The founder and CEO of Vacayou, Murielle Montecalvo, said, “We are delighted to have Chris join our team and lead product development and technology to new heights!” As one of the fastest growing travel trends, wellness tourism is predicted to reach $1.3 trillion USD by 2025.
When it comes to marketing their products, many companies use the term “wellness,” but Vacayou cuts through the clutter and hand-picks the world’s best wellness and active vacation destinations. The vast majority of our clients are first-time wellness tourists. According to Montecalvo, “We need to educate them on the various retreats, spas, or tours that are out there that can help them lead a healthier lifestyle.”
Brown, a veteran of the travel industry, has founded numerous successful travel businesses. In the past, he co-founded TrustedTrip, a travel technology startup that provides the industry’s first verified travel review solution. When Holidaywatchdog.com launched in 2000, he co-founded and was the driving force behind the site’s innovative design. As of 2008, TripAdvisor had acquired the website Holidaywatchdog.
It’s an industry-disrupting innovation that hasn’t yet been implemented by any other travel technology provider, says Brown. “I’m passionate about using technology to redefine the user experience in travel and especially in the wellness space, which we will do by introducing a new booking concept that we can leverage as a unique selling tool.” “I’m looking forward to working with the Vacayou team and helping to improve our travel technology solutions.”
His leadership and technology expertise helped to build a successful travel company that was purchased by OnTheBeach for $12 million GBP in May 2018 from Sunshine.co.uk’s co-founders, which he helped to co-found.
“Chris brings unmatched OTA experience and UX design to the table, which will ultimately bring a brand new dimension to Vacayou’s booking platform,” explains Montecalvo. As a result of Chris’ expertise, we are developing technology that will not only revolutionise the travel industry but also improve the user experience for our customers, partners, and communities. “