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Talking Stick Global Joins the FINN Family, Expanding the Agency’s Travel UK Practice Hotel and DMC Market Portfolio

May 4, 2022

LONDON, May 4, 2022 – Talking Stick Global was established 16 years ago by Marc Reading and specialised initially in representing clients in the African continent. The company’s portfolio subsequently grew to include representing clients in Europe, Arabia, India and Australia.

Joining the FINN Partners team will be Talking Stick Global Managing Director David Reading as a partner, who took over the family business after returning from the UAE where he worked for an international hotel group after starting in the UK in the luxury tour operating sector. David also sits on the board of The Africa Travel and Tourism Association. Founder and business development director Marc Reading will join the agency as director of representation. Both will report into newly appointed FINN Senior Partner Chris Woodbridge-Cox.

Said Debbie Flynn, Global Travel Practice Leader and Managing Partner for FINN Partners said, “Since launching our representation division 21 years ago with the Jordan Tourism board we have expanded our destination representation portfolio to include Belize, Dominica, St. Helena, Washington DC and Abu Dhabi. I am excited to now be able to bring hotel and DMC expertise and contacts to the market and such a superb collection of luxury clients. We are ambitious to grow our representation offering globally as more destinations and hotels look to expand their routes to market and profile with the top buyers.”

“Joining FINN Partners owes a lot to our clients, as they ultimately gave us the green light to go ahead,” says Marc Reading. “They are as excited as we are to be a part of this world-class agency and mutually grow our businesses.”

Robert Hodson, Chief Operating Officer of Legacy Hotels and Resorts Africa, agrees, “We have had a successful working relationship with Talking Stick for 16 years. In fact, I think we might even have been one of their first clients. We are excited about FINN as we see it opening up new opportunities for us in both representation and public relations.”

The Talking Stick Global portfolio that is now part of FINN Partners representation includes in Africa the Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve; Boutique Lodge South Africa; Legacy Hotels and Resorts South Africa, Namibia and West Africa; Wild Frontiers Uganda and Tanzania Camps, Lodges and DMC; Wellworth Hospitality Tanzania and Zanzibar luxury lodges and tented camps; Cresta Mowana Safari Lodge and Spa Chobe Botswana; The Zambezi Queen Collection, Botswana; Namibia River Cruise boats and lodges;  The Palm River Hotel; and The Ilala Lodge Hotel Victoria Falls Zimbabwe.

The DMC collection expands much further afield with Goway Inbound which celebrates 50 years as Australia and New Zealand’s leading inbound Destination Management Company plus the Magic Travel groups DMC portfolio with operations in UAE, Jordan, Oman, Portugal, Georgia and Armenia, as well as the ecological-sensitive luxury Magic camps in the deserts of Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Peter Finn, CEO & Founding Partner, FINN Partners, commented “Our travel practice has grown globally by 98% year on year due to both our strategic acquisitions of leading agencies in their respective markets and the specialised expertise that complementary FINN practices bring to bear on our clients’ business challenges, ranging from ESG, economic development, and public affairs to tech and health. The addition of Talking Stick Global will further enhance FINN’s global travel leadership position.”