Irish company appoints former TUI marketer

Former TUI UK lead marketer Tim Williamson has taken the role of CEO at Irish tour operator The Travel Department.

The Travel Department

Williamson will overhaul the company’s digital marketing strategy as priority and is looking to appoint a suitable agency.

The Travel Department offers escorted tour holidays and already has websites in the UK, China and the United States.

Williamson previously held the board level role of customer director at TUI UK, overseeing the First Choice and Thomson Holidays brands. He has also held the position of marketing and product director.

He most recently ran the project team setting up the new outbound tourism business for TUI in China.

Williamson says: “The Travel Department is already a strong business and is growing in a number of different marketplaces. It entered the UK market in 2008 and it now accounts for 20% of all sales, but I believe there is a real opportunity to further develop the business and one of my first tasks will be to hire a top of the range e-marketing agency to develop a more personalised approach to our current marketing activities.”

Former TUI managing director of the specialist and emerging markets division Richard Prosser is taking a non-executive director role. Founder and current CEO Bob Haugh will take on the role of chairman, allowing him to focus on strategy, innovation and new markets.

The company currently offer more than 250 itineraries for escorted holidays to 55 countries worldwide with the largest destinations being Italy, France, Spain & China.

Many of the tours are themed and include cruises, walking holidays and wine and garden tours.

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