Break out the welcome cupcakes and spring for some Nescafé Gold, it’s time to welcome the industry’s latest recruits.

Livn Appoints New Product & Project Manager, Anders Liljeqvist

Sydney-based global tours and activities network Livn has announced the appointment of a new Product & Project Manager, Anders Liljeqvist.

Highly experienced and originally hailing from Sweden, Anders has had a distinguished project management career.

Having worked for companies such as Qantas, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Jeppesen and News Corp Australia, Livn CEO Mark Rizzuto says, “We’re thrilled to welcome Anders to the
team – his extensive experience is a huge boost to our company at a time of major business
expansion”.

Bhaya Cruise Company to be represented by Complete Travel Marketing

Sales & Marketing representation company Complete Travel Marketing is excited to announce the signing of a new partnership with the experienced Bhaya Cruise Company, operating on beautiful Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

As the official sales and marketing representative in the Australian and New Zealand market, Complete Travel Marketing will be responsible for raising the profile of the cruise company through a strategic combination of sales and marketing activities.

Dawid Koegelenberg Named General Manager of Fusion Resort Cam Ranh

As wellness-inspired hospitality group Fusion readies for a year of growth, they’ve tapped globe-trotting hospitality veteran Dawid Koegelenberg to lead the charge at Fusion Resort Cam Ranh, on Vietnam’s South Central Coast.

The South African brings with him close to a decade of experience in hotel management in Asia, and close to the same number of years in restaurant management and wine education in the UK.

Dawid’s most recent role was at Paresa Resort & Spa in Phuket where he was general manager for five years. He has also held management positions at two other iconic Thailand properties: Six Senses Koh Samui and Sarojin Resort in Khao Lak.

Prior to moving to Asia, the 45-year-old managed popular London restaurants including the Michelin-starred London institution that was Lindsay House, to be followed soon after by the award-winning Corrigan’s of Mayfair. Dawid was involved with both iconic establishments. He also lectured at the London Wine Academy for six years and is a qualified sommelier with a diploma in Viticulture from Brighton University. Dawid also graduated from Cape Town Hotel School with a diploma in Hotel Management.

Princess announces leadership team for new ship Sky Princess 

Princess Cruises has announced the leadership team for its latest ship, Sky Princess, with seasoned master Captain Heikki Laakkonen to take the helm and bring the ship into services from the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.

Debuting in the Mediterranean in October 2019, Sky Princess will be brought into service by a team of officers with extensive maritime experience, including more than 140 years’ combined service with Princess Cruises.

Announcing details today, Jan Swartz, group president of Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia, said Captain Laakkonen would sail on Sky Princess’ inaugural voyage on October 20, 2019 in Europe, and would remain at the helm as the 143,700-tonne ship offers a series of European cruises before sailing to the Caribbean.

Captain Laakkonen will be joined at the launch by Chief Engineer Officer Fabio Braccelli, Hotel General Manager Terri Cybuliak, and Staff Captain Giovanni Cardile.

Captain Michele Tuvo, Chief Engineer Officer Mladen Ratkovic, Hotel General Manager Richard Harry and Staff Captain Brian Whelan will complete the leadership team. Captain Tuvo will represent the entire leadership team during a ceremony on February 14, at the Fincantieri Monfalcone, Italy shipyard to celebrate a significant milestone in the Sky Princess new build process that will celebrate the ships’ recent float-out.

It’s a game changer! Evolution Travel Collective partners with online travel marketplace, Tripfuser

Evolution Travel Collective has just announced that online travel marketplace Tripfuser is their latest partner to join the ETC product portfolio, and they are VERY excited about it.

Tripfuser was launched in 2017 by a number of experienced industry leaders who saw a gap in the market to provide the ability to not only connect to a reputable local agent and create the perfect tailored itinerary but to also have the technology to support that process from start to finish including detailed itineraries, chat features and invoicing all contained within the one online system. Two of the key features created specifically for travel agents is the ability to share a white labelled itinerary with clients as well as build your own collection of private trip galleries that are only accessible for you and can therefore be marketed for your agency.

Now live in over 46 countries Tripfuser allows agents to navigate that process with ease and connect with in-destination local agents who are keen to showcase their country with personally designed itineraries for each customer.

Silversea welcomes 8 new expedition team members following a 6-week training academy aboard Silver Discoverer

Demonstrating a commitment to nurturing the best talent in the expedition travel industry for the benefit of its guests, Silversea Cruises recently held its second Expedition Leadership Training Academy, both on land and aboard Silver Discoverer. On 7^th December 2018, a small group of ambitious trainees—each with specialist knowledge in an expedition-related field—commenced their training in Durban, South Africa. Following almost seven weeks of intensive preparation, Silversea welcomed eight new members to its Expedition Team when the group disembarked in Chennai, India on 22^nd January 2019.

The innovative programme began with an immersive experience in a Zulu village where the trainees developed a deeper understanding for cultural sensitivity when visiting a remote community, among other things. The experience cultivated a greater understanding for the experiences of a remote community when interacting with visitors from Silversea’s expedition ships. The trainees focused on how best to manage these types of cultural exchanges for the benefit of all involved.

Subsequently, the group spent three nights remote camping in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and Game Reserve, a massive 96,000-hectare wildlife park in the heart of Zululand, led by the Wilderness Leadership School. The trainees camped under the stars, taking turns to stand watch for wildlife, such as lions and elephants, which may have approached during the dark of night. Here, the group developed skills such as situational awareness, on-foot risk assessments, incident prevention, group management, effective communication strategies, conflict resolution, management of emergency scenarios, and orienteering.