Youtravel announces expansion plans and senior appointments
Youtravel.com has promoted its head of XML and account management Matthew Carpenter to head of distribution for its UK operation.
The promotion is part of an expansion by the trade-only bed bank, which sees two new senior appointments to the UK team and exclusive new product.
The company says it now exclusively offers 22,000 rooms across the Canary Islands, Spanish Costas, Balearics, Algarve, Greece, Morocco, Turkey, Egypt and Italy.
In addition, parent company FTI has recently acquired six more hotels as part of its Labranda Hotel chain in Greece and Turkey.
A new 2,000-room property, the Labranda Stella Canaris is due to open in 2017 and Youtravel.com plans to move into the Australia, Asian and South American destinations, according to chief commercial officer Ranj Kundi.
Joining the UK team are Maura Ryan as operations manager and Leila Costigan as head of marketing.
Kundi said Youtravel.com has just celebrated its ‘best-ever financial results despite one of the worst market conditions in recent years’ and promised: "2017 will see an even greater investment."
This includes the launch of Meeting Point Global in December, which will give trade users ‘access to dynamic content from all over the world, access to all of the major hotel chains and provide even greater last-minute availability’.
Kundi added: "Youtravel.com will also be adding additional improvements to its dynamic API system and the announcement of a new website and rebranding to be delivered by the end of 2016."
A number of new roadshows are being planned around the UK next year to showcase the new product to the trade.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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