Experienced international tourism professional Kevin Bossino has been appointed CEO of the Gibraltar Tourist Board. It will be something of a home-coming for Bossino when he takes over officially on 1 September, as he commenced his career in Gibraltar at the Rock Hotel.
He went on to work in nine different countries in Europe and Asia, as well being involved with projects in the Asia Pacific region. First he worked in Venice, London and Spain, before moving to Asia, where he spent most of his time in Hong Kong and Singapore while also being involved with the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia tourism industries.
He is currently vice president of operations for global hotel chain Accor, overseeing the Singapore and South Malaysia regions and covering 27 hotels (over 5,000 rooms).
“I am absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to become the CEO of the Gibraltar Tourist Board,” he said in a press release issued by the government. “I have always maintained my links to Gibraltar and I look forward to working with the government, and with minister (for business and tourism Vijay) Daryanani in particular, and building on his vision and ambitions for Gibraltar tourism.”
Vijay Daryanani said he was extremely excited about Bossino’s appointment. “I went into this recruitment process with an open mind but I was looking for someone with international experience. The last thing I expected was that a Gibraltarian would turn up with all the right credentials and over 30 years of working abroad in this field.
“Kevin has worked for some of the top hotel chains internationally. He has huge experience in the tourism sector. This is something that will be extremely beneficial to everyone as we strive to up our standards in providing high levels of customer service to our visitors.
“In our meetings with Kevin I realised that, although he had been out of Gibraltar for many years, he had kept in touch with what was going on. He was also clearly passionate about my vision of promoting Gibraltar as a premier tourism destination for overnight and cruise tourism. I look forward to working with him to make sure that we push Gibraltar energetically in the right direction in this very competitive market.”
When he takes up his appointment, Kevin Bossino will be overseeing a wonderfully diverse array of tourist attractions in Gibraltar, including the Mediterranean Steps (photo supplied by Visit Gibraltar).