A figure behind the creation of luxury travel firm Black Tomato is to lead youth operator Contiki.
James Marchant, who helped conceive and develop Black Tomato in 2005, becomes global CEO of the 18-35s travel brand.
He joins Contiki from luxury holiday rental investment company Second Estates, where he was a marketing, loyalty and strategy consultant, and from the board of Black Tomato.
Marchant is relocating from London to be based at Contiki’s head office in Geneva.
He will be responsible for the youth travel company’s global network of teams across Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia, developing and growing Contiki’s worldwide offering of more than 300 trips.
Marchant said: “As a proud member of The Travel Corporation’s family of businesses, Contiki has consistently been at the forefront of delivering incredible travel experiences to 18 to 35 olds, made possible by a very passionate and skilled team who are focussed on delighting our travellers.”
He takes the helm following the introduction of Contiki’s 2019 programme with its first Africa tours, 21 new itineraries across Europe and the Middle East, as well as a new ‘Iconic Essentials’ travel style focussed on providing maximum value for Millennial and Gen Z travellers.