshare resorts nationwide with a total of 132,000 units as of Jan. 1, 2003.

Travel Insurance Segment Keeps on Growing

There's a growing profession in what may not seem like the sexiest travel job category, but one that remains essential to the business: travel insurance. In fact, seven of the nation's largest travel insurers are launching the U.S. Travel Insurance Association (USTiA) to foster professional standards of industry conduct, cultivate effective government relations, assist members and educate consumers. Approaching $1 billion in annual revenues, the U.S. travel insurance industry now protects tens of millions of American travelers every year. The founding UStiA officers are: UStiA President: Jon Ansell, President & CEO of World Access/Access America; UStiA Vice President: Bradley Finkle, President of Trip Mate; and UStiA Secretary/Treasurer: Paul Latchford, Vice President of AEGON Direct. UStiA Founding Companies and initial Board of Directors are: Ed Walker, AEGON Direct; Michael Ambrose, Travelex Insurance Services; Howard Gulick, BCS Insurance Co.; Bradley Finkle, Trip Mate; Les Maine, CSA Travel Protection; Jon Ansell, World Access/Access America; and Tom Zavadsky, Travel Guard International. The new association is accepting membership applications from companies in the insurance, assistance and travel industries. Three categories of membership are available: Regular memberships, associate memberships and subscribers. For more information call 804-673-1534 or e-mail jansell@worldaccess.com.

Online Corporate Travel Vendors Still Expanding

An ever-growing segment of the travel business is online corporate travel. Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity, the three top consumer booking sites, have been targeting major corporate accounts for the past year, and are starting to have some success. Last week, for example, Orbitz for Business added Knight Ridder to its customer base of more than 1,000 companies. Knight Ridder selected the full-service travel management program for its multi-tiered customer service program, sophisticated data reporting capabilities and low costs. Orbitz for Business also boasted that it has achieved the industry's highest online adoption rate of nearly 90 percent for all corporate customer transactions. Meanwhile, Expedia Corporate Travel, which has already won such major corporate travel customers as CSX Corporation and Harvard University, unveiled four new features and services as part of a series of product enhancements that lets corporate customers make more informed and autonomous decisions during the business travel booking process. Among the new offerings are personalized seat searches, automatic flight upgrades, proactive unused ticket notifications and company-defined destinations within hotel searches. Both Orbitz for Business and Expedia Corporate Travel have posted a number of positions in corporate travel on their respective Web sites.

Internet Use Still Growing for Travel Business

Internet-related travel companies will continue to prosper if the latest survey is correct. According to the new YPB&R/Yankelovich Partners 2004 National Leisure Travel Monitor, consumers' use of the Internet to plan some aspect of a future trip, whether for business or pleasure, is still rising. The rate at which consumers now use the Internet to actually book travel services is growing even faster, suggesting that consumers are likely to use the Internet to purchase travel services with even greater frequency in the months ahead. According to the National Travel Monitor: 69 percent of business travelers now use the Internet to plan some aspect of a future business trip, up from 55 percent in 2002. Fully 51 percent of business travelers now book travel services online, up from 33 percent in 2002. Among active leisure travelers, 63 percent now use the Internet to plan some aspect of a future vacation (up from 53 percent in 2002). Forty-five percent now book travel services online (up from 32 percent in 2002). An estimated 87 percent of active business travelers now have access to the Internet from home (significantly higher than the incidence for the general population). The corresponding incidence for active leisure travelers is 72 percent, or roughly comparable to the national average for all households. Among active business travelers during the previous 12 months, 80 percent went online to reserve hotel accommodations; 68 percent went online to book an airline reservation; 45 percent went online to arrange a car rental. Among active leisure travelers during the previous 12 months: 73 percent went online to reserve hotel or resort accommodations; 64 percent went online to book an airline reservation; 32 percent went online to arrange a car rental; 20 percent went online to book a complete vacation package.

Cruise Business Stays Hot-and May Get Hotter

Want to be part of an industry segment that just keeps getting hotter? Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) unveiled its Spring 2004 Overview, which shows that over the next three years, more than 44 North Americans intend to take a cruise. To date, roughly 15 percent of the U.S. population target market has cruised. Maintaining historical occupancy levels, this means the cruise industry could see 10 million guests in 2004. The cruise business had 8,195,000 passengers in 2003. Since 1980, the industry has had an average annual passenger growth of 8.1 percent. Also since 1980, nearly 100 million passengers have taken a deep-water cruise of two plus days or more. Of this number, 61 percent of total passengers have been generated over the past 10 years, and 37 percent have been generated in the past five years alone. From a capacity standpoint, utilization is consistently over 90 percent. The Caribbean continues to represent the number one destination for North Americans, with 46 percent of capacity development, followed by Europe, the Mediterranean, Alaska, Mexico, Panama trans-canal, Hawaii and South America. CLIA currently has 20 member lines and 16,000 travel agency affiliates. According to the survey, almost all passengers (90 percent plus) are booking through travel agents. For more information, visit www.cruising.org.

OPPORTUNITIES WATCH!

MSC Cruises Grows To Target North America

If you think Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line represent the entire North America cruise market, think again. A number of niche players are still going strong-and they have now been joined by yet another. MSC Cruises, which offers sailings in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, has hired Rick Sasso as president and CEO-North America as part of a major expansion and marketing effort targeting more business from the U.S. Sasso, former president of Celebrity Cruises, said MSC intends to become a very highly visible presence and a major player in North America. The company will launch the MSC Opera in June; recently purchased the European Vision (renamed MSC Armonia); and has two ships on order for delivery in 2006 and 2007. MSC also exploring additional new builds and buying other existing ships. The company plans to boost Florida sailings to the Caribbean with more vessels. MSC already markets cruises in the Mediterranean, the Baltic and South America. MSC Cruises will keep its New Jersey reservations center but plans to open a South Florida office. Sasso has already reported named several members of his executive team at MSC. Ares Michaelides will serve as senior vice president and chief operating officer. He joins from Holland America Line, where he was vice president-revenue marketing, Michaelides previously held senior roles in finance, marketing and brand planning at Celebrity when Sasso was Celebrity's president. Jim Henwood has been named vice president-sales and marketing. He previously worked with Sasso at Celebrity as vice president- sales and also managed the customer service and creative services department for Celebrity and Royal Caribbean International as vice president-customer relations. He also served as vice president-sales at Renaissances Cruises and Royal Olympic Cruises. Steve Hirshan, MSC's former vice president-sales, is now vice president-passenger services, overseeing customer service, reservations and travel agent relations. Also named as vice-president-revenue planning is Cy Hopkins, who formerly was responsible for yield management, reservations and groups at Celebrity, and also has held executive positions at Renaissance Cruises, Royal Olympic and First European Cruises. Bob Keesler, a hotel industry veteran who most recently was vice president-guest satisfaction at Celebrity, has been named MSC's vice president-hotel and marine operations. Finally, Irv Mednick has been appointed director of IT. Mednick built Celebrity's reservations system and lately worked as a technology executive at Silversea Cruises.

Former Far & Wide Tour Brands Get New Life

Spanish Heritage Tours (SHT) has been relaunched by a newly formed company, The Preferred Traveler, owned by Robert and Tom Paris, who also own Club ABC Tours. The SHT brand was previously owned by defunct Far & Wide, which filed for bankruptcy protection last September and was subsequently dissolved. Santos Zamora, former SHT president, is acting as senior consultant. The operator, which sells through travel agents, specializes cultural tours, air-hotel packages, coach tours and city combinations to Spain, Portugal, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, as well as Mediterranean cruises. In Spain, SHT will focus on Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and the Costa del Sol, with optional day trips to Cordoba, Granada, Seville, Gibraltar and Marbella. As part of a special launch offer, SHT is offering 15 percent commission on all packages through the end of May. At the same time that it re-launches SHT, Preferred Traveler has developed Visit Spain Tours for mass-market direct sales of packages to the Costa del Sol, Madrid and Barcelona. Meanwhile, Group IST, another company formed out of former Far & Wide assets, is acquiring New York-based eWaterways.com, an Internet portal for canal barge and river boat cruising. eWaterways.com owns a network of websites that sell barge and river cruises, including www.bargespecials.com, to France Holland, Ireland, England, South America and Asia. Naomi Kabak, a former eWaterways.com executive, will become IST Group's vice president-marketing, and another eWaterways.com executive, Sharon Fleming, has been appointed Group IST's manager-inside sales. Separately, Group IST is adding the products of Athens-based Zeus Group to its inventory of ocean-going offerings, including Zeus Casual Cruises, Galileo Cruises and Harmony Cruises.

Ritz-Carlton: Growth in Texas With More To Come

Ritz-Carlton is still growing its portfolio of top hotels-and that means more job openings may be on the way. The company just unveiled plans for its first luxury hotel in Texas, a 217-room property in Dallas located in the Crescent Center area. The hotel, scheduled to open in 2007, also will feature 70 private condominiums as part of The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. The hotel will occupy the first eight floors of the building and feature a restaurant, 14,000-square feet of meeting space, and a 12,000-square foot spa and fitness center, complete with an indoor swimming pool. Meanwhile, Ritz-Carlton CEO was reportedly scouting out locations for a new Ritz Carlton on the Las Vegas strip. The company already has a property in the suburbs of that gaming mecca. So it's probably not out of line to predict that Ritz-Carlton will soon be looking to fill a slew of new posts as it staffs up its new properties.

Navigant Corporate Travel Sees Better Times Ahead

Just because the major online travel companies are expanding into corporate travel doesn't mean traditional corporate travel agencies are rolling over. Indeed, most are reporting higher revenue and net income. Last week Navigant International, Inc., one of the top providers of corporate travel management services in the U.S., today reported record first quarter operating results for the period ended March 28. Revenues were up 20.8 percent to $107.4 million, while net income was up 30.5 percent to $5.5 million and EBITA was up 8.3 percent to $13.8 million. Edward Adams, chairman and CEO, said the record first quarter results are well ahead of the financial guidance the company provided in early February. "Our improved results reflect the anticipated upturn in corporate travel as well as the acquisition of a meetings and incentive company with significant first quarter seasonality," he said. Navigant is also growing. In March, it joined TUI Business Travel Deutschland, GmbH as a 50 percent global shareholder in TQ3 Travel Solutions to create one of the world's largest travel management companies. Navigant currently employs more than 4,200 associates and has operations in 1,000 locations in 20 countries and U.S. territories. For more information on the company, visit www.navigant.com.

Las Vegas Sands Has Major Expansion Plans

Casino resort companies, especially those based in Las Vegas, continue to report higher revenues and profits-and many are focused on expansion. In the past few weeks, MGM Mirage and Mandalay Bay Resorts have both seen quarterly gains. Now Las Vegas Sands, Inc., owner and operator of the Venetian Casino Resort and The Grand Canal Shoppes in Las Vegas, and the Sand Macao, in Macao, reported income from operations during the first quarter of 2004 rose to a record $75.7 million, compared to $45.9 million reported in the first quarter of 2003. Net income for the first quarter of 2004 was a record $37.8 million, compared with net income of $13.0 million for the first quarter of 2003. Net revenue for the first quarter of 2004 was $220.8 million, compared with $158.7 million in the first quarter of 2003. In fact, the news is so good that Las Vegas Sands also may add even more rooms, adding to the 1,013-room Venezia Tower that opened last year, as well and Venetian Congress Center expansion of 150,000 square feet, including three ballrooms, sixty-four meeting rooms and three permanent boardrooms. Word comes that The Venetian may add another tower with another 3,000 rooms, which would make the resort the largest in the world with close to 7,000 rooms. Las Vegas Sands also is currently evaluating bids for work to begin construction a 3,000-room destination resort in Macao, The Venetian Macao. All of which bodes well for more jobs in the casino resort business.

Dollar Thrifty Executes Growth Strategy Plan

The car rental industry may be dominated by such major players as Hertz and Avis, but at least one other company is also on the growth path. Helped by a burgeoning market for rentals, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. reported total revenue for the first quarter was a record $298.7 million, up 19.3 percent from the prior year's first quarter. Net income for the quarter was $6.5 million. The strong first quarter revenue growth was driven by a 33.8 percent increase in vehicle rental revenue resulting from substantial volume increases. Total rental days increased by 37 percent with same store rental days up 15.7 percent. Dollar Thrifty also continues to execute its growth strategy of acquiring both Dollar and Thrifty franchises in key U.S. and Canadian markets. During the first quarter, it purchased the Thrifty franchise operations in Aspen, Colorado, Greensboro and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and completed the acquisition of the Dollar franchise operations in Aspen and Vancouver, Canada. In addition, it completed the acquisition of the Thrifty franchise in Ft. Myers, Fla., on April 1, and announced the pending acquisition of the Thrifty franchises in Orlando and Tampa, Fla., with an effective date of May 1. These acquisitions will add approximately 7,000 vehicles on an annualized basis to the company's rental fleet. Even better, Dollar Thrifty expects continued growth in travel in 2004 as the economy improves. "We are seeing excellent transaction growth demonstrating the strength of our two value brands," said Dollar Thrifty CEO Gary Paxton said. "We will continue to pursue our franchise acquisition strategy and strive for increased operating efficiencies resulting from our consolidated operating model and organizational structure. These savings are allowing us to invest in improved IT systems, marketing initiatives and infrastructure to facilitate additional growth."

OPPORTUNITIES NETWORKING!

Network at Travel Weekly's Leisure Travel Summit

Want yet another good venue for networking? Industry trade newspaper Travel Weekly and sister publication Travel Age West are co-sponsoring the Leisure Travel Summit, a conference and trade show set for June 11-12 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. The show will feature an estimated 200 supplier exhibitors and four seminars: "The Low Sweat Business Plan" by Robert Joselyn, president of Joselyn, Tepper & Associates; "Working Smarter: The Professional Path to Profitability," presented by Sue Wilder, based on Travel Institute professional texts; "Great Customer Service: A Magnet for Great Customers," also based on Travel Institute texts; and an interactive seminar focusing on customer needs, by Roberta Schwartz. A number of participating suppliers will present product and destination workshops, including Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Globus & Cosmos, Travcoa, TCS Expeditions and VisitBritain. Jurni Network, Sabre's home-based agent network, will offer a seminar called "Targeted Marketing -- Turning More Shoppers Into Buyers."

Destination marketing organizations from Kauai, Oahu, Jamaica, Switzerland and Ireland will also offer destination seminars. Modern Agent president and CEO Mark Murphy will give a seminar on rewards programs.

The price for the conference is $89. For more information, visit www.leisuretravelsummit.com or call 866-310-6572.

Use TIA's Web Site as a Resource for the Industry

The web site for the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) has a wealth of information on the industry, including surveys, statistics. TIA is non-profit. Washington, D.C.-based association that speaks for the common interests of all industry sectors. Each year in April or May it holds one of the biggest travel meetings and expositions for inbound travel, Pow Wow, which is attended by many top industry executives. It also regularly releases travel outlook reports and research. Many of TIA's reports are for members or subscribers only, but there are a number of publications and research reports that can be accessed by the public. One of the best resources is a listing of nearly every major industry event, including national and international meetings, as well as those sponsored by TIA (under Meetings & Events). If open to the public, these meetings are often great networking opportunities for those interested in getting into the travel business or switching sectors within it. For more information, visit www.tia.org.

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

AIRLINES: Delta Air Lines named Michael Palumbo as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective May 11. He replaces M. Michele Burns, who announced her resignation from Delta effective May 1. Delta also announced that Robert Colman, executive vice president-human resources, will retire, effective June 1, after six years with Delta. Colman's replacement will be named soon. Palumbo most recently was a consultant with Airline Financial Services in New York. His prior positions include executive vice president and chief financial officer at Trans World Airlines; partner, HPF Associates, Inc., a financial consulting firm; senior vice president and transportation group head for E.F. Hutton; senior vice president, finance and treasurer for Western Airlines; and assistant treasurer for Pan American World AirwaysÖContinental Airlines named Jim Summerford, vice president-International, as vice president-Europe & Middle East, to oversee the airline's continuing expansion of trans-Atlantic service. Summerford will be based at the airline's U.K. head office in Horley, Surrey starting June 1. He will have overall management responsibility for the airline's sales and marketing in 12 countries. Continental currently serves 17 cities in Europe and the Middle East from its New York, Houston and Cleveland hubs. It will launch services from New York to Edinburgh, Scotland, and Oslo, Norway, in June and is increasing capacity and frequency on several other trans-Atlantic routes. Summerford has held the position of vice president-international for Continental since March 2003. Prior to that, he held various positions of increasing responsibility within Continental's finance organization, including vice president of financial planning and analysisÖ UAL Corporation, parent of United Airlines, named Scott Dolan as president-United Cargo and senior vice president-United Airlines. In this role, Dolan will have worldwide responsibility for United's cargo division, including revenue, marketing, operations, product quality and customer service. Dolan comes to United after serving as senior vice president and chief operating officer for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings in Purchase, N.Y., the parent company of Atlas Air Inc. and Polar Air Cargo. He will report to Pete McDonald, executive vice president-operations.

CRUISE LINES: Holland America Line named Steve Simao as world cruise marketing manager, a newly created position, reporting to David Caesar, director of voyage marketing. Simao will be responsible for developing marketing programs and building relationships with travel agents who have experienced cruise clients. He also will arrange agent educational events and agency presentations, as well as provide collateral materials. Simao joined Holland America in 1997 as shipboard purser and later became district sales manager for Florida's west coast.

HOTELS & RESORTS: Hawthorn Suites, the extended stay all-suites chain, named Chick Armstrong as senior vice president of development, signaling the brand's commitment to adding a significant number of new hotels over the next few years. Indeed, CEO Mike Leven says the chain plans to double the number of its hotel over the next five years. Armstrong will be responsible for the overall strategic direction and development of Hawthorn Suites, including the formation of an expanded sales team, which he intends to start building immediately. A 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Amstrong previously served as vice president of franchise sales at Candlewood Suites from 1999 until last December when the company was sold to Intercontinental Hotels Group. Prior to that, he was with Cendant Corporation and HFS, Inc., where he helped to launch Wingate Inns. Armstrong has also held executive franchise sales positions with Days Inn, Ramada Inn and Howard JohnsonÖFelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated, the nation's second largest hotel real estate investment trust (REIT), announced the resignation of Richard O'Brien as executive vice president and CFO. O'Brien left FelCor to pursue other opportunities as of April 23. No replacement has been namedÖThe Dorchester Group, the London-based hotel property and management company wholly owned by The Brunei Investment Agency, announced that Ricci Obertelli, chief operations officer since 1997 has been promoted to Global Development Director of the Group, reporting directly to board. Obertelli will now be responsible for directing the group's expansion strategy worldwide, as well as developing the brand across the globe. Francois Delahaye, currently general manager of The Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris, will become the group operations director, as well as retaining his role at The Plaza Athenee. The Dorchester Group owns five hotels with a total of 1,204 rooms in four of the world's leading cities. It focuses on a portfolio of the finest "grand" hotels in Europe and the U.S., including The Dorchester in London, The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, the Hotel Meurice and the Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris, and the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan

Joe Higgins was named U.S. director of group sales for Half Moon in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Higgins most recently was director of incentive sales for Kerzner International's Atlantis Paradise Island in the BahamasÖTerrell Jones, the former CEO of Travelocity, has joined La Quinta Corporation's board of directors. Jones also is a principal with Essential Ideas, a consulting firm specializing in travel distribution that he helped form in 2002. He also serves on the board of directors of Earthlink, Entrust and is a special venture partner with General Catalyst Partners in Boston. La Quinta Corporation operates or franchises more than 370 La Quinta Inns and La Quinta Inn & Suites in 33 statesÖSavista LLC, a provider of technology and business process outsourcing solutions to the hospitality industry, appointed Jeff Bizzack as chief executive officer. Savista is majority owned by Accel-KKR, a private investment firm founded by venture capital firm Accel Partners and private equity investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Bizzack was formerly executive vice president of ProBusiness Services Inc., one of the largest providers of payroll and HR business process outsourcing services to large corporations and was sold to Automatic Data Processing, Inc. in 2003 for $500 millionÖMeyer Jabara Hotels has promoted Ken Conklin to the newly created position of senior vice president-destination experiences and marketing. Conklin has been with Meyer Jabara since 1982 and most recently was general manager of the Company's three independent hotels in Baltimore: the Brookshire Suites, Pier 5 and The Admiral Fell Inn. In his new role, Conklin will have overall responsibility for the development of customized marketing themes and guest packages at each of the company's 29 hotelsÖInterContinental Hotels Group named Carmen Lam as vice president-sales and marketing for Asia Pacific, based in Singapore and reporting directly A. Patrick Imbardelli, managing director for Asia Pacific. Lam has overall responsibility for planning, developing and driving key sales and marketing strategies to maximize hotel performance. Before joining InterContinental, she was the group director of sales and marketing for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts based in Hong Kong. Prior to her promotion in 2001, she was vice president for marketing and had previously held the position of director of marketing at two of Shangri-La's hotels in Hong Kong and Jakarta. She also served with the Hong Kong Tourism Board between 1997 and 2000, where she was senior manager for tourism marketingÖBarcelo Crestline Corporation appointed James Carroll as senior vice president and treasurer. Carroll will be responsible for strategic planning, risk management, cash management, banking relationships and other fiduciary responsibilities. Barcelo Crestline Corporation is a leading North American hospitality owner, lender and lessee and is a subsidiary of Barcelo Corporacion Empresarial, Spain. Carroll joins the company following a career at Dell, Inc., where he held a variety of positions in strategic marketing and operations.

TRAVEL AGENTS: Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate Division said two longtime senior managers in the division's supplier relations department-Darla Chartier and Pam Young-have been promoted to serve as directors. Their appointment comes just weeks after Carlson's supplier relations chief, Mark Masuda, wa named vice president for the Carlson Travel Franchise Group. Chartier, director of supplier relations, is currently responsible for directing Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates' preferred supplier relationships with airline, air consolidator, charter and scheduled air tour operators, as well as with the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) relationships. Her area also has responsibility for managing Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates' beneficial services and supplier reporting. Chartier joined Carlson in October 1987, rising from a post processing Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) reports for one segment of Carlson's wholly-owned travel agencies, before moving into Carlson's industry relations department as an analyst. In 1998, the Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate Division tapped Chartier to manage its preferred supplier relationships for airlines and car rental companies. Young, director of supplier relations, is currently responsible for directing the preferred supplier relationships for Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates with cruise lines, tour operators, luxury hotels and rail companies. Her area also has responsibility for managing Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates' group space and seminars-at-sea educational programs. Young joined the Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associate Division in 1998 to manage preferred supplier relationships with tour operators. She was subsequently promoted to senior manager in 2000, and assumed the added responsibilities of overseeing preferred relationships with cruise suppliers the following year. Prior to joining Carlson, she began her travel industry career working for more than ten years among three travel agencies, before joining Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines in 1989 as serving as a district sales manager for over eight years.

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