Saltuk A. Kocabaş

Before joining the Tour To America family as Business Development Director, he carries the hallmarks of a journey spanning nearly three decades in the travel industry. During his university years, on a summer holiday in Marmaris in the mid-1980s, the owner of an acquaintance's tour operator said, "don't spend your holiday wandering around aimlessly like this," and put young Saltuk to work as a transfer rep on tourist coaches on the Marmaris–Dalaman route. Those days spent in 40-degree heat among suitcases and delayed flights became the first seeds planted in his tourism career. Stepping into the car rental world (Avis, Sixt, Thrifty) in the 1990s, Saltuk then served for over three years as Turkey and Middle East Sales and Marketing Manager at the Netherlands-based Holiday Cars International B.V., as Product Manager for transfer, car rental and cruise products at DOL-Dogan Online (Gezisitesi.com), and as Product Director managing the global hotel product and accommodation supply network at Metglobal. Following his role as Turkey Country Manager under Bedsonline (Hotelbeds Group), he found his true passion at Costa Cruises as Country and Business Development Manager — where his conviction that cruise travel is one of the most exciting fields of global tourism originated. This diversity makes him a rare professional: someone who knows B2B distribution channels and hospitality technologies from the inside, with deep experience in field sales and negotiation. The long-term partnerships he builds are the result of his meticulous approach to establishing trust-based relationships; his attention to detail and solution-focused approach allow him to stay calm even during the busiest periods. His education also spans three continents: completing primary school in Turkey, middle school at an American school in Jeddah, and secondary school in the UK, Saltuk went to Boston to study Computer Information Systems (CIS). This journey and long years spent abroad gave him the ability to work fluently and build trust with business partners from diverse cultures. Outside work, his interests are just as colorful: art, literature, theater, winter sports, motorbike tours, playing the guitar and SCUBA diving — reflections of a nature constantly seeking new experiences. Between 2005-2009, he also provided logistics and VIP transport support to the Panasonic Toyota Racing team at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul — his passion for speed is not limited to cruise ships. Having turned travel into both his profession and his way of life, Saltuk continues to deliver these experiences to our clients and business partners at Tour To America with the same passion and meticulous care.