Journey Beyond has continued its global expansion with five new positions added to the Sales team, cementing its position as Australia’s leading experiential tourism company.
Led by Alicia Triggs, Executive General Manager – Sales and Partnerships, these appointments mark an exciting growth period for Journey Beyond and includes the company’s first in-market position in New Zealand, a significant step forward for the New Zealand market.
“We’re excited to further expand our team and welcome four new members to the Journey Beyond family,” says Triggs. “These appointments are centred around Journey Beyond’s manifesto and guest promise, ‘we go further, to take you beyond’ and represent our commitment to building our trade partnerships on a global scale.”
As part of this growth, after 21 years with Journey Beyond, Renee Cornelissen has returned to her international roots, taking on another newly created leadership role as Group Manager – International Sales.
These new positions will drive greater awareness of Journey Beyond as the curator of Australia’s most memorable and iconic travel experiences, which will be further enhanced with new positions on the horizon including in-market presence in China and Japan.
“We know that Journey Beyond delivers special and unique access, authentic and immersive experiences, and extraordinary service, and we want the world to know that, too,” says Triggs.
Please join Journey Beyond in welcoming Thomas Gentz, Cara Toovey, Josh Blair and Leia Marras. Introductions will be arranged with key stakeholders as they settle into their new roles.
Thomas Gentz
Business Development Manager (BDM) – New Zealand
Thomas brings with him extensive senior travel management experience, having previously worked with some leading travel and tourism brands in New Zealand, including Air New Zealand, Back-Roads Touring, Travel Advocates and most recently Hurtigruten & HX-Hurtigruten Expeditions.
Thomas is looking forward to bringing a strong strategic focus to this new role and as Journey Beyond’s first ever in-market New Zealand BDM, will be instrumental in growing awareness of Journey Beyond’s entire portfolio and supporting agents to continue building the market in New Zealand.
Cara Toovey
Group Manager – National Sales
With over 21 years of diverse experience in the tourism industry, Cara has held multiple leadership roles within the travel industry including nine years leading six Business Development Managers across the SA/WA/NSW regions at Intrepid Travel. Following a brief hiatus from tourism, Cara joined RAA Travel as Experienced Product Specialist for South Australia, where she fortified relationships with local partners and expanded the South Australian product portfolio. Cara now brings her extensive sales and management experience to build Journey Beyond’s National Sales team.
Josh Basir
Business Development Manager – ITO’s and the Americas
Picured at the top of this story, Josh joins Journey Beyond from his previous role as National Sales Manager – Leisure & Wholesale at Minor Hotels (Oaks & Avani Hotel chains), where he excelled in managing a diverse portfolio of 63 Hotels, Resorts & Suites across Australia and New Zealand. Josh is enthusiastic about collaborating with and supporting Journey Beyond’s international sales team, utilising his experience and relationships to drive growth and innovation in North American markets.
In addition to his role at Journey Beyond, Josh serves as the current Chair of SA’s Young Australian Tourism Export Council (YATEC).
Leia Marras
Business Development Coordinator
Leia spent many years honing her customer service skills in the hospitality industry. Recently promoted internally from the Travel Centre, she has expertise in reservations, product knowledge and going above and beyond for her clients. Leia joins the Industry Sales Team after two years in the Travel Centre and has extensive knowledge across all Journey Beyond brands and experiences.
