Ramble boosts trade team and targets 9k passengers
Samantha Mayling
Ramble Worldwide has made three appointments as part of its drive to boost trade relationships, expand its portfolio and increase passenger numbers. Aanjla Sengupta has joined
the walking specialist in the newly created role of head of customer experience, responsible for all sales channels. She has 30 years’ experience, including senior roles with operators such as Cox & Kings. Selina Pridmore is the new
head of product, leading portfolio diversification and expansion into new destinations. She has more than 20 years of product development experience including roles at Instant Travel and Flight Centre. Marc Pembroke, the new
product and commercial manager for northern Europe and Italy, will work with agents, customers, guides and suppliers. Managing director Wayne
Perks said “strengthening” support for agents remains central to the operator’s growth and the appointments “enhance our ability to work closely with our trade partners”. Sengupta will also free up
partnership manager Alison Scott to focus more on business development.
Aanjla Sengupta Selina Pridmore Marc Pembroke
Wayne Perks
The appointments follow those in
November of industry veterans Carol Dray and Debbie Marshall, who joined former Shearings Holidays managing director Jane Atkins as non-executive directors. “There’s a lot of talent [on the
board], people who can help us and have a genuine interest in walking, the outdoors and active lifestyles,” Perks said. “Previously, the board was made up of non-travel people – when I joined [August 2024] we didn’t have anyone from the travel sector. “It’s great to have brought in three
strong female members from the industry with really good experience.” He said Atkins helped seal
Imagine Cruising Group appoints Tony Roberts as chief executive
Tony Roberts has been appointed chief executive of Imagine Cruising Group. The appointment is a planned transition as part of the company’s growth strategy, which will see founder and current chief executive Robin Deller and co-founder Natalie Maye leave the business in the summer. Deller will serve as chairman until his exit, focusing on consolidating the company’s presence in the US.
8 15 JANUARY 2026
Carol Dray
Debbie Marshall
distribution deals with Hays Travel and Advantage Travel Partnership. Being an Aito member also facilitates access to Aito agents. Trade sales rose from 5% in
2024 to almost 10% in 2025, while passenger numbers rose 15% year on year to about 8,000 in 2025. “We’re aiming for 9,000 [in 2026],” Perks said. This year sees the 80th anniversary
of the brand, which offers more than 300 tours to 40-plus countries – with a major new destination set to be launched at the end of January. The operator also plans to
increase its Adagio programme of slower-paced holidays and its new range of adventure weekends.
Ailsa Pollard takes over from
Alistair Rowland as Abta chair The Abta board of directors has elected Ailsa Pollard as its new chair, succeeding Alistair Rowland of Blue Bay Travel with immediate effect. Pollard is a non-executive director of Blossom Topco, ultimate parent of Newmarket Holidays, and has previously held senior roles with dnata Travel Group and Emirates Holidays.
Agents call for airlines to fill void at Manchester
Agents hope another airline will fill a transatlantic void from Manchester Airport following Aer Lingus’s decision to suspend bookings for flights from March 31 to New York, Orlando and Barbados. The move by the airline follows
a consultation about the future of its operations from the airport, which could affect 200 employees. The three routes are all served
by Virgin Atlantic, but Richard Slater, managing director of Henbury Travel, said there were “plenty of opportunities” for other airlines to replace Aer Lingus, adding: “There are various connections [to Manchester] via other airports. It would be nice for somebody to come in and operate [the transatlantic routes].” Phil Nuttall, co-owner of
Blackpool-based The Travel Village Group, said that while the Aer Lingus move had “been on the cards for a long time”, it was “a shame” to lose its transatlantic links. “I think it’s a great service,
but we have to move on and hopefully it’s an opportunity for other airlines to come in and fill that space,” he said. Greig Horabin, co-founder
of Just Ask Travel, said: “The long-haul flight we [Manchester] could do with is JFK, and after that, Mexico.”
Agents rank second for spend growth in December – Barclays
December saw spending with agents outstrip all but one other consumer sector, according to latest Barclays data. Outlay with agents increased by 7.2% year on year, with transactions rising by 16.5%, outpaced only by digital contents and subscriptions, which saw an increase of 7.8%. However, card spend with airlines fell by 1.5%, with transactions down by 5.9% year on year.
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