APT & Travelmarvel has completed its “aggressive recruitment drive” to grow its trade sales team to its largest ever size with the appointment of Sarah Turner as business development manager (BDM) south.

Turner – previously at Small Luxury Hotels of the World and agency sales manager at Abercrombie & Kent, Cox & Kings, Railbookers, and Amtrack Vacations – will start her new role on 19 December and cover the south of the UK.

She will report to head of sales and business development Brad Bennetts and focus on building relationships with key trade partners, identifying new business opportunities and delivering training.

APT finds ‘final piece’ for trade team

Bennetts said: “It is with great excitement that we announce Sarah’s appointment. She is the final piece in our dramatically scaled up sales team.

“This expanded resource, dedicated to supporting our trade partners, will enable us to help agents find greater sales success than ever before.

“Sarah is perfect for this role and will be a fantastic addition to the APT & Travelmarvel family.

“Her excellent trade contacts, wealth of trade and touring experience and dynamism mean that she will start making an impact from day one.

“The message from our now-completed sales team is simple: if you are offering one of our holidays to any of your customers, you can feel confident that they will return with glowing reviews and ready to book again.”

APT recently launched its 2023/24 Faraway Collection of river cruise and touring itineraries.

It also appointed Koral Lipton as BDM for the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and created a new BDM for homeworkers role in November.