Scenic Group USA hires Julia Block as Southeast sales director

She brings more than 30 years of travel industry experience, most in cruising, and an encyclopedic knowledge of destinations, having visited 167 countries.

'Julia has done it all in the cruising world,' said Ann Chamberlin, VP sales for Scenic Group USA. 'Whether working with travel partners when she was at Ensemble, joining Holland America ships as an onboard lecturer and excursion manager, or working on guest needs with Norwegian Cruise Line, she has always shown a devotion to helping her peers and contacts succeed.'

Ensemble Travel Group

The past two years Block has run her own consultancy focused on travel agencies and small tourism businesses. Before that, with Ensemble Travel Group, she was director of member experience, responsible for developing new product opportunities and optimizing the existing programs used by the more than 800 member agencies around the world and reporting directly to the co-presidents. She also restructured the Ensemble Cruise Program, representing more than 1,000 annual ocean, river and niche sailings, to increase member engagement and supplier support. She served as business development manager for eight years.

Carnival, NCL, Holland America

Block's background includes managing a full-service travel agency, working on group and incentive sales at Carnival Cruise Line, developing and supervising Norwegian Cruise Line's nearly 300 shore excursion programs and serving as the guest and travel advisor liaison for the company’s president and spending more than seven years at Holland America Line as a port lecturer, creating and presenting talks on more than 250 destinations and excursions.

'I am excited to be part of an organization that is expanding its reach in the US market and developing new and off the beaten track itineraries that take guests to places they have only dreamed about,' Block said. 'Introducing the Scenic brands to our partner travel advisors and helping them to reinspire the confidence in their clients to travel to faraway places safely on beautifully appointed vessels is something that is right up my alley — especially in the Southeast region.'

Scenic Group includes Emerald Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Mayflower Cruises & Tours and Evergreen Tours.

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