Westgate administers promotions
Westgate Resorts announced the appointment of five new executives.
“As our business continues to thrive and expand, it is fitting that we promote those who have helped us grow into senior leadership positions,” President and CEO David Siegel said in a company news release. “These moves position Westgate Resorts for continued success for years to come.”
Jared Saft, a former senior video president who has been at Westgate Resorts for more than 11 years, was promoted to chief business officer.
“In his new role, he will oversee the development and evaluation of all new business and growth opportunities for the company, in addition to his continued oversight of companywide hotel sales and marketing; digital marketing and social media; inventory and revenue management; and timeshare and call center operations,” the release said.
Tom Sparks, a 17-year Westgate Resorts employee, was named senior vice president of resort operations.
Also getting promotions were Brian Waltrip as new vice president of resort operations; Bob Cahill as vice president of security and Mara Frazier as vice president of community and public affairs, the press release said.
Westgate Resorts, one of the largest resort developers in the United States, has 26 themed destination resorts with more than 13,500 luxury villas and hotel rooms, the company said. at Gatorland, the largest since the park opened in 1949, officially opened to the public Wednesday.
The South Orange Blossom Trail park held a ceremony to show off the Stompin’ Gator Off-Road Adventure — a ride that would be the result of a monster truck and a pontoon boat having a baby, a video joked beforehand — and an outpost where tourists can buy souvenirs and park tickets.
Media, elected officials and others attended the event and rode on the offroad adventure where tour guides showed off “real” Florida scenes, such as a metal trailer with an eviction notice.
The off-road ride costs $10 per person on top of regular park admission.
“The development of this ride was all done in-house,” said Gatorland president and CEO Mark McHugh.
The expansion was paid for out of Gatorland’s opmaybe erating budget without any loans taken out as the park had a record year of attendance in 2017, according to McHugh.
Attendance rose about 15 percent from last year, he said.
Across the state, tourism has grown steadily, according to Visit Florida, a statefunded agency that promotes tourism.
In the first nine months of 2017, about 88.2 million people visited the state — a 3 percent increase from the same time period in 2016.
“The Florida tourism industry has great momentum,” said Ken Lawson, the president and CEO of Visit Florida, a state-funded agency that promotes tourism, in a statement at the time. Next time you go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’ll get lucky enough to get a glimpse of the new baby tigers that were born in August.
The pair of endangered Sumatran tiger cubs are “slowly being introduced” to their new habitat at the theme park, Disney announced on its park blog.
Disney also released new photos of the brother and sister duo named Anala and Jeda.
“Our dedicated and highly trained team of animal care experts and veterinarians spent three years preparing for the birth of these Sumatran tigers and have worked tirelessly to provide them with the best possible care so they can grow and thrive,” the Disney blog post said.
“Part of this work included creating a special new backstage play area where the tiger cubs could learn to swim and climb before venturing into their habitat at Maharajah Jungle Trek.”
Disney promoted its conservation work with the Sumatran tigers, which are a critically endangered species.
“As part of these efforts, Disney participates in the Species Survival Plan, a breeding program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which helps ensure a diverse, healthy population of threatened and endangered species for years to come,” Disney said in the blog post.
The tigers aren’t the only recently-born animals at a Central Florida attraction.
On Thanksgiving, Busch Gardens announced its new little addition — a baby male giraffe born 6 feet tall and 150 pounds. The giraffe, whose mother is Celina, will get a name later, according to a company spokeswoman.