Richard Styles, Qatar Tourism’s marketing and promotion ANZ sector head for the past five years, has departed Doha to join TripaDeal, part of the Qantas Group.
“Last week I started a new chapter in my career as the general manager Commercial Partnerships for TripaDeal, the fantastic online brand under the Qantas Group,” he posted on LinkedIn today. “My focus is on fostering collaborations with both current and new partners to drive innovation and growth. Looking forward to the journey ahead!”
Styles has extensive regional experience across APAC, Europe, the Middle East, and India, and since 2020 divided his time between his Melbourne base and the Qatar capital, Doha.
His past role involved leading the Qatar Tourism team in ANZ and establishing the tourism board for the State of Qatar in ANZ tasked with delivering the strategic plan to align with the 2030 vision for tourism.
“It all began when I launched the tourism board here in Australia, right in the midst of the COVID,” he said on departing the role, “moving back from Singapore with my family and operating from the Qatar Airways regional office in Melbourne.
“The brief was ambitious: to follow the State of Qatar’s 2030 Vision for tourism and put Qatar on the map in ANZ leading up to the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. With a trade-first approach, we were able to motivate the ANZ travel trade, which was recovering from the COVID era, to buy into the vision of a stopover in Qatar. This effort made the ANZ source market the #1 global source market for the Qatar Stopover Program.”
“As I reflect on this time, I am filled with gratitude for the unwavering support you have shown me throughout this adventure.”
“I work closely with hoteliers, attractions, distribution partners and Qatar Airways to align our targets and strategic partnerships, ensuring that our collaborative efforts in marketing, promotions, and sales drive increased visitor numbers and achieve mutual commercial success. These partnership involves coordinated campaigns, joint strategic planning, and leveraging Qatar Airways’ extensive network to enhance Qatar’s tourism appeal.”
Previously, he spearheaded market expansion and brand launches for Flight Centre Travel Group in Singapore and Hotelbeds in ANZ.
