Key Points
- Travel Department has appointed former G Adventures EMEA marketing director Ant Stone as its new sales and marketing director.
- Stone will join the Dublin-based guided group holiday operator on 3 November 2026, replacing long-serving sales and marketing director Yvonne Boyle, who retired in May.
- According to Phil Davies of Travel Weekly, Stone will lead the further development of Travel Department’s core brand and its newer soft-adventure business, Outbounder.
- Outbounder was unveiled in September 2026 as the company develops its offering beyond its established guided group holidays.
- Stone’s responsibilities will include managing Travel Department’s contact centre sales team and its concession store at Arnotts in Dublin city centre.
- Stone brings nine years of experience at G Adventures, where he served as EMEA marketing director, and previously spent six years at STA Travel as head of global partnerships and campaigns.
- Travel Department chief executive James Coughlan said Stone’s sector experience and leadership qualities would help develop the company’s brands and build on Boyle’s work.
- Stone said he was joining the business at an exciting time and highlighted its 30-year history, growth ambitions and relationships with travellers and commercial partners.
- As reported by TTG Media, Travel Department entered the UK travel trade in 2023 and has continued to develop its presence in the UK, Ireland and international markets.
- The appointment comes as the operator works to develop its core holiday business alongside Outbounder, with Stone expected to help shape its sales, marketing and brand strategy.
Why Has Travel Department Appointed Former G Adventures Marketing Director Ant Stone?
Travel Department has appointed Ant Stone, the former EMEA marketing director at G Adventures, as its new sales and marketing director, bringing in an experienced travel industry executive to oversee the development of its established guided holiday business and its newer soft-adventure brand, Outbounder. Stone will take up the position on 3 November 2026, succeeding Yvonne Boyle, who retired in May after serving as the company’s long-standing sales and marketing director. As reported by Phil Davies of Travel Weekly on 28 October 2026, Stone’s responsibilities will extend beyond marketing strategy to include the management of the operator’s contact centre sales team and its concession store at Arnotts in Dublin city centre. The appointment comes as the Dublin-based company seeks to build on its 30-year history and pursue further growth across its brands and markets.
The recruitment gives Travel Department a new senior executive with experience in international marketing, partnerships and travel trade campaigns. Stone spent nine years at G Adventures, followed by six years at STA Travel, before joining Travel Department.
According to James Chapple’s report for TTG Media, Stone’s appointment is also connected to the development of Outbounder, which Travel Department launched in September 2026. The brand represents an additional part of the company’s offering as it continues to develop its position in guided group holidays and soft-adventure travel.
The appointment is a leadership change rather than an announced acquisition or restructuring. The company has not publicly detailed specific revenue targets or quantified the commercial growth it expects Stone to deliver. His stated remit, however, places sales performance, brand development and customer-facing operations within the scope of his role.
Who Is Ant Stone, and What Experience Does He Bring to Travel Department?
Stone brings a combined 15 years of experience from two established travel businesses. He spent nine years at G Adventures, where he was EMEA marketing director, and previously worked for six years at STA Travel as head of global partnerships and campaigns.
His experience at G Adventures is particularly relevant to his new position because the company operates in the organised adventure travel market. Marketing in this sector involves communicating destinations and travel experiences to prospective customers while building relationships with travel trade partners and developing a recognisable brand.
At STA Travel, Stone’s responsibilities focused on global partnerships and campaigns. That background provides additional experience in collaborative marketing and commercial relationships, both of which can be important to travel operators working with distribution partners and other businesses.
In its 28 October report, TTG Media noted that Stone had left G Adventures in the spring before being recruited by Travel Department. The publication also reported that his earlier work at G Adventures included trade-facing partnership marketing strategies across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
The move brings that experience to a company with an established customer base and a developing brand portfolio. However, Travel Department has not announced a detailed restructuring of its marketing function or specified how Stone’s previous experience will translate into individual campaigns.
His role will cover the development of the core Travel Department brand as well as Outbounder, meaning that he will be responsible for helping the business maintain its existing identity while supporting the development of its newer proposition.
What Will Ant Stone Be Responsible for at Travel Department?
According to Phil Davies of Travel Weekly, Stone’s remit includes the further development of Travel Department’s core brand and Outbounder. He will also manage the company’s contact centre sales team and its concession store at Arnotts in Dublin city centre.
These responsibilities bring together marketing, sales management and customer-facing commercial operations.
Brand development involves establishing how a company presents its products and services to prospective customers. For a guided holiday operator, that can include communicating the nature of its itineraries, explaining what customers can expect from a group experience and distinguishing its offering from other travel businesses.
Sales management is another significant part of the position. Travel Department’s contact centre provides a direct channel through which prospective customers can make enquiries and discuss holidays. The performance of this team can influence how effectively interest in a destination or itinerary is converted into bookings.
The Arnotts concession provides another customer-facing sales channel. Its inclusion in Stone’s responsibilities means that his role will extend to the company’s retail presence in Dublin, rather than being limited to advertising, communications or digital marketing.
TTG Media similarly reported that Stone would oversee development of the core offering and Outbounder, while managing the contact centre sales team and the concession store.
The company has not disclosed specific changes to the structure of these teams or outlined new sales targets following the appointment. The precise commercial priorities will therefore become clearer as Stone takes up the position.
What Is Outbounder, and Why Is It Important to the Appointment?
Outbounder is Travel Department’s newer soft-adventure brand, unveiled in September 2026. Its development forms a central part of the responsibilities assigned to Stone.
The brand sits alongside the company’s established guided group holiday business. While Travel Department has a long operating history, Outbounder represents a newer proposition that will need to establish its identity and communicate its offering to prospective travellers.
The term soft adventure generally describes travel experiences that incorporate active or exploratory elements without necessarily requiring the technical expertise associated with more demanding adventure activities. The exact activities, itineraries and product range offered under Outbounder should be assessed against the company’s published descriptions rather than assumed from the brand name alone.
As reported by James Chapple of TTG Media, Travel Department recruited Stone as it looks to establish its new adventure brand. His background at G Adventures provides experience in marketing travel experiences and working with trade partners, although the company has not disclosed a detailed marketing plan for Outbounder.
The challenge for a newer brand is to communicate its purpose clearly, reach the appropriate audience and establish a consistent identity alongside the wider business. Its development may require coordinated work across marketing, sales, product presentation and customer communications.
Stone’s appointment places responsibility for both the established business and Outbounder under the same senior sales and marketing role. This could support a coordinated approach to brand development, although Travel Department has not publicly specified how the two brands will share resources or be positioned relative to each other.
What Did Travel Department Chief Executive James Coughlan Say About the Appointment?
Travel Department chief executive James Coughlan welcomed Stone’s appointment and highlighted his industry experience and leadership qualities.
As reported by Phil Davies of Travel Weekly, Coughlan said: “We are absolutely delighted to have appointed someone of the highest calibre in Ant and know that with his breadth of experience within the sector and leadership qualities he is perfectly placed to build on the excellent work of his predecessor, Yvonne Boyle, and will look to take our brands and team on a new and exciting journey.”
The statement recognises Boyle’s contribution while outlining the company’s expectations for its incoming sales and marketing director. It also places the appointment within a broader objective of developing the company’s brands and supporting its team.
Coughlan’s comments do not set out specific performance targets or a timetable for introducing new products. Instead, they emphasise Stone’s professional experience, leadership and expected contribution to the company’s next stage of development.
The reference to Boyle is significant because she held the sales and marketing director position for several years before retiring in May 2026. Her departure created the vacancy that Stone will fill.
The appointment therefore combines continuity and change: the company intends to build on work already undertaken under Boyle while bringing in a successor with experience at other major travel businesses.
What Did Ant Stone Say About Joining Travel Department?
Stone expressed enthusiasm about joining Travel Department and its newer Outbounder brand.
In a statement reported by Travel Weekly, he said: “I’m so honoured to join Travel Department and Outbounder at such an exciting time. This is already a hugely successful business, built on 30 years of delivering exceptional travel experiences for its loyal customers. Throughout the process, James and the team outlined clear ambitions to unlock our next chapter of growth, and I can’t wait to get started on delivering for our travellers and commercial partners.”
Stone also outlined his intended approach to working with his team, adding: “With my team, I’ll be looking to define a clear vision, a shared belief, and the energy to execute it every single day.”
His remarks identify several priorities: developing the company’s brands, working with colleagues to establish a shared direction, and delivering for travellers and commercial partners.
The reference to commercial partners is relevant to his earlier work in partnerships and campaigns at STA Travel and G Adventures. Such relationships can form an important part of a travel operator’s marketing and distribution activity.
However, Stone’s comments describe his intentions rather than specific operational commitments. Travel Department has not announced new campaigns, changes to its distribution arrangements or detailed targets linked to his arrival.
His start date of 3 November 2026 gives the company a defined transition point following Boyle’s retirement earlier in the year.
How Has Travel Department Developed Its Presence in the UK and Ireland?
Travel Department is based in Dublin and specialises in guided group holidays. The company has been operating since 1996, giving it approximately 30 years of experience in the travel market.
Its history is central to the statements made by both Coughlan and Stone about the appointment. The company is seeking to build on an established business while developing an additional soft-adventure proposition.
According to TTG Media, Travel Department entered the UK travel trade in 2023 and has continued to grow its presence in the UK, Ireland and internationally.
Its UK travel trade presence provides an additional market for the company’s holiday products and commercial relationships. Expanding across markets can require a business to understand differences in customer expectations, distribution channels and communications, while maintaining a consistent brand identity.
The appointment of a sales and marketing director with international experience may support these activities. Stone’s previous work across the EMEA region at G Adventures provides a background in marketing across multiple markets, although Travel Department has not announced particular geographic expansion targets or new offices.
The company’s concession store at Arnotts and its contact centre also demonstrate that the role includes direct customer-facing channels alongside wider brand development.
The appointment does not, on its own, confirm a new expansion programme. Instead, it establishes the executive responsibility for developing the company’s core offering and Outbounder as Travel Department continues its existing operations.
How Could the Appointment Affect Travel Department’s Sales and Marketing Strategy?
The appointment places brand development, sales management and selected retail operations within one senior leadership remit. That structure may help align marketing activity with customer enquiries, booking processes and the performance of direct sales channels.
For example, marketing campaigns can generate enquiries, while contact centre teams help customers understand available holidays and complete bookings. Information from customer interactions can also help a business understand which products attract interest and where customers require additional information.
For a guided group holiday operator, consistent communication is particularly important because customers may need details about itineraries, destinations, inclusions and the practical arrangements involved in travelling with a group.
Developing Outbounder alongside the core brand may also require the company to clarify the differences between its holiday propositions and identify the audiences each is intended to serve.
These are potential areas of focus arising from the responsibilities described in the appointment announcement. Travel Department has not confirmed that it will introduce a new customer relationship system, alter its sales processes or launch a particular campaign under Stone’s leadership.
The appointment is nevertheless relevant to Sales and Marketing, particularly the relationship between brand positioning, commercial partnerships, customer acquisition and sales team management. It also connects with Hospitality and Tourism, where businesses must coordinate product development, customer expectations and service delivery across the travel experience.
What Happens Next Following Ant Stone’s Appointment?
Stone is due to join the Travel Department on 3 November 2026, taking over from Yvonne Boyle, who retired in May.
His immediate responsibilities will cover the development of the company’s core brand and Outbounder, alongside management of the contact centre sales team and the Arnotts concession store.
The company has not published a detailed first-year strategy, quantified revenue ambitions or a timetable for future brand launches. It is therefore too early to determine the appointment’s financial impact or whether it will lead to changes in the company’s product range and distribution strategy.
The key developments to watch will include how Travel Department positions Outbounder, how it communicates the two brands to travellers and commercial partners, and whether its sales and marketing operations change following Stone’s arrival.
The company will also need to balance the development of its newer offering with the requirements of its established guided group holiday business.
For now, the appointment represents a senior leadership change designed to support brand development and commercial activity. Stone’s experience at G Adventures and STA Travel provides a relevant background, while Travel Department’s established operations offer the platform on which he is expected to build.
The longer-term outcome will depend on the company’s execution of its growth ambitions, the response from travellers and partners, and the effectiveness of its sales and marketing strategy under the new director.