DHAKA: The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the ratification of the new PATA Executive Board for 2019-2020.
Dr. Chris Bottrill, Dean of Fine and Applied Arts and Director, International, Capilano University in North Vancouver, Canada and Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC, TripAdvisor, Hong Kong SAR have been formally approved to continue for an additional one-year term as Chairman and Immediate Past Chairperson respectively.
The new Executive Board members were confirmed at the PATA Board Meeting on May 12 during the PATA Annual Summit 2019 in Cebu, Philippines.
During the PATA Annual Summit 2019 in Cebu, Philippines, PATA also elected five new members to its Executive Board including Soon-Hwa Wong, CEO, Asia Tourism Consulting Pte. Ltd., Singapore; Benjamin Liao, Chairman, Forte Hotel Group, Chinese Taipei; Jennifer Chun, Director, Tourism Research, Hawaii Tourism Authority, USA; Vinoop Goel, Regional Director – Airports and External Relations, International Air Transportation Association (IATA), Singapore and Henry Oh Jr., Chairman, Global Tour Ltd, Korea (ROK).
Other Executive Board members include Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director, Macao Government Tourism Office, China; Bill Calderwood, Managing Director, The Ayre Group Consulting, Australia; Jon Nathan Denight, Representative, Palau Visitors Authority, Palau; Shahid Hamid, Executive Director, Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resort, Bangladesh and Luzi Matzig, Chairman, Asian Trails Ltd, Thailand.
Soon-Hwa Wong has been elected as the new Vice Chairman while Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes remains Secretary/Treasurer.
‘I look forward to working with our new Executive Board in supporting our members in creating a more responsible travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region. Our Executive Board this year is truly an example of PATA’s diversity and expertise. I am especially proud to recognise that PATA has five women on its Executive Board and five representatives from the Pacific, who will work alongside our other members representing the Americas, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and South Asia. I am confident that all of us together will continue to support the productive efforts of the global tourism industry and our core values at PATA,’ said Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA.
