Tourism NZ beefs up premium travel team
Tourism New Zealand has appointed Sam Russell to lead the development of the global premium travel market, based in Auckland.
The newly created position is aimed at increasing visitor arrivals to New Zealand from the lucrative global premium travel sector.
It follows the NZ Government’s 2013/14 Budget announcement of an additional NZ$123 million in funding for Tourism New Zealand over four years, with $20 million specifically tagged to growing the premium sector.
Russell was for 10 years the marketing and communications director for Davidoff, the Swiss luxury brands company, based in New York; and spent three years as the marketing director for the New York Health & Racquet Club.
Most recently he was managing director of Human New Zealand, a Sydney-based brand agency working on the agency’s Accor Hotels and Qantas accounts.
Tourism New Zealand has also appointed Stephen Marshall to the new role of premium sector trade manager – Americas.
Marshall is currently general manager of AOT New Zealand in Auckland and will relocate with his family to Los Angeles in late September.
Interviews are currently underway with candidates for two further positions within the Premium Travel team: premium sector trade manager – UK, based in London; and premium sector trade manager – Asia, based in Shanghai.
Ian Jarrett
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