WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA – Pleasant Holidays announced Jack E. Richards has made the decision to retire and step down from his role as President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 31, 2025. David Hu, former President and Chief Executive Officer of varied travel industry organizations, will succeed Richards as President & Chief Executive Officer, effective January 01, 2025.

Richards has spent his entire career spanning 46 years in the travel industry with tour operators, airlines and online travel companies. Richards has led Pleasant Holidays for over 17 years growing the Company from a Hawaii-centric organization to a global travel company providing vacation packages, cruises and travel related services to 84 countries worldwide. Richards navigated Pleasant Holidays through the 2008 financial crises and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the most challenging times in the travel industry.

Richards established strong partnerships with travel consortiums, airlines, cruise lines, hotel companies, tourism boards and government agencies. His focus and commitment to provide exceptional service quality to the travel advisors and travelers earned Pleasant Holidays a record 14 awards for service quality excellence in 2023.

“It has been an incredible honor to lead and serve this great company for over 17 years as President & CEO. I am extremely proud of what we accomplished and am forever grateful to the Pleasant Holidays’ team,” said Jack E. Richards. “The company is well-positioned for long-term growth and continued success.”

David Hu will succeed Richards as the next President & CEO. He is a highly experienced leader with over 15 years in the travel industry, including 13 years as President & CEO of a luxury travel tour operator. David has diverse experience across Sales, Marketing, I.T., Supplier Relations, Operations, Finance and Human Resources.  Hu holds an MBA Finance & Strategy from the University of California, Los Angeles and BS from the University of California, Berkeley.

“Pleasant Holidays is a company that I have greatly admired from afar. This admiration is rooted not just in the company’s many accomplishments and accolades, but also the culture and the dedication of its employees. Pleasant Holidays’ team has worked tirelessly to lay the foundation necessary for the next chapter of the company’s journey” said, Hu. “I am excited and humbled that I will be a part of that journey.”