Travel Weekly Group managing director Stuart Parish is to take on an expanded role overseeing parent company Jacobs Media Group’s UK travel and hospitality portfolio.
Parish’s promotion to Jacobs Media Group UK managing director will see him take responsibility for The Caterer, the leading media brand for the UK’s growing hospitality sector, in addition to his existing remit for the market-leading Travel Weekly business.
The changes were announced by Jacobs Media Group chairman Clive Jacobs, as the company also outlined plans to further expand its international presence including Connections Events and the Travel Weekly and Travolution overseas portfolios.
The international expansion will be led by group chief executive Duncan Horton through organic growth and acquisition.
Jacobs said: “Tourism and hospitality businesses contribute greatly to UK employment and the health of our economy, and as the country navigates its way through Brexit a strong and vibrant trade media is vital to support and represent these sectors.
“By bringing our two key travel and hospitality brands together under one management team, we will be able to amplify our message, exploit synergies and better support our readers and commercial partners in their mission to thrive in complex markets.”
Parish added: “In the past eight years we have transformed Travel Weekly from a traditional B2B magazine into a dynamic multimedia and events brand.
“With The Caterer going through a similar transition, I am delighted to take on responsibility for the market-leading titles in the travel and hospitality sectors, and look forward to leading our outstanding teams in their continued growth across our print, digital and events channels.”
Parish’s promotion is supported by the appointment of Chris Gamm, who joins The Caterer as editor having spent the past 12 years in convenience retail journalism as editor of RN and Retail Express and publisher of Better Wholesaling.
Jacobs Media Group’s international plans includes expansion into new markets, following the dynamic growth of its events division which includes the Connections portfolio for the luxury travel, MICE and wellness industries, and global policy events such as the International Travel Crisis Management Summit.
Jacobs said: “The UK is rightly seen as a centre of excellence for hospitality and travel professionals, and our international expansion will allow us to widen our influence and reach established and emergent markets.”
Horton added: “Travel Weekly and our hugely-respected digital travel brand Travolution have built a strong reputation in Europe and Asia thanks to their incisive journalism, strong events and ability to identify market trends.
“By putting more focus on our European, Asian, and Latin-American relationships and products, I am confident we can play a more influential role in global best practice in travel and hospitality, bringing more key people together and providing thought-leadership on emerging issues.”