AITO, The Specialist Travel Association, currently representing more than 100 of the UK’s most trusted independent specialist travel tour operators, has appointed Carly Charteris as its new Head of Membership, bringing more than 30 years of travel industry experience to the role, who begins her new role on 1st September 2026.
Carly joins AITO from Discover Qatar, where she has been Regional Sales Manager since 2023. Based in Doha, she led sales and sales support teams working with B2B trade partners across five global markets, including the UK and Ireland, Europe, North America, Latin America and Australia and New Zealand.
Prior to joining Discover Qatar, Carly spent almost a decade as National Sales Manager at independent luxury tour operator Premier Holidays, where she was responsible for developing relationships with agents, managing key commercial partnerships, and supporting sales and marketing activity.
Carly previously held sales and business development roles with The Global Travel Group, Villa Plus, and RCI Europe, and worked as a Travel Counsellor for four years.
In her new role at AITO, Carly will focus on supporting and strengthening engagement with the association’s existing membership and identifying opportunities to grow its community of specialist travel businesses.
Martyn Sumners, Executive Director of AITO, says: “Carly brings extensive experience in B2B travel, with a strong track record of building relationships, developing partnerships and supporting business growth. Her international experience, alongside her deep knowledge of the UK travel trade, gives her a valuable understanding of the businesses and relationships that make up our sector.
“Carly will bring a commercial, relationship-led approach to membership, helping us to strengthen the support we provide to existing members while demonstrating the value of AITO to businesses considering joining the association. We’re looking forward to seeing her bring her experience and fresh perspective to the role.”
Carly Charteris, Head of Memberships, AITO, says: “Building strong relationships has been at the heart of my career, so the opportunity to bring that experience to AITO and work closely with its membership is particularly exciting.
“I’ve seen first-hand the value that trusted specialist travel companies bring to destinations and travellers alike, so I’m proud to be part of an association championing quality, expertise and responsible travel. I’m looking forward to getting to know our members, listening to their priorities, and helping to demonstrate the value of being part of the AITO community.”
