Intrepid Travel has announced the appointment of Matt Berna as managing director of North America, overseeing the tour operator’s Toronto headquarters and employees based throughout Canada and the U.S.
With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting international travel, Intrepid says it plans to expand the North American team’s remit beyond sales and marketing, focusing on increasing its operational capabilities to build more product in-house for its customers throughout the continent.
Berna started his career in travel as a tour leader over 25 years ago. Over this time, he has worked with some of the world’s leading tour operators to develop and grow their travel portfolios, from student groups and hiking trips to more cultural and luxurious itineraries. He has held several roles within the Intrepid Group family of brands since 2008, most recently as general manager of global sales for PEAK DMC—the destination management arm of Intrepid Group—during which time he worked with Intrepid and other tour operators to create, innovate and deliver travel itineraries around the world.
In his new role, Berna will be overseeing Intrepid’s direct and industry sales strategies in North America, as well as continuing to grow the region’s B2B white-label sales. Additionally, he will have oversight of the development and operations of Intrepid’s North American-based trips, which will include domestic travel options, as well as traditional Intrepid tours for international visitors.
Brett Mitchell, Intrepid’s chief sales officer, said in an announcement, “As we solidify our strategic plan for the next several years, taking into account the impacts COVID has had on both the travel industry and our business, it’s important that we have the right structure in place. The operational expertise Matt possesses, along with his tenure within the tourism sector and our business, allows him to lead our North American team with clear direction and bring even more sustainable and responsible trip offerings to our American and Canadian customers.”
Visit www.intrepidtravel.com.
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