First Choice Expeditions, the parent company of Intrav, on Tuesday announced changes to the tour operator's senior management team.
Intrav President David Drier said he is stepping down to pursue long-time personal goals. Randy Durband, a former vice president and executive committee member at Tauck World Discovery, replaces him. Additionally, Bill Diebenow, vice president of sales for Intrav, announced he is leaving the company at the end of February. Jerre Fuqua, president of First Choice Expeditions, told Travel Agent that finding Diebenow's replacement is a priority. "We're looking for someone who has demonstrated success and who is highly respected in the industry from the travel agency partners we work with as well as the other channels with whom we do business," Fuqua says.
Durband reports for work on February 12 and Fuqua says Durband—who has visited all seven continents—will bring strong analytical, people and product skills to Intrav. While at Tauck, Durband focused on customer relationship management and bringing together the company's marketing and product development, as well as overseeing Tauck's brand steering committee. "Tauck World Discovery is one of the great brands in our industry," Fuqua says. "Randy's background with Tauck provides him with a keen understanding on how to grow our core business, deliver an outstanding guest experience and build a great company that is well respected."
Despite the management changes at Intrav, Fuqua says the
company's direction and mission will stay the same. "Intrav continues to
invest significant energy and resources in travel agent initiatives because
this is an important part of our growth strategy," he notes. "Our
regional sales directors have cooperative marketing programs in place with some
of the best travel agency partners in the country. We are seeing a nice return
and our partners find it very easy to work with us. We're excited about what
lies ahead."