New UK managing director for HRS
HRS has appointed Andy Besent as managing director UK, based at its London office.
He was formerly sales director at Travelodge and held previous senior sales roles at InterContinental Hotels Groups and Guoman & Thistle Hotels.
He replaces Jon West, who moves to Sydney to become chief commercial officer of The Lido Group.
In May of this year, HRS invested in Australian-based The Lido Group through a strategic partnership.
Besent is joined by Ian Blackie, who has been appointed as sales director for the UK market.
Before joining HRS, Ian was previously at Qatar Airways, where he was manager, global corporate sales.
Previous positions include leading sales positions at Virgin Atlantic Airways, Etihad Airways, Swiss International Air Lines and American Airlines.
Flavio Ghiringhelli, HRS vice president of corporate solutions of South West & Eastern Europe, thanked West for his years of service.
"We are pleased that he will maintain an ongoing relationship with the group going forward and see great opportunity to grow and expand our service to our customers in Australia."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive