MEDIA RELEASE

Avanti Appoints Two to Regional Sales Director Positions 

Amie Gribbon to North Central Regional Sales Director, Ken Pringle to Mountain West Regional Sales Director

Portland, OR, June 18, 2024 – Custom FIT* tour operator Avanti Destinations announced the appointment of two industry veterans to regional sales director positions: Amie Gribbon to North Central Regional Sales Director and Ken Pringle to Mountain West Regional Sales Director. Both report to Gina Bang, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Avanti.

“With the appointment of Amie and Ken, we have completed the restructuring of our sales force, reducing territory sizes so that our regional sales directors have more face-to-face time with their accounts”, said Bang. “Both Amie and Ken know the challenges advisors face, having worked in travel agencies themselves and they bring well-rounded experience to their new roles as Avanti regional sales directors.” 

Amie Gribbon

Based in Chicago, Amie Gribbon calls on advisors in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She has worked for eight years in the travel industry.

Most recently, Gribbon was regional sales account manager in a 14-state territory for Venture Ashore (San Francisco). Previously she worked as a travel advisor and agency owner of XOXO Vacations (Pingree Grove, IL) and also as travel consultant at Huntley Travel (Huntley, IL). 

Ken Pringle

Based in Colorado Springs, Ken Pringle calls on advisors in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Pringle most recently was a travel advisor himself in his own company, Green Thumb Travel. Previously he worked 14 years at Avanti Destinations in various positions, including Director of Reservations and Call Center Manager. He also was a rail travel consultant at Rail Europe Group and a branch manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Advisors can reach Gribbon at agribbon@avantidestinations.com and Pringle at kpringle@avantidestinations.com.  

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 https://book.avantidestinations.com or call 1-800-422-5053 to speak with an expert travel specialist.  

About Avanti
Since 1981, Avanti Destinations has been selling independent travel products and custom-crafted vacations in Europe, the South Pacific, Asia, Central and South America, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Portland, Oregon-based wholesale tour operator offers a wide range of FIT components to travel advisors only, including air, rail, rental cars, hotels, sightseeing/attractions, transfers and hard-to-find experiential travel options. Avanti specializes in hand-picked, locally-owned hotels in both large and small cities and in connecting all the pieces of complex, multi-destination itineraries. The company also creates complete packages for custom groups of 10 or more passengers. For more information: https://book.avantidestinations.com.

*Note: FIT – Foreign Independent Travel