In this issue’s cover story, we profile the river cruise line AmaWaterways (“Shaping the Modern River Cruise,” page 12). Rudi Schreiner, the company’s founder, has had a central role in the evolution of river cruising from its very beginnings and deserves a lot of credit for the growth this product has had in a relatively short period of time.
In the same way that Schreiner is a pivotal figure in his industry, TravelAge West is saying goodbye to an important part of its own history. Our longtime publisher, Michelle Rosenberg, is leaving in order to focus on her growing responsibilities as vice president of the company’s Marketing Solutions Group (see page 6).
Many readers have had the opportunity to meet Michelle over the dozen or so years that she has been with the magazine but, for those who don’t know her, trust me when I say her passion for helping travel agents succeed is fierce. Michelle has the distinction of having worked at all three of the major travel trade publications in her career, and she has an understanding of the travel industry that’s second to none. Michelle started out as an editor, so she has more than just the business savvy it takes to run a publication — she also respects the challenges we face on the content side as well. I’m certain there’s not an editor-in-chief anywhere who has been as fortunate as I have been over the years to work with such a creative and supportive boss.
I’m heartened by the fact that, even in her new role, our offices will continue to be only 20 yards apart. And I know that if we fail to live up to the standards she set for the magazine, I’ll hear about it!
The silver lining in this change is that our new publisher has a proven track record of success as well. Jack Grant is a publishing veteran who has worked with some of the top companies in the industry, including Hachette Filipacchi Media, Gruner & Jahr USA Publishing, Hearst Corp., the NY Times Magazine Group and the Times Mirror Magazine Group. Not only is Jack an experienced and creative publisher, but he happens to be a great guy. So if you run into him at an upcoming trade show, feel free to introduce yourself to the latest member of our family.
TravelAge West’s mission remains the same: to bring our travel agent readers the latest product, business development and industry information they need in order to remain successful. We are proud to lend a hand to your business when we can and look forward to continuing that relationship for many years to come.
