Ken Pringle has been promoted from Mountain West Regional Sales to Director of National Accounts. (Photo Credit: Avanti Destinations Media)
WHY IT RATES: Avanti will say goodbye to a renowned industry veteran but will look to a pair of proven leaders to fill his shoes in 2026.—Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse Senior Editor
Custom FIT (Foreign Independent Travel) tour operator Avanti Destinations announced that industry veteran John Hanratty is stepping down at the end of this year as the company’s VP of Industry Relations. Ken Pringle has been promoted from Mountain West Regional Sales to Director of National Accounts, reporting to Gina Bang, Avanti’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.
Bang and Pringle will divide Hanratty’s responsibilities.
“In the past 11 years since John joined Avanti, he has helped drive our highest growth years,” said Paul Barry, Avanti’s CEO. “We are very thankful for John’s many contributions to our success. As a result of his long-term relationships within the industry, he has strengthened our consortia and agency partnerships. He has also done an excellent job representing the company on the USTOA board. John plans on staying in our industry, and we’re excited for what’s ahead for him. We wish him every success as he begins this new chapter.”
Hanratty has worked in the travel industry for nearly 30 years, first with Certified Vacations, then at Travel Impressions, where he was Chief Operating Officer. He has served for decades on the USTOA Board of Directors, including as Chairman.
Ken Pringle – Director of National Accounts
Based in Colorado Springs, Pringle has been Avanti’s Mountain West regional sales director for 18 months and previously worked 14 years at Avanti in various positions, including Director of Reservations and Call Center Manager. In between, he learned the travel advisor business firsthand, in his own company, Green Thumb Travel.
As Director of National Accounts, Pringle is responsible for: working with Avanti’s national accounts, including consortia and large host agencies, to develop strategic plans for long-term partnerships; coordinating with Avanti’s six regional sales directors to develop territory-specific outreach to agencies and advisors, including training, events, and support; collaborating with marketing, product development, reservations, and operations teams to support initiatives with national accounts and ensure seamless service delivery.
Bang explained, “While Ken’s focus will be on agency development, advisor training, and events, I will be handling preferred agreements (commission, back-end incentives), budgets, reporting, and long term strategy, as well as marketing plans and destination partnerships with tourism boards and consortia, to ensure that consortia are promoting bookable products, not just inspirational campaigns.”
Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, wholesale tour operator Avanti Destinations creates and sells custom-crafted independent (FIT) and group travel 365 days a year in Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, the South Pacific, and Central and South America exclusively through travel advisors.
For more information, log onto the travel advisor portal book.avantidestinations.com or call 1-800-422-5053 to speak with an expert travel specialist.
SOURCE: Avanti Destinations press release.
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