Former Thomas Cook mainstream tour operations managing director Richard Calvert is to head a US travel firm specialising in weddings.
He has been named as president and chief executive of DestinationWeddings.com following the retirement of founder and current president Quentin “Bud” Carmichael at the end of February.
His appointment signals international expansion by the company.
Calvert joins DestinationWeddings.com in June following 25 years in the travel industry. Prior to his time at Cook, he was overseas purchasing director for the UK, Canada and Scandinavia for Tui Travel.
DestinationWeddings.com claims to be the largest producer of destination weddings in the world, having helped to plan more than 13,000 weddings, create over 100,000 wedding websites, and plan travel for more than 500,000 attending guests. It opened a Toronto office last year to serve Canada.
Carmichael said: “Richard’s impeccable track record of setting and achieving strategic goals – especially in the areas of product innovation, consumer delivery, and negotiation – along with his significant expertise in the international travel market uniquely qualify him to take DestinationWeddings.com to new heights.”
Calvert said: “With the support of one of the best teams in the industry, I am committed to expanding DestinationWeddings.com’s scope nationally and internationally through a variety of new platforms, including the launch of new customer offerings and resources in existing and new source markets.”