About Us

Why The Arizona Travel Collection was Created?
The Arizona Travel Collection was created to raise the profile and develop new relationships for its members in the key international markets. International visitors to Arizona continues to grow and by creating a collection of hotels, resorts and other attractions in Arizona it provides a single point of contact for those international operators looking to develop their product mix and direct relationships in the Southwest. The Arizona Travel Collection will enable its members and potential travel trade partners to create and develop direct relationships with the support of the Collection’s experienced team.

Management Team:
The Arizona Collection has been created and developed to provide the very best of the southwest. With the advent of greater international travel, the desire of customers to see and experience new destinations combined with the ability of new ways of selling through the internet, the Arizona Collection was created to provide an easy way to identify what is available to meet that demand

Derek Shanks has been living and working in Arizona for over 10 years and started his career in the travel industry as a tour operator in the United Kingdom, creating and selling many long haul products around the world. In the last few years it became clear to Derek that there was a need for a focused collection to provide a solution for the customer, the travel trade booking the destination and the local hotels, resorts and attractions in Arizona.

With over 20 years of experience in the international market place within the travel industry, Derek Shanks has had sales and marketing positions with British Airways, Thomson Holidays, Discover the World Marketing, Connect-Worldwide International and ISNM.

The last 11 years has seen Derek working within the global travel representation field, 9 years as President of a leading travel representation company, Discover the World Marketing. More recently he was Chief Operating Officer with Connect-Worldwide International, a global representation company specializing in hotel representation. Derek’s experience of managing and working with a global network of local experts and their sales & marketing teams, the varied travel segments that clients are in, provides him with an excellent insight. He has developed international sales networks that have delivered successful new product launches; the growth of international and domestic revenues and brand positioning for varied clients within all segments of the travel industry. His role with British Airways was within the leisure division in product development and management, focusing on British Airways’ international markets as well as working and living in Japan with British Airways.

Derek moved to the USA from the United Kingdom over 10 years ago and has been travelling the world since. His experience of working with over 30 different cultures and over 40 different clients in the international market place, provides a practical understanding of the international markets and how to adapt to each market. With a very good commercial understanding of working with small entrepreneurial businesses, having been involved with the setting up and development of many small international businesses, as well as experience working for and with major global brands.

He has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, USA, Japan, South Africa and Australia. Derek resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his family.

Karen started her travel industry career with America West Airlines in sales in California. She soon moved into a contracting role, developing America West Vacations, with responsibilities for contracting and product development for the fast growing program. As Senior Director Marketing at Discover the World Marketing Karen was responsible for developing Hyatt Hotels’ international presence and inbound revenues to all of their North American properties. A role that she held for 9 years.

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