Pleasant Holidays Names James Kareka Vice President of Trade Brands

Pleasant Holidays announced today the appointment of James Kareka as vice president of trade brands.

In the new role, Kareka will play a “crucial role in the company’s strategic initiatives as it realigns its brands to offer exceptional and efficient service to the travel advisor community,” the company said in a release.

An industry veteran, Seattle-based Kareka brings over 30 years of experience in sales leadership. He joins from Apple Leisure Group, where he served as senior director of sales since 2017. His past roles have included leadership positions spanning corporate travel, luxury leisure travel, wholesale distribution, and hospitality management.

“We are thrilled to welcome James and his deep industry knowledge to the Pleasant Holidays team,” said David Hu, Pleasant Holidays’ president and CEO. “His skills and experience will be indispensable as we redefine Pleasant Holidays and its brands to better align with the needs of the travel advisor community.”

Pleasant Holidays, one of the largest tour operators in the U.S., has been expanding its leadership team in recent months. This week, the new chief operating officer Denis Fastert stepped into his new role this week.