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This week in Opportunities:

Airline Ticket Sales Show Strong May Growth
U.S. Job Growth Predicted By 38% of CEOs
Real U.S. Hotel Recovery May Still Be a Year Away
Top Hotel Groups Grew during Down Year
New Opportunities!
Networking Opportunities
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

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OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS!

Airline Ticket Sales Show Strong Growth in May

A good indicator of the health of the travel industry is in airline ticket sales. The Airlines Reporting Corp., the clearinghouse for all airline ticket sales through accredited retail locations, just reported May 2004 sales were the strongest for a four-week month since May 2001. International fares alone reached the highest dollar volume for a four-week month since May in 2000, which was considered a banner year for the travel industry. ARC also claimed the latest statistics continue to show the value of the travel agency distribution system for airlines. Total sales were $5.886 billion, up 13 percent from May 2003's $5.195 billion. Average weekly sales per retail location were up 28 percent, to $59,949 from $46,985 in May 2003. Airline ticket sales in nearly every month this year have shown steady growth, so it appears that the country is finally back flying at levels comparable to pre-Sept. 11, 2001 levels.

U.S. Job Growth Predicted By 38 Percent of CEOs

Thirty-eight percent of chief executives expect their companies to add U.S. jobs over the next six months, up from 33 percent in March, according to a survey by the Business Roundtable, which is made up of the country's top CEOs. The survey showed 43 percent expect no change in employment at their companies, down from 45 percent three months ago. Just 19 percent expect jobs to decline, compared with 22 percent in March.

Real U.S. Hotel Recovery May Still Be a Year Away

All the signs are good for a recovery of the U.S. hotel industry, but some top hotel executives are still wary. While the U.S. hotel industry is beginning to recover after a three-year downturn, a full-fledged recovery is still at least a year away, according to several top hotel executives, speaking at New York University's International Hospitality Conference. Most hotel chains have begun raising room rates for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At the same time, high labor costs and rising energy bills will delay improvements in operating margins, according to Loews Hotels Chairman Jonathan Tisch. "With rising costs in health benefits, insurance and energy, we have to be diligent in how we absorb those expenses and increase profitability," Tisch said at the hospitality conference. According to a survey of hotel executives attending the conference, a majority (62 percent) believes that overall recovery of occupancy and ADR (average daily rate) to 2000 levels is one to two years away, while 51 percent say an increase in the RevPAR (revenue per available room) is the measure to watch, indicating when a real recovery is under way. Revival of corporate travel (63 percent) and the rate of job growth (22 percent) are the factors cited as having the greatest effect on the pace of recovery. Sixty-four percent of hotel executives surveyed said that upper upscale and upscale will be the service segments that will experience the greatest investment activity over the next six months. Urban (52 percent) followed by suburban (33 percent) will be the most active geographic segments during the same six-month period. Further, Asia/Pacific (55 percent) followed by North America (29 percent) are predicted to experience the greatest percentage increase in lodging investment over the next five years.

World's Top Hotel Groups Grew in a Down Year for Travel

The hotel industry may have seen a downturn last year, as did the rest of the industry. But that didn't stop top hotel companies from growing. The 100 largest hotel groups in the world increased their supply by 1,555 hotels, which translates into 166,120 rooms, in 2003, according to MKG Consulting, which analyzed 180 hotel groups having at least 2,000 rooms. According to the survey, at the top of the ranking, three European groups are contesting the supremacy of American hotel groups in the worldwide hotel industry: InterContinental Hotels Group, Accor and Hilton International. Of the three largest European hotel companies, InterContinental Hotels Group rose to the highest rank thanks to the acquisition of the American Candlewood Suites, passing the long-time leader Cendant. Nevertheless, American brands continued to dominate the list, with 13 among the 20 largest hotel brands. According to the survey, the 10 largest groups in the world have control over more than three fourths of the hotel supply of the 100 largest hotels of the sector. The capacity of the 100 largest hotel groups totaled 110,745 rooms, resulting from the addition of 166,120 rooms (1,155 hotels) and the dropping of 55,375 rooms. Alone, the 10 most dynamic hotel groups added 118,136 rooms to the world supply. Leading the way in brand expansion, Express by Holiday Inn increased 10.2 percent in number of rooms, while Novotel saw a 7.3 percent increase in number of rooms. The two largest hotel groups, InterContinental Hotels Group and Cendant, total more than a million rooms, with 536,318 and 518,435 rooms, respectively. So where is this growth taking place? The economic potential of Asia, and particularly China, led to a rise of 10 percent in the hotel supply in this zone, by far the largest expansion registered in 2003. The North American zone saw moderate growth in its chain supply, largely due to the drop in the supply of for Cendant. In Europe, the increase in the supply was up 3 percent thanks to growth in Eastern European countries. French brands experienced some of the largest increases, notably Sofitel, the 36th largest brand, which gained one place, with a growth rate of 12.5 percent to 36,609 rooms; Etap Hotel, 53rd largest brand, which rose one place with an increase of 9.7 percent to 22,776 rooms; and Accor's Novotel (up 7.3 percent) and Ibis (up 6.3 percent).

OPPORTUNITIES WATCH!

NCL America Finally Takes the U.S. Flag

Here's a company to watch, particularly since it's in the process of helping to generate nearly 7,000 jobs in Hawaii. For the first time in nearly half a century, a cruise ship is flying the U.S. flag. Last week in San Francisco, Colin Veitch, president and CEO of NCL America, an affiliate of Norwegian Cruise Line, raised the U.S. flag on Pride of Aloha. Formerly the Bahamian-flagged Norwegian Sky, Pride of Aloha just completed a multi-million dollar refurbishment in San Francisco. As a U.S.-flagged ship, Pride of Aloha is crewed by nearly 800 American crew members. Pride of Aloha will complete a series of Pacific coastal cruises in June before setting sail for her new homeport of Honolulu. Following an inaugural celebration and a christening on July 4, she will begin her regular seven-day, year-round Hawaii cruise schedule, visiting all four main islands and offering passengers up to 96 hours in port. The cruise features two overnight stays in Kauai and Maui, and full-day calls in Kona and Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. Best of all, the ship is projected to generate more than $275 million in annual expenditures, $199 million in direct and indirect wages and salaries, $42 million in federal tax revenues, and nearly 7,000 jobs in Hawaii. Once NCL America's plans are fully implemented, its U.S.-flag fleet is expected to generate more than $828 million in U.S. economic activity and 20,400 jobs, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study.

Carnival Debuts Seven Ships in Seven Months

NCL America isn't the only cruise company on the growth path. Last week Princess Cruises named the new 2,674-passenger Sapphire Princess in Seattle. That means Carnival Corporation & plc, Princess' parent, has now introduced seven ships in less than seven months. The new ship parade began when Costa Cruises introduced the 2,720-passenger Costa Fortuna in Savona, Italy, in late November 2003. Since then, Carnival Corp. has launched six more ships. In January 2004, Cunard Line introduced the 151,000-ton Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger vessel ever constructed. Carnival Cruise Lines launched the 2,124- passenger Carnival Miracle in February, followed by Princess Cruises' 2,674-passenger Diamond Princess in March. Princess Cruises' 3,114-passenger Caribbean Princess and Holland America Line's 1,848-passenger Westerdam entered service in April. Together, these ships represent nearly 18,000 total lower berths. This record new ship introduction schedule, at a rate of approximately one ship a month, was brought about by last year's merger by Carnival with P&O Princess Cruises to create Carnival Corporation & plc. Carnival will now have a short lull in its new ship introductions, but is still finished for the year. Still to come are Costa's 2,702-passenger Costa Magica in November and Carnival Cruise Lines' 2,974-passenger Carnival Valor in December.

MSC Cruises Christens MSC Opera in France

Major cruise companies like Carnival Corp. and NCL aren't the only ones on the growth path. Last week MSC Cruises christened the MSC Opera at the Chantiers de l"Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. The ship will begin its summer season of scheduled western Mediterranean cruises on June 27, using Genoa as its homeport. In November, MSC Opera will be repositioned to the Caribbean for a winter season of sailings out of Port Everglades, Fla. MSC Cruises has two other new ships on order from the French shipyard slated for delivery in 2006 and 2007. The company, which recently named U.S. CEO just two months ago, expects to have a fleet of eight ships by 2007 with a total capacity of around 15,000 beds.

InterContinental Details New Hotel Indigo Brand

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) unveiled details for its new Hotel Indigo brand. The design and service model of Hotel Indigo was created specifically to address critical attitudes of this segment that identifies itself as value shoppers, non-conformists and dÈcor enthusiasts as potential guests. A key component of Hotel Indigo's retail service model, developed with the assistance of Back Lot Productions, focuses on design elements that can be changed out to create a renewed environment. In guestrooms, signature murals, area rugs and slip covers will change, while public spaces will be transformed through changing artwork, directional signage and paint schemes. Using the timeless, universal design constant known as the Golden Mean, the dÈcor incorporates imagery that conveys a warm, welcoming environment. The Hotel Indigo brand, developed primarily for hotel conversions, is designed to fit a variety of markets in locations where a hotel might not be reaching its full potential. The first Hotel Indigo, scheduled to open in Atlanta by the end of 2004, will have approximately 140 rooms. The brand is targeted for high-profile urban and close-in suburban markets, such Chicago, Miami, Boston and Los Angeles.

Luxe Worldwide Adds Hotels in Colorado, Paris, New York

InterContinental is clearly on the growth path, but so are several niche operators. Luxe Worldwide Hotels, a hotel representation company, has added three new properties: Western Colorado's newly remodeled Grand Lodge Crested Butte, Hotel Wales, on Manhattan's Upper East side, and the recently opened Murano Urban Resort in Paris. Luxe Worldwide also is opening regional offices in Singapore and Hong Kong, which will the number of Luxe offices in the Asia Pacific region to four, joining those in Tokyo and Sydney. There are a total of 11 Luxe regional offices worldwide.

OPPORTUNITIES NETWORKING!

Discover the Caribbean at the 27th CTC Conference

The 27th annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC), which will be held Oct. 17-20 in Aruba, will focus on the development of inventive and novel tourism-related programs that will help drive business to the Caribbean. CTC also is a place to meet top tourism officials from the region, as well as top hotel and resort executives, tour operators and travel agents. Jean Holder, secretary general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), said the theme of this year's conference is Caribbean Tourism: Driving Business in the Global Economy. Statistics released by CTO's research and information management division indicate that the region experienced an 8 percent growth in tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2004 when compared to the same period last year. This increase continues the progress made in 2003, when stay over arrivals to the region increased by an estimated 7 percent during the winter over the same period in 2002. CTO is currently finalizing a stimulating and interactive program for CTC-27. A series of business meetings will precede the official conference opening on October 17. These CTO business meetings take place Oct. 15-17 and include meetings of the Ministers of Tourism, the Directors of Tourism, CTO's Board of Directors and Chapter Presidents. CTC-27 is organized by CTO in collaboration with the Aruba's Department of Tourism. The Wyndham Aruba is the headquarters hotel for the conference. For more information, call the CTO's headquarters in Barbados at 246-427-5242, fax 246-429-3065, e-mail ctobar@caribsurf.com. Or contact CTO's New York office at 212-635-9530, fax 212-635-9511, e-mail get2cto@dorsai.org, or visit CTO's web sites at www.doitcaribbean.com and www.onecaribbean.org.

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

AIRLINES: Delta Air Lines promoted Todd Helvie to the open position of senior vice president-treasurer, effective immediately. In addition, Delta has appointed Mona Warwar to fill the position of vice president-corporate tax, which was held by Helvie. Helvie has served as vice president-corporate tax since September 2000. He came to Delta in August 1999 as director-federal and international taxes. Prior to joining Delta, Helvie was head of taxes for the Pepsi-Cola Company, a division of PepsiCo., Inc. Warwar has served as director and tax counsel since joining Delta in 1999. She previously was senior tax attorney with Atlantic Richfield Company in Dallas and tax attorney with the law firm Dinsmore & Shohl in Cincinnati...UAL Corporation, parent of United Airlines, named Margaret Houlihan its director of state and local governmental affairs. In this role, she is responsible for advancing and protecting United's commercial interests, as well as educating elected officials about the company's efforts in Chicago and in Illinois. Houlihan also is responsible for leading a team of governmental affairs professionals located in United's other hub cities: Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Houlihan is based in Chicago and reports to Mark Anderson, vice president-governmental affairs, based in Washington, D.C. Since 1988, Houlihan has held various roles within Illinois and Chicago governments. Most recently, she was the deputy chief of staff-intergovernmental affairs for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich...Frontier Airlines announced three management changes in its marketing and corporate communications division. Andrew Hudson was promoted to senior director-corporate communications and marketing. Hudson previously served as director of communications. Hudson will continue to oversee Frontier's corporate communications department, including external and internal communications, government relations and community affairs and will now also lead the company's advertising, branding, marketing and special events initiatives. Hudson will report to Sean Menke, Frontier's senior vice president of marketing. Joe Hodas, Frontier's corporate spokesman, has been promoted to senior manager of corporate communications for Frontier. Hodas previously served as the manager of corporate communications and will now have a senior role in directing Frontier's corporate communications strategies and initiatives. Dan Vorlage has been named as Frontier's senior manager of branding, and will oversee Frontier's branding strategies and initiatives. Vorlage comes to Frontier from the Sterling-Rice Group, where he served as the senior account manager who helped lead and develop Frontier' s successful branding initiative... Sentient Jet, a leader in private jet membership, has named travel industry veteran Steven Hankin as chief executive officer. Hankin comes to Sentient from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, where he was chief marketing officer and president of its STARS (Starwood Technology and Revenue Systems) unit. Prior to that Hankin was a partner at McKinsey & Company, Inc., the international management and consulting firm. Sentient Jet Chairman Harvey Golub, former chairman of American Express, said Hankin's extensive marketing and branding experience in the travel industry made him the ideal executive for the position. Hankin replaces Mark Stone, who was Sentient CEO for two years and led the company to its current leadership position.

CRUISES: Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has named Mike Rodwell as managing director of the company with immediate effect. He is currently commercial director and has been with Fred Olsen for 16 years. Paul Brigginshaw, who has been managing director of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines since 1999, will remain on the board and with continue his role as managing director of Fred Olsen Travel and Fred Olsen Agencies Ltd...Laura Gilli has joined Silversea Cruises' marketing and communication staff in Europe. Based in Monte Carlo with responsibilities for communications and partnerships in Europe, Gilli will report to Barbara Muckermann, senior vice president-worldwide marketing. Gilli was previously public relations manager for communications at Festival Crociere in Genoa which recently filed for bankruptcyÖ Holland America Line promoted Kyle Kleyn van de Poll to district sales manager-Southwest Florida, one of the company's strongest sales territories. She will report to Tracy Kelly, vice president-sales. Kleyn van de Poll joined Holland America in 1999 as district sales manager-Northern Ohio. In 2001, she became national account manager-Eastern Division. Her responsibilities in that area will be absorbed by the line's National Accounts team. Kleyn van de Poll previously held sales manager positions at Celebrity Cruises and Royal Olympic Cruises.

DESTINATIONS: Elizabeth Johnsen is joining the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) as managing director-travel industry partnerships, effective July 1, based on the West Coast. Johnsen will direct HVCB's travel-trade efforts in North America, working with travel agencies, wholesalers, cruise lines and online travel partners. Most recently she was vice president of marketing at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. Prior to that she served as vice president of national accounts for Pleasant Holidays, the wholesaler specializing in Hawaii.

HOTELS & RESORTS: Relais & Chateaux appointed Jacques-Olivier Chauvin as chief executive officer. Since 1999 Jacques-Olivier Chauvin has been deputy director general in charge of marketing and communication. He takes over from Jean-Louis Bottigliero, who recently became the new owner of Hostellerie de Levernois, a Relais & Ch‚teaux in Beaune, France. Chauvin will continue to be in charge of the marketing, promotion, communications, guides, coordination of the international offices and international sales. He started his professional career as a deputy sales manager with Air France for the United Kingdom. From 1992 to 1996, he worked at the Taillevent Group as deputy director general in charge of the commercial development of the brand in France, Japan and the United States. Relaix & Chateaux also named FrÈdÈric Laroche as deputy director general. Since 1999 Laroche has been with the association as director of administrative and financial affairs. He is directly responsible for administration, human resources, legal affairs, brand management, new technologies, financial affairs and the management of the association and its subsidiaries. Before joining the association, he was a member of the board of management of Unilog, one of the largest IT service providers, for 13 years. In order to consolidate the international commercial development of the association, Relaix & Chateaux's board also decided to create two new positions with recruitments starting immediately: A director of international commercial affairs in charge of the worldwide activities relating to gift certificates and Lys offers as well as the central information and reservation system of the association, and a manager in charge of the international promotion offices (Berlin, Barcelona, London, New York and Tokyo) as well as the coordination of the 18 national and regional delegations around the world...Exclusive Resorts, the pioneer in luxury residence clubs, added former National Football League All-Pro wide receiver Ed McCaffrey as vice president of sports and entertainment. In addition, Jeff Benton, former director of partnerships for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), joins the company as director of business development to further strengthen the team. McCaffrey, who played with the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, will be involved in all aspects of business development with a focus on increasing Exclusive Resorts' brand awareness to athletes and entertainers. Benton previously was national sales director for the PGA Tour. In his new position, Benton will be responsible for the company's sports and entertainment strategic business development alliances globally. Both McCaffrey and Benton are based in the company's Denver headquarters...Lynn Ericksen has been named general manager of the 219-room Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa. He most recently served,as general manager of the Hotel @ MIT in Cambridge, Mass., a Hilton managed property. He reports to Ben Fusco, area vice president Hilton Resorts-Arizona. A 21-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Ericksen began his career in management at several Red Lion Hotels before joining the Doubletree Hotel Ontario in 1985 as general manager. From 1986 to 1999, he served as general manager of the Red Lion's Sacramento Inn, the Doubletree Hotel Spokane City Center and the Sheraton Hotel Station Square in Pittsburgh, before joining the Hotel @ MIT in 1999...The Millennium UN Plaza Hotel, New York, has named Philip Skitch as its new executive assistant manager, where he will be responsible for the property's day-to-day operations. Prior to joining the Millennium UN Plaza, Skitch completed a series of international fact-finding trips visiting various hotels and destinations in countries such as Australia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore and Thailand. He previously worked as resident manager for the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London, and was resident manager for the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London...The St. Regis Los Angeles appointed Steven Kalczynski as general manager. Kalczynski previously served as director of franchise operations for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, leading the Midwest team in development and allocation of new properties. He began his career in the hospitality industry working for Sheraton Hotels in Boston. In addition, he has served at various high-level positions within Sheraton, Renaissance and Peninsula Hotels, both domestically and abroad. Kalczynski will report to Managing Director Tim Loughman, who oversees both The St. Regis Los Angeles and Westin Century Plaza in Los Angeles...Trigild International promoted Martin Giardina to chief operating officer. Giardina joined Trigild in 2002 as vice president of hospitality operations. In his new role, he will oversee the day-to-day operation of all Trigild managed properties, working closely with the corporate office personnel and all on-site managers. He will also continue his involvement with consulting services offered to Trigild clients. Prior to joining Trigild, Giardina was franchise director for Applebee's Restaurants covering the Midwest and Western territories. Prior to that he was chief operating officer for a Boston Chicken licensee, vice president of operations and franchise for Showbiz Pizza (Chuck E Cheese), and vice president of operations and franchising for Peter Piper Pizza...

PricewaterhouseCoopers appointed Chuck Bedsole as a director in PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality & Leisure Practice. Bedsole, who has 22 years of industry experience, will be a practice leader in the company's Dallas office and help PricewaterhouseCoopers advisory initiatives in Latin America and the Southwestern U.S. Prior to joining PricewaterhouseCoopers, he was a leading consultant serving Latin America and was the practice leader for Latin America in Ernst & Young LLP's Real Estate Advisory Services Group for seven years. Prior to his tenure at Ernst & Young, he served as director of development for Jack Tar Village Resorts, Inc., and was responsible for new resort development and acquisitions in Latin America and the Caribbean...David Thompson has been named vice president and controller of Hilton Hotels Corporation, responsible for the company's corporate accounting and financial reporting functions. Thompson joined Hilton in 1995 as assistant corporate controller with responsibility for the company's external reporting and was promoted in 1998 to vice president and assistant controller. Prior to joining Hilton, he was manager in the hospitality industry practice at Arthur Andersen & Co, where he began his career in 1987...Nir Margalit has been named executive vice president/general counsel and secretary for Kimpton Group Holding LLC, parent company of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. In this role, he is responsible for the overall legal functions of the company and its subsidiaries, including operations, development, investment, intellectual property/brand identity and corporate administration. Prior to joining Kimpton, Margalit was vice president, general counsel and secretary of Zip Realty, Inc., the largest national online full-service virtual office web site real estate brokerage. He also served as the first vice president and general counsel for Best Western International Inc., where he assumed management responsibilities for the legal function of the worldwide lodging brand and assisted with the development and expansion of the brand into Asia and South America. Margalit came to Best Western International from Raintree Healthcare Corporation where he was executive vice president, general counsel and secretary overseeing legal and ancillary functions. Also in the hotel industry, Margalit was vice president-development and special counsel at CapStar Hotels (now Meristar Hospitality. He also served as vice president-general counsel and secretary at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in Phoenix...Veteran hotelier Jeffrey Brower is joining L'Auberge de Sedona, one of Arizona's famed hideaways, as general manager. Brower has more than 14 years of hospitality experience, including eight years of management with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. In his new post, he will supervise all management activities for L'Auberge de Sedona and oversee the renovation of L'Auberge Restaurant and development of a new spa. Prior to his appointment, Brower served as executive assistant manager-rooms division at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. He also has held positions with The Hotel Nikko at Beverly Hills and several Hyatt Hotels in California...Barbara Gusman has been named senior sales manager for the Outrigger Reef on the Beach in Honolulu. Gusman replaces Luana Maitland, who has moved to the newly created position of events and activities manager for the hotel. Gusman has 30 years of hospitality experience in sales, conventions services, hotel management and food & beverage. For the past nine years, she has been a member of the sales team at the Wailea Marriott Resort on Maui. For the last five years she has been recognized as the top producing sales manager at the Wailea resort, and in 2003, she was selected as the hotel's manager of the year. In her new role at the Outrigger Reef as events and activities manager, Maitland is responsible for the management of all aspects and functions of the hotel's conference services department as well as all cultural events and guest activities for the hotel, including the Outrigger Reef's popular Aloha Friday activities and free weekly vow renewal ceremony. She has over 20 years of experience in hotel management, sales, group sales and customer service. Prior to joining Outrigger, she spent nine years with Colony Hotels and Resorts and eleven years with tour wholesaler Classic Hawaii.

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Travelzoo Inc., an online publisher of sales and specials from hundreds of travel companies, named Nancy Ashbrooke as vice president of human resources, effective June 14. Ashbrooke joins Travelzoo from iVillage, Inc., where she served as vice president of human resources since 2000. From 1995 to 2000, she was vice president of human resources at Miramax Films. At iVillage, she was responsible for all aspects of human resources for the company's multiple offices, including the integration of employees through acquisitions. During her tenure at Miramax Films, Ashbrooke helped grow the independent film company to a leading Hollywood studio...Eric Mason has been promoted to vice president of operations at SynXis, a leading provider of reservation services and technology for the hospitality industry. To complement the company's widely used reservation technology, SynXis also has expanded key account management staff. Recent hires include the following: Iilonka Bagi, senior account manager based in the Amsterdam office, who previously worked as a training instructor and account executive for Worldspan; Andrew Smith, account manager based in the Denver office, who most recently worked for Pegasus Solutions Inc. in its GDS/Electronic Distribution Department, and most recently served as hotel product manager for Cheap Tickets; Jolene Bader, account manager based in the Denver office, who has 15 years in the hospitality industry at resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico; Ilaria Triggiani, senior account manager based in the Amsterdam office, who has worked Intercontinental Hotels Group in the Global Distribution operations center for Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA); Chris Flear, account manager based in the Denver office, who has 16 years of experience in the travel industry, the majority on the travel agent and GDS side, most recently as strategic distribution manager with Sceptre; and Adam Burleson, consortia program manager based in Dallas, who was most recently the marketing and brand revenue manager for TravelCLICK Houston.

TOUR OPERATORS: GOGO Worldwide Vacations named Susan Black as executive vice president of marketing. Black will oversee marketing and product development for GOGO Worldwide's destinations and initiatives, and will be a member of the company's executive committee. Prior to joining GOGO Worldwide, Black founded and co-chaired the Travel Commerce Conference Expo. She also was a founding partner of Travel Executives Forum, and she began Audience Results in 2001, which produced e-mail newsletters and education seminars on e-mail marketing...David Vass has been named director-worldwide cruise development for Abercrombie & Kent Destination Management Companies, based in Miami effective June 14. Vass comes to A&K from SeaDream Yacht Club, where he was director-yacht adventures and land activities. Vass has been a cruise industry professional for 20 years. Prior to SeaDream Yacht Club, he managed land and tour programs for Holland America, Cunard and Seabourn...Brian Moore International Tours BMIT and sister company EEI Travel, both divisions of Europe Express, in Bothell, Wash., have combined their sales management teams. Neil Rodgers now handles the Northeast for both units; Josanne Swain is responsible for the Mid-Atlantic region; Tom Dillon, formerly of Brendan Tours, covers the Midwest; Sandy Saposnick is BMIT's Southeast representative; and Jane Allen is the West Coast sales manager.

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