Kenneth Svendsen, a veteran of U.S. and international hospitality and travel industries, has been named president of Walt Disney Travel Company.

Svendsen will be responsible for leisure and non-leisure sales channels within the domestic parks and resorts segment, such as travel agency sales, group and convention sales and services, special program sales, Disney Vacation Club sales, consumer direct sales and travel operations.  He will also lead the Walt Disney Travel Company.  Additionally, his team will serve as a center of expertise and support for the division’s international sales functions in key markets and regions in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. 

This role represents a Disney encore for Svendsen, who had previously served in key executive roles at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts during 2006-2009.

“We're excited for Kenneth to return to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts where he will lead the global sales team and The Walt Disney Travel Company, a world-class organization and one of the leading providers of family travel and leisure experiences,” said Leslie Ferraro, executive vice president, global marketing and sales, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.  “Kenneth brings a wealth of experience, global leadership and a passion for driving business results.”

In Svendsen’s most recent Disney role, he served as senior vice president of worldwide travel operations and consumer direct sales, and prior to that held a number of executive positions with in-market sales, central reservations, and the Walt Disney Travel Company.

Most recently, Svendsen was an executive with Hilton Worldwide, where he served as global head of sales and reservations.  He was responsible for all sales, regional marketing, reservation operations, customer service, B2B marketing and hotel quality assurance across the entire Hilton Worldwide portfolio of hotels.  His past experience in the hospitality industry has taken him to five continents in a variety of roles, and he speaks six languages.

Svendsen’s office will be located at the company’s Central Florida based offices in Celebration, Fla.