Chris Bailey is back in tour operations as senior vice president of sales & marketing – longhaul of Tour East Holdings, effective June 1, filling the post left vacant by Judy Lum who joined Diethelm Travel Singapore in February as general manager.
The move comes as a surprise as Bailey had assumed the role of CEO of Royal Phuket Marina only in January, after more than 12 years with Centara Hotels & Resorts where he eventually rose to COO in August 2015.
Bailey, who became CEO of Royal Phuket Marina in January, joins Tour East Holdings
Contacted for comments, Bailey said he decided not to confirm the role in Phuket as there were significant delays in the project. The offer to join Tour East which he accepted came a few weeks later and “given it was Tour East that first brought me to Asia, it really feels like I am going home!”, he said.
In the earlier days of his career, Bailey was managing director of Tour East Hong Kong and Thailand. He also held senior management positions with UK longhaul specialist tour operators including Saga Holidays, Tradewinds and Colours of Asia.
After losing its long-time general manager Yvonne Wong, also to Diethelm Travel Singapore, Tour East Singapore is now being managed concurrently by Daniel Tam, general manager of Tour East Hong Kong.
One of Bailey’s challenges will be to rebuild the relationships Lum and Low had secured over the last 30 years for Tour East Singapore with international tour operators. Observers said while he is familiar with the business, much has changed – including the people behind the show – thanks to consolidation, disruption and other factors.
When asked about this, Bailey said: “Change in this sector of the industry is not unique to Tour East – indeed most of the major regional players have experienced, or are experiencing, acquisition, re-organisation and organisational management changes. There is nothing wrong with this – we see other sectors like airlines and hospitality doing it all the time.”
He added: “I decided to accept the opportunity for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have always believed Tour East, as a brand, is one of Asia’s most recognised and established DMCs. Its history, management past and present, market coverage and service levels are second to none.
“Its ownership status by JTB Group, and being apart of their Global DMC Network, uniquely positions the business for growth and expansion.
“This status gives all the benefits of strength and resource, which is critical in today’s business environment, yet does not come with the potential threats of other acquired and aligned companies from the majority of their core source markets.
“I was particularly attracted by the enthusiasm and commitment of the current team as I spoke with management before accepting the role. There is a collective enthusiasm and drive to become Asia’s number one DMC and as you know I love a challenge and want to be a part of that journey.”
Tour East CEO & president Shigeyuki Suzuki said: “I’m very proud that Chris is joining us as SVP sales & marketing for longhaul market. He has extensive knowledge, expertise and business network in the industry which may support the expansion of Tour East business and overall inbound tourism to Asia-Pacific.
“I truly value his proactive, energetic and enthusiastic business mind and professionalism.”
