Independent OTA Blue Bay Travel hires Europe and Middle East product manager

The firm reported a  record-breaking day of bookings on January 5 as peak sales return to pre-pandemic levels

Blue Bay Travel has appointed a new product manager, as it reported a record-breaking day of bookings for January 5.

Chris Yianni has been tasked with expanding the company’s product portfolio further into Europe and the Middle East.

He reports to product management director Greg Armstrong and will be responsible for contracting exclusive deals with resorts in his region.

Yianni has spent 20 years in two stints with Saga Holidays plus four years as head of product at Mercury Holidays.

Armstrong said: “His skill set, experience and industry relationships will open doors in new areas and accelerate the growth that Blue Bay Travel has seen over the past few years.

“Chris has a specialisation in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions and is fluent in Greek, making him the perfect fit for the role.”

His appointment comes as Blue Bay Travel peaks bookings return to pre-pandemic levels, with the biggest selling destinations in the last week being Tobago, the Maldives and Mauritius.

Almost a third of the bookings were for departures in spring 2023 – March, April and May –  with autumn 2023 departures in September, October and November coming a close second.

A member of The Midcounties Co-operative’s Co-op Travel Consortium, Blue Bay Travel is a travel agency and tour operator offering holiday deals in the Caribbean, Mexico, Indian Ocean, UAE, Far East and more.