JANUARY can often be one of the slowest news months of the year – but someone clearly forgot to tell that to the first week of 2025.
By the time the year was barely a one week old, the departure of two of the Australian travel industry’s most recognisable faces had already been announced – Globus’ Gai Tyrrell and Cunard Line’s Katrina McAlpine.
The departure of Tyrrell, as broken by Travel Daily, comes after six years of the industry titan’s leadership of Globus family of brands.
Tyrrell said it has been a “privilege and joy” to lead Globus, admitting the difficulty of the decision.
Her shock goodbye led many to wonder what’s next for the industry veteran; unlikely to be in her immediate future however is her ATIA board role, with the Association’s constitution requiring all Directors to be serving members of the travel sector.
This week also saw the announcement of Kat McAlpine’s impending departure from Cunard – first broken by Cruise Weekly.
The much-loved head of the British luxury cruise line will depart her post at the end of April, with a replacement set to be named in short measure.
McAlpine spent 13 years with Cunard, with Vice President Commercial for North America & Australasia Matt Gleaves describing her leadership as “instrumental” in shaping its success in the local market.
The past months has seen her prepare Cunard for life after Queen Elizabeth’s departure from Australian shores, which will include a revamped famil program, an updated trade toolkit, and a pivot to a full fly-cruise strategy.
Few people embody their brand like McAlpine does, and are as knowledgeable and well-respected as she is.
McAlpine’s departure was not the only cruise bombshell of the week, with a big structural change at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) seeing the return of former executive Jason Montague.
Montague will return to his post as leader of Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC) and Oceania Cruises – a dual role he held up until 2016.
However this time, he will serve under the title ‘Chief Luxury Officer’, where he will be charged with the growth of the two luxury-focused NCLH brands, which are set to add five ships between them through to 2029.
The move will also see the departure of RSSC head Andrea DeMarco, while Oceania chief Frank Del Rio will stick around, reporting in to Montague.
The comings and goings did not stop there either, with TD exclusively revealing Karen Jones will step into the Acting Chief Executive Officer role with Destination NSW, replacing the departed Steve Cox.
A Destination NSW spokesperson told tB more information regarding the permanent recruitment process will be shared in short measure.
Jones was previously the NSW Government Office of Sport Chief Executive, a positioned she held for just over five years.
Also stepping into new roles this week are Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group’s (AKTG) Susan Haberle and Tony Archbold, appointed Vice President Sales for Australia and Vice President Sales for Asia respectively.
The moves as the company strengthens its market focus to further incorporate Crystal into its fold, with almost all of AKTG’s sales team to now represent both the Abercrombie & Kent and Crystal brands.
AKTG has also welcomed Sada Memic to the newly created role of Director of Sales and Reservations Centre APAC, while Ann-Marie Chapman has been promoted to Global VP Education, Sales and Service.
Designer Journeys this week announced the launch of a new travel agent loyalty scheme that will offer generous bonuses to advisors enquiring and making successful bookings on the company’s bespoke platform.
The loyalty scheme, exclusively revealed by TD, offers three tiers, with travel sellers able to qualify for either Platinum, Gold or Silver categories.
Platinum agents will receive a $50 gift card for each genuine enquiry and a $250 gift card for each qualifying booking, in addition to standard commission.
Meanwhile Gold agents will earn $35 gift cards for each genuine enquiry, plus a $150 gift card for every qualifying booking, in addition to commission; silver members will land a $25 gift card for each enquiry.
This week has also seen the unfolding tragedy of the Southern California wildfires, which hit the region on Wednesday.
The disaster has, at the time of writing, resulted in seven fatalities, destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 structures, and forced the evacuation of almost 200,000 Californians.
Popular sites for travellers which have temporarily closed include: the Hollywood Sign; the Los Angeles Zoo; the Rose Bowl; the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures; the Griffith Observatory; the Hammer Museum; and a stretch of Sunset Boulevard.
Qantas Airways told travelBulletin no flights to Los Angeles have been impacted by the fires; however the airline has said customers have the option to rebook onto another Qantas flight, or retain the value of their ticket.
With no clear end to the catastrophe’s sight, it is a reminder of the crucial role the travel industry plays during a natural disaster, and the important jobs its people do, in getting people home, and keeping them safe.
Myles Stedman
Cruise Weekly Editor
[email protected]
