The Safer Tourism Foundation has appointed Paul Carter as chair at the same time as unveiling new branding and an improved website.
Carter, a former chief executive of Hotelplan UK, said he was “incredibly proud” to be taking over from Ian Ailles.
He added: “I’m pleased to be taking on the chair role at a pivotal time for us as we look to include more travel operators as signatories to the Safer Tourism Pledge and as we further develop our consumer campaigns, informed by the insights from the travel incident data we collect.”
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The Safer Tourism Pledge was created to recognise travel operators and organisations with excellent standards of safety management. Partners include Hotelplan UK, Audley Travel and the Advantage Travel Partnership.
Carter, an existing trustee of the foundation, has more than 30 years’ experience in hospitality, travel and membership.
After starting his career with Crystal Holidays, he went on to hold senior marketing and product roles at businesses including Cendant and Wyndham, before joining Hotelplan in 2015.
He now has his own advisory practice helping organisations to drive business growth, and also runs a retreat with self-catering holiday cottages in Herefordshire.
Safer Tourism Foundation chief executive Kathy Atkinson said: “We’re delighted to have Paul as chair of Safer Tourism Foundation’s board.
“As CEO, I know how critical a strong board and a great chair are to the success of any charity.
“We have a huge remit, great relationships within the travel industry and the independence we need to make a real difference in preventing harm to travellers.
“A huge thanks to Ian for his leadership through what was a very challenging period both for our charity and the wider travel industry. It’s great that Ian will remain with us as a trustee.”
The charity has also unveiled a new logo, colour palette and website, alongside brand assets that partners can use to showcase their pledge commitment.
Atkinson said: “We’re so pleased to unveil our new branding. The bold colours and design are more aligned with our role as a campaigning body, and better reflect the breadth of our mission.
“Perhaps the most exciting part of this new brand, alongside our updated and far more user-friendly website, is the suite of brand assets we can now offer to Safer Tourism Pledge partners.
“We hope this will encourage partners to showcase their pledge involvement, which reflects their commitment both to customer safety as part of broader environmental, social and governance goals, and reminds travellers about their own personal responsibility in staying safe.”
The Safer Tourism Foundation was established in 2016, a decade after the deaths of children Bobby and Christi Shepherd from carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday in Corfu.
Their mother, Sharon Wood, worked with the travel industry to create the foundation as a positive legacy from the tragedy.
While the charity still promotes awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, it also addresses risks to personal safety linked to transport, activities, water, allergic reactions and falls.