Crystal Cruises has appointed Wendy Lin as regional sales manager for Asia-Pacific, marking the first time the luxury line has based staff in the region. Based in Taipei, Taiwan, Lin will work closely with Crystal’s international sales representatives, independent agencies and incentive houses throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Lin will report to Karen Mann, Crystal’s director, international sales, whose territory spans Mexico and South America, as well as Asia-Pacific. For the past eight years, Lin has been Crystal Cruises’ international sales representative for Taiwan. In that time, Lin has significantly grown the travel agency bookings from Taiwan and developed creative promotions to generate new business and support Crystal’s repeat clientele. She has also served as a consultant for business development at the Ambassador Hotels Group in Taiwan. Approximately 50% of Crystal’s international guests originate from the Asia-Pacific region. To service the area, the worldwide luxury line has contracted sales and marketing representatives in Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. In 2007, Crystal also increased its presence in the region with the appointment of an international sales representative based in Shanghai.

Michele Michalewicz, CTP, a Salt Lake City travel professional and president of Western Leisure, Inc. has been inducted as the 2009 chairman and CEO of the National Tour Association. NTA is the industry’s premier packaged travel association made up of more than 3,000 members from around the globe. A long-time supporter of the travel industry, Michalewicz has actively served NTA on various committees and has volunteered in many roles since 1988. Michalewicz has been with Western Leisure, Inc. since 1987. Western Leisure is a tour operator offering customized tour programs in the United States and Canada.