Marion, Dennis and Sacha Bunnik launched Bunnik Travel in 1994. Ten years later they expanded the growing in-house tour program and Bunnik Tours was born. Today the team numbers 33 and includes 9 different nationalities. Having such a diverse background and a natural passion for travel means there are not many places in the world where one of the team hasn’t spent time.

We have two retail offices, one in Adelaide and one in Melbourne. The other supporting teams such as product, marketing and accounts are also based in Adelaide. Here you can find out a little more about each of them...

 
Bunnik Tours Directors

Dennis Bunnik, Managing Director
Dennis started Bunnik Travel with Marion and Sacha Bunnik 14 years ago. Before this he spent the previous four years working in the travel industry for Hilton Hotels and Qantas Holidays. Dennis has also lectured in marketing and financial management at TAFE school of tourism. The one thing Dennis would not go on holiday without is his family and for business trips his mobile phone. His favourite holiday destination is Egypt.

Sacha Bunnik, Operations Director
Sacha is one of the founding members of Bunnik Tours, setting up the business with Marion and Dennis Bunnik 14 years ago. Believe it or not Sacha always travels with his pillow as he says it reminds him of home and is a lot more comfortable than hotel pillows. His favourite holiday destination is anywhere in France or Wyoming and Utah, America.

Marion Bunnik, Product Director
Marion Bunnik started Bunnik Travel in 1994. She has almost 40 years experience of working in the travel industry both in Holland and Australia. Previously Marion managed various travel agencies and worked for British Airways, Garuda, Australian Airlines and TAA. Marion has also taught at several travel colleges including the AFTA Travel College where she was responsible for writing the curriculum and teaching international fares and ticketing. 

The Adelaide Retail Team

David Hammett, Retail Manager
David joined Bunnik Tours in April 2001 and is one of the longest serving members of the retail team. David's favourite holiday destination is Maui in Hawaii and the place he would most like to visit is Canada. He would never travel without his wife and his top tip would be to always take a stubby cooler with you when you visit a hot country to keep your beer cold!

 
Jeremy Van Heerde, Assistant Retail Manager

Jeremy joined Bunnik tours in 2006, prior to this he worked in America for two years as a Travel Consultant selling Australian and South Pacific holidays to the American market. Jeremy's favourite holiday destination would be New York and the place he would most like to visit is Scandinavia.
 

Maria Sciarrone, Senior Retail Consultant
Maria joined Bunnik Tours in March 2004 having previously owned and run a Family Day Care business. Maria is well travelled, her favourite destination is Canada and the one place she would like to go to is Antartica. Maria's top travel tip would be have no expectations of the country you are visiting and venture off the beaten track - this is the way to truly experience and appreciate a destination.
 

Penelope Sheehan, International Travel Consultant
Penelope joined Bunnik Tours in January 2008 after returning from overseas where she had been working as a Nanny. Penelope has lived in many different countries and has also worked as a volunteer for three months in Kenya with an Australian non-profit organisation helping with income generating projects in orphanages.
Since joining Bunnik Tours Penelope has escorted a group to Sri Lanka during their famous Kandy festival.

Joel Edwards, International Travel Consultant
Joel joined Bunnik Tours in 2006, having previously worked for 2 years as a Domestic Coach Wholesaler at Expanding Horizons. Joel's favourite holiday destination is Queenstown in New Zealand and he would most like to visit the Masai Mara National Park. Joel's top travel tip would be never go on holiday without your thongs and always try everything as you never know when you'll go back.

Catherine Charlton, International Travel Consultant
Catherine joined Bunnik Tours in February 2008. Catherine has visited numerous European countries and her favourite is England. The one thing Catherine would not travel without is a decent pair of dancing shoes and her top travel tip would be if you are visiting a non-English speaking country always make the effort to learn a few phrases or greetings.

Adrian Pettit, International Travel Consultant
Adrian joined Bunnik Tours in August 2007. He has an extensive background in the travel industry, working for 10 years as an International Travel Consultant and a further three years as a Sales Consultant specialising in trips to Kangaroo Island for Sealink. Adrian said the one thing he would not go holiday without is his credit card as it's essential when booking a hotel or hire car overseas.

Juvena Salvemini, Travel Consultant
Juvena joined Bunnik Tours in January 2010 after gaining her Advanced Diploma in Tourism from Tafe. Juvena’s favourite holiday destination is Croatia as she loves the food and the people and her top travel tip would be to pack light so you leave plenty of room for new purchases.




The Melbourne Retail Team

James-Anthony Giorlando, Retail Manager
James joined the new Bunnik Tours Melbourne branch in January 2009 having previously worked in the travel industry for over eight years in various consultant and management roles. James' favourite holiday destination is Paradise Beach in India and among other places he would love to visit Africa. James' top travel tip is to remember that travel isn't just about the sights, it's about the experience and the culture.

Maree Bock, International Travel Consultant
Maree joined the new Bunnik Tours Melbourne branch in January 2009 having previously worked in the travel industry for eight years in various wholesale roles. Maree's favourite holiday destination is Canada and her top travel tip would be to always try and speak to the locals and learn about their lifestyle. Maree would never travel without her credit card and the place she would most like to visit is South America.

Daniella Inquanti, International Travel Consultant
Daniella joined the new Bunnik Tours Melbourne branch in January 2009 having just completed her Travel Studies at Jetset Training College. Daniella's favourite holiday destination is Hawaii and she would most like to visit Santorini Island. Her top travel tip would be to always have your Lonely Planet Travel Guide to hand!

Nadia Buxton, International Travel Consultant
Nadia joined the Bunnik Tours Melbourne team in September 2009. Over the past five years she has worked in various roles in the travel industry both in Queensland and Melbourne. Her favourite holiday destination would be Scandinavia as she holidayed there for her honeymoon and loved the people and the Danish pastries!




The Operations Team

Annelieke Huijgens, Operations Manager
Annelieke joined Bunnik Travel in 1997 and is one of the longest serving members of staff. She has travelled extensively and her top tip would be to just let the holiday happen and see where it takes you. Oh and don't forget your backpack.

Jennifer Robertson, Operations Supervisor
Jennifer joined Bunnik Tours in 2005, this being her first role in the travel industry.
The one thing Jennifer would never go on holiday without is an open mind and her top holiday tip would be to always pack spare camera batteries. Jennifer's favourite holiday destination is Japan as she loves its unique culture and beautiful scenery.
 

Chloe Marshman, Wholesale Consultant
Chloe joined Bunnik Tours in February 2008 after completing a course in Travel and Tourism. Her favourite holiday destination is Crete as she loves the beaches, the friendly people and the good food! Chloe would most like to visit New York at Christmas to go ice skating in Central Park and see all the fantastic Christmas lights and decorations.

Leon Cowan, Wholesale Consultant
Leon joined Bunnik Tours in October 2009, bringing with him a wealth of travel experience after working in various roles in the travel industry for the last 12 years. Leon has worked in both retail and wholesale roles both in Australia and the UK. After living and working in the UK, Leon spent 6 months working and travelling in Brazil before returning to Australia. Leon's favourite destinations would be Italy and Brazil. 

Robyn Bungay, Wholesale Consultant 
Robyn joined Bunnik Tours in April 2005 as a Retail Consultant. Having recently just returned from an educational visit to Egypt Robyn said that this was one place that she has always wanted to go to and it didn't disappoint. The one holiday that she would most like to take would be an African safari.

Kristi Rutten, Wholesale Consultant
Kristi has worked at Bunnik Tours since 2006, during this time she took two years off to explore Europe in great detail.  Kristi’s favourite holiday destination would be Positano, Italy where she got married.  “Italy has it all form scenic beauty, ancient cities and the food is unbelievable”, Kristi says.  Kristi’s dream holiday would be South America and Africa.

Ling Tan, Ticketing Officer
Ling, originally from China, joined Bunnik tours in September 2008. She has recently completed a degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management as well as achieving a certificate III at Tourism college. Ling travelled widely in China before moving to Australia and her top travel tip would be to always make copies of your important documents and carry them in a separate place to the originals.

  

Kylie Boyle, Documentations/Operations Specialist
Kylie has worked in the travel industry for 2.5 years joining Bunnik Tours in April 2010. Her dream holidays include a visit to North America, in particular Las Vegas, and the Maldives so that she can spend the day relaxing on the beach gazing at the sea.

 

The Product Team 

Stephanie Lianos, Product Manager
Stephanie joined Bunnik Tours in February 2003, having previously worked in a variety of wholesale travel roles since 1989. She has travelled extensively in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East and from her travels her top tip would be always pack your patience and a big smile. Things don't happen overseas the way they happen at home - everything gets resolved in local time the way the locals do it!

Kelly Balestrin, Product Consultant
Kelly joined Bunnik Tours in December 2008 after previously working as a Retail Travel Consultant for Jetset Port Adelaide. Kelly would never travel without a power adapter - everything always needs to be charged and the hair-dryer and straighteners need to be plugged in somewhere! Kelly's top travel tip would be eat where the locals go as then you know it must be good and the place she would most like to visit is Las Vegas.

Bhumi Chokshi, Product Consultant
Bhumi joined Bunnik Tours in January 2010 after gaining a Masters in International Tourism and Hospitality. Her previous travel industry experience includes two years working as an international travel consultant in India. Bhumi’s top travel tip would be to take lots of photos as they make the best souvenirs and the destination she would most like to visit is Africa, as it has everything an adventurous traveller could ask for!

  

Craig McBey, Product Consultant
Craig joined Bunnik Tours in April 2010. He has worked in the travel industry since 1988 in Australia and the US. He has also explored small business ownership, focusing on the health industry however the desire to return to travel was too much which has seen him happily at Bunnik Tours.

The Marketing, Accounting & Inbound Teams

Victoria Brett, National Marketing Manager
Victoria joined Bunnik Travel in September 2008, having just arrived in Adelaide from the UK. She has previously worked as a marketing consultant for a number of large UK national companies including Norwich Union and the RAC. Victoria's favourite holiday destination is Cuba and the one place she would most like to visit is New York. There are two things she would never travel without and that's a good book and her hair straighteners. She is currently on maternity leave.

Jackie Carypidis, National Brand Manager
Jackie has recently moved back to Adelaide after living in London for 2.5 years, working for various wine agencies whilst exploring the world. She joined the team at Bunnik Tours in April 2010. Her favourite destination is Turkey. Jackie is currently enjoying living on the vineyard with her family and enjoying the best of both worlds - working in the city and relaxing on the farm. She would never go on holiday without her camera.

Catherine Kelly, National Campaign Manager
Catherine joined Bunnik Tours in April 2010. She has just moved back to Adelaide after living in Melbourne for the last 2 years. Catherine has travelled through Europe and the UK and is now looking forward to a trip to Singapore and Vietnam later this year.  She loves to read, even when travelling!

Mirza Ariadi, Marketing Consultant
Mirza, originally from Jakarta in Indonesia, joined Bunnik Tours in February 2008 after completing a course in graphic design. His favourite holiday destination is Kalibaru, East Java, and he is hoping to holiday in New Zealand at some point in the near future.
 

Yoshie Furusawa, Inbound Manager
Yoshie joined Bunnik Tours in 2001, she has an extensive travel industry background having previously worked as a tour wholesaler for 14 years. In her previous role she was involved in marketing, operations, reservations and tour planning. One thing Yoshie would not go on holiday without is her Alpaca beanie which keeps her head warm even while sleeping in tropical countries! 

Reiko Hosokawa, Accounts Consultant
Reiko joined Bunnik Tours in April 2006 as an Accounting Assistant. Her favourite holiday destination would be anywhere remote in the country and she would most like to travel to South America. Reiko's top travel tip would be to try and communicate with the local people while on holiday as it will really help you to get good food!