This week LATTE chats with Neil Rodgers, Managing Director at Adventure World Travel, The Travel Corporations’ soft adventure travel brand. Earlier this year, Adventure World Travel picked up the AFTA National Travel Industry Award for ‘Best International Wholesaler’. 

In this week’s interview, LATTE chats exclusively with Michelle Black, Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand at Viking Cruises.

Donna Kessler and Gary Bender delivered a second successful Get Global meeting and events exhibition four months ago. Now the dust has settled, and the feedback is in, LATTE spoke with Gary to hear how things progressed in 2018, and what changes are in store for next year. 

The highly regarded Joyce Weir joined the Honolulu-based airline three years ago, following a 15-year career with Qantas that included over 10 years as a Regional Account Manager. LATTE sat down with Weir to get a better understanding of Hawaiian Airlines’ offering to the Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions markets, and find out why Hawaii should be front of mind for Australian conference organisers.

This week LATTE chats one-on-one with the Global CEO of Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold, Ulla Hefel Böhler, who was in Australia recently for the launch of the 2019 European program.  

Corcoran’s industry experience spans over 20 years in a variety of leadership positions. After completing his studies at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Ireland and Harvard Business School, USA, Brendan embarked on his professional journey at the Hilton Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Archbold joined the travel industry over 35 years ago as an airline marketing trainee with THAI Airways and Scandinavian Airlines. He has worked in the corporate sector with Flight Centre and Rosenbluth International, a role which saw Archbold relocate to the UK for a number of years, and was the National Sales Manager with Creative Holidays.

Based at Abercrombie & Kent’s headquarters outside Chicago, Bob Simpson joined the luxury travel company in 1998 and over the past 20 years has worked his way up the ranks to his current position as Vice President, Expedition Cruising.

To mark Spencer Travels’ 20-year anniversary this week, it’s only fitting that LATTE expands our questioning with Penny Spencer to 20 Questions, covering off her start in the industry, the establishment of her own business, some of the challenges that she faced, the importance of mentoring, her inspiration, favourite hotel and more. 

Don Martinson is Natural Habitat Adventures’ Director of Travel Industry Relations. In Australia recently, Don sat down exclusively with LATTE to discuss Natural Habitat Adventures’ product offering, points-of-difference from other adventure travel companies

LATTE spoke to Fiona Watson, Managing Director of Sales, Asia Pacific to learn about her background before joining the Canadian company and find out more about what’s new for 2019, and to hear firsthand some of the key selling points of the SilverLeaf and hall-mark GoldLeaf experience.

The outgoing global head of the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA), Cindy D’Aoust, was in Australia last week for the annual Cruise360 conference held at the Hyatt Regency Sydney. D’Aoust has been with CLIA for the past four years, three of which as President and CEO, based in Washington DC where she lobbies with the US government over pressing cruise issues.