目的地美国扩大和重组
byDavid Cogswell/
Business has grown so much for Destination America that the company has expanded its forces and divided its executive functions.
The Travel Corporation (TTC) recently hired Graham Bendelow as vice president of contracting; and appointed Christophe Ghaye as chief product development officer of Destination America, which is its tour operation for the Americas.
新员工代表了目的地美国执行团队的重组。TTC将其先前的执行职位之一分为两个。
A transformation
The expansion of forces is part of “a significant transformation of the company,” according to Richard Launder, who is both president and CEO of Destination America, and director of The Travel Corporation USA (the American branch of the U.K.-based travel conglomerate). Launder is the man both Bendelow and Ghaye report to.
Launder说:“我们正在吸引更多的人来加强比赛,在一个非常有竞争力的行业中尽可能地竞争。”
Ghaye has been with TTC for 15 years, in charge of both developing new product and contracting with suppliers. With the joining of Bendelow, Ghaye will be freed up to focus entirely on product development, while Bendelow will take care of contracting.
It is an increase in the specialization within the company, according to Launder, allowing each to concentrate on a smaller area than under the previous structure. “If everyone is doing everything, they may do well,” he said, “but not great.”
尽管Ghaye曾经为美国目的地处理这两个功能,但这两个工作需要非常不同的技能。Launder说:“产品开发不仅仅是创建行程。”“这是关于寻找特殊而独特的体验,外出寻找东西。它需要一个非常好奇的头脑。”
In today’s experience-oriented tour market, product development specialists are challenged to go far beyond the requirements of earlier times. “It’s far more immersive now,” said Launder. With the increased desire in clients to interact with locals, product development includes finding interesting people and situations to share with travelers.
“It’s quite different from negotiating with hotels,” said Launder. “One requires curiosity. One requires negotiating skills. You can blend the two. Christoff Ghaye has been with us many years. He was an all-arounder, trying to do all those things. Now, he gets to have a more specialized role.”
本德洛(Bendelow)来自该公司在美国国内巡回赛市场的拱门竞选者Americantours International,在那里工作了20年,其中最后八个是产品开发副总裁。
Who is Destination America?
Destination America is the operator of all of the ground operations in the Americas for the Travel Corporation’s tour brands, such as Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold and Contiki.
Though the largest portion of the business is focused in North America, the company’s territory extends throughout Latin America, where it has been building its portfolio for the last several years. One by one, it has been introducing its tour brands to the region.
根据理查德·雷德(Richard Launder)的说法,“目的地美国是美洲旅游公司的运营部门。它进行产品开发,供应商签约,聘请旅行董事,进行运营,并管理在公路体验的所有方面。”
当任何TTC品牌的旅行社在美洲进行旅行时,目的地美国都是地面运营商。该公司还为其他许多旅游运营商在美国旅行中进行地面运营,这些旅行社与Destination America合作,为自己的客户群提供白色标签旅行。目的地美国还为旅行社处理定制团体。
国内旅行正在蓬勃发展
近年来,国内北美的旅行表现不错。在北美,旅行者涌向国家公园。而且,常年受欢迎的是加拿大落基山脉。美国和加拿大东海岸的秋叶;和美国南部,包括纳什维尔,孟菲斯和新奥尔良。阿拉斯加的销售也非常好。
在拉丁美洲,秘鲁是该大陆的锚点,因为该公司逐步建立了大陆基础设施。
“Brazil has its ups and downs because of various issues both political and economic, and even safety,” said Launder. But a recent open skies agreement with the U.S. is helping to bolster travel to Brazil; and recent moves by the Brazilian government have simplified and eased the process of obtaining visas, helping to boost the flow of Americans traveling to Brazil.
Destination America还在阿根廷,智利,厄瓜多尔和加拉帕戈斯群岛开展业务。Launder说:“在过去五年中,南美的商业增加了一倍以上。”“南美仍然是我们所做工作的一部分。北美是真正的行动。美国人喜欢在那里旅行。澳大利亚人,欧洲人和亚洲人都想来美国。这仍然是令人难以置信的吸引力。”
同时,目的地美国面临挑战,要保持锋利的领先地位。“美国的目的地已经发展,”洗衣说。“这总是在改变。为此,您需要伟大的人。”