
Cruise industry veteran Janet Bava is departing AmaWaterways, where she has been Chief Marketing Officer, and moving to Windstar Cruises as of 24JUL as its new Chief Commercial Officer.
At the small-ship cruise line, based in Miami, Bava will be responsible for driving strategic growth initiatives, leading marketing, sales, reservations, and deployment teams to boost the company's position in the global market.
Betsy O’Rourke, the CCO for Windstar since 2020 and the CCO of Windstar’s parent company Xanterra Travel Collection since 2012, will move to a consultancy role, as well as engage in outside Board opportunities.
“I am passionate to return to small ship, luxury cruising, a category that has experienced tremendous growth in demand in the last few years. As the new Chief Commercial Officer at Windstar, I am eager to build upon the exceptional work done by Betsy and further elevate the Windstar experience under Chris Prelog's leadership. Magnify that with the Xanterra Travel Collection and the brand will continue to provide unparalleled experiences to our guests while driving innovation and growth in this exciting sector of the cruise industry,” stated Bava.
Windstar president Christopher Prelog, says: “This is a very comforting and energizing evolution for all of us at Windstar Cruises. We couldn’t be happier for Betsy and her success, and to still have access to her wisdom and counsel, while at the same time enthusiastically welcoming cruise industry veteran Janet Bava onboard, who previously worked with Betsy at Royal Caribbean.”
For more details on Windstar Cruises, visit www.windstarcruises.com.