Who is David Hosking?

David Hosking is the global managing director of Contiki holidays, a subsidiary group of the international tourism holding company The Travel Corporation. Mr Hosking is also on the board of directors of The Travel Corporation and holds various other positions.

 

Early Life

 

David Hosking was born in New Zealand in 1953. As a teenager he began studying agriculture at Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand.

 

Motivated by his passion for travel and exploring different cultures, after graduating from university Mr Hosking worked as a tour guide and driver for a number of tour companies. He was later hired by Contiki Tours to be both a driver and a tour manager of the company’s European Tours.

 

Career

 

At Contiki,Mr Hosking soon began playing a key role in organizing tours to different areas and helping with a range of programs that involved taking tourists further afield to the likes of India, Jordan, Afghanistan and Iraq. Mr Hosking helped to run these long “ Overland “ tours for three years. During this time Mr Hosking also took the role of the European training manager.

 

David Hosking then went on to set up Contiki in his native New Zealand, before being offered a new role with Contiki Tours as president of the organization’s large and successful division in North America.

 

In 1987 he moved to London, United Kingdom in order to serve as the managing director of Contiki’s division in Europe. Four years later, Mr Hosking became the global managing director for Contiki Holidays, overseeing the company’s different operations internationally.

 

The Travel Corporation

 

The Travel Corporation is the holding company for more than 25 different travel and hospitality brands, including Trafalgar Tours and AAT Kings, as well as Contiki Tours, a touring and adventure holiday company, which focuses on travel for the 18 to 35 age group.

 

During 2001, David Hosking joined The Travel Corporation’s board of directors and began to serve as the managing director of TravCorp SA, The Travel Corporation’s headquarters in Geneva, responsible for managing all services within the region.

 

TTC Conservation Foundation

 

The Travel Corporation set up the Conservation Foundation, a non-profit organization created in order to allow the company and its brands to directly support charitable conservation efforts. The foundation runs a number of projects focusing on sustainability and environmental issues.

 

In 2007, David Hosking became president of the Conservation Foundation and as part of this role he is charged with helping select and manage a range of different projects undertaken by the foundation. Recently, the foundation helped to raise awareness for Earth Month by educating travellers about the environmental risks affecting sea life; the foundation also supports the work of non-profit organization, Oceana.