THE COMPANY

The Abbey Group is a long-established Destination Management company with offices in Dublin and Edinburgh and a remote team in London.With a turnover of €115 million in 2024, specialising in B2B sales to the international travel trade in both ad-hoc and special interest groups and FIT for the UK and Ireland and Moloney & Kelly (North America) for both destinations, which specialises in the luxury sector. We are a fast-growing Destination Management Company.

The Group consists of Abbey The Destination Experts, Abbey Conferences, Abbey Events and Moloney & Kelly DMC.

The Group has five divisions specialising in specific types of inbound tourism:

• Group Travel
• Individual & Online Travel
• Incentive & Luxury Leisure Travel
• Conferences
• Events

Due to the ongoing expansion, we are looking to recruit an ambitious, results-driven, travel industry professional for the role of Sales Director, Mediterranean & South America Markets.

JOB TITLE:

Sales Director, Mediterranean & South American Markets, Sales & Marketing Department - Edinburgh (hybrid) or London (fully remote)

ROLE OVERVIEW:

An experienced Senior Commercial Sales professional with strong knowledge and experience of the Group and FIT markets inbound to the UK and Ireland from the above markets. Reporting to the Director of Leisure Sales Europe, Abbey Group, the successful candidate should be an experienced travel industry professional specialising in the inbound DMC marketplace and have a proven sales and business/client development track record.Ideally, the candidate would have an excellent working knowledge of the UK and Ireland equally. Mediterranean and or South America source market specialisation is essential, as is knowledge of the FIT and Group marketplaces. The ideal candidate will be multilingual and fluent in English, Spanish and Italian.

The role encompasses field sales work for both new business and developing existing business, with a focus on Leisure sales for the group travel sector. However, it will be expected that sales meetings cover both destinations and both disciplines (FIT/Groups).

The role will focus on meeting Abbey group KPIs and will be focused on, but not exclusive to, Leisure Groups. This role will involve coordinating and working alongside our overseas representatives based in Spain and Italy, independently conducting sales activities as well as in collaboration with them.

The role requires a good working knowledge of the UK and Ireland product offering, and the candidate will be a Mediterranean/South American market inbound specialist.

The role will be Edinburgh or London based. We operate a hybrid working policy in Edinburgh (3 days office/2 days remote)

CORE DUTIES INCLUDE:

• Reporting to the Director of Leisure Sales Europe, contribute to the development of a three-year rolling Business Development Strategy and an annual Sales Plan for the mediterranean and South American markets to reflect the agreed activities for the current and following years.
• Research and identify potential high-level target clients for the Abbey Group and initiate relationships with those potential new clients.
• On-the-ground B2B field sales targeting Mediterranean and South American clients with a leisure Groups focus, together with our in-market sales representatives
• Research and qualification of leads and execution of sales calls and follow-up to drive inbound business for the Abbey Group
• Working to specified KPI targets to deliver growth for the Abbey business
• Working with the product teams to feedback on product initiatives for this market and ensure we are responding to client feedback and market needs in product innovation.
• Prepare and deliver compelling sales presentations and coordinate and drive the development of sales proposals
• Full utilisation of CRM system
• Attending trade shows, and destination forums and undertake sales trips in the source market
• Providing market intelligence to internal stakeholders including Director of Leisure Sales Europe, Abbey Group and the UK and Ireland Managing Directors.
• To contribute to the company strategy for sales growth from Mediterranean and South American source markets.
• To coordinate and manage in market Sales Representatives for presently (Spain) and (Italy) and potentially (South America)
• International travel required will be in compliance with the company’s Business Travel Policy.

WHY WORK FOR US

• A Progressive Company
• Deloitte Best Managed company for 16 consecutive years
• The Abbey Group is proud to hold a certification for being A Great Place To Work UK & A Great Place to Work Ireland
• Discretionary Company Bonus Scheme
• Hybrid/blended working option available
• Up to 60 days per year remote working abroad
• Discretionary flexible benefit contribution towards pension or health care plan
• Learning and development opportunities – individual training budget per year
• A paid day off on your birthday & an additional paid day off over the Christmas period
• Employee Assistance Programme – health & wellbeing support
• Active Social Committee and Green Team including events throughout the year

REQUIREMENTS:

Essential:

• an experienced travel industry professional specialising in the inbound DMC marketplace with a proven sales and business/client development track record.
• an excellent working knowledge of the UK and Ireland destinations equally.
• Mediterranean and or South America source market specialisation is essential, as is knowledge of the FIT and Group marketplaces.
• multilingual - fluent in English, Spanish and Italian.

REPORTING TO: Director of Leisure Sales Europe, Abbey Group

LOCATION: Edinburgh (hybrid)/London (fully remote)

DEADLINE: 30 October 2025

The Abbey Group are committed to offering equal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless of gender, race, religion, or disability. Our hiring process includes unbiased job postings, diverse interview panels, and objective evaluation criteria. We ensure equal opportunities for promotions, providing all employees with a fair chance to progress in their careers. We fully comply with UK equality laws and maintain a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination in the workplace.