The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is has announced the election of Dr. Chris Bottrill, Director, International and Dean of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Capilano University in North Vancouver, Canada as Chairman of the Association’s Executive Board.
He replaces Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC – TripAdvisor, Hong Kong SAR, who was elected Chairman in May 2017 and remains a member of the Executive Board as Immediate Past Chairperson.
“PATA is an organisation growing from strength to strength, and we are poised to play an ever-increasing role as a body representing governments, industry, and education in the fastest area of tourism growth on our planet. The task ahead for us is to embrace change, move fast, engage more, align strategically, and lead within the context of global sustainability goals. It is a privilege to play a small part as Chair in this important period of time for our industry and our association,” said Dr. Bottrill.
Furthermore, Dato Haji Azizan Noordin was elected as the new Vice Chairperson, while Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) to oversee its operation and management with 3 strategic thrusts of tourism, investment and community development.
Peter Semone, President & Founder – Destination Human Capital Ltd, Ireland and Soon-Hwa Wong, CEO – Asia Tourism Consulting Pte, Ltd, Singapore have been appointed to the Executive Board as non-voting members.
Abdulla Ghiyas, President – Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) and PATA Face of the Future 2018, joins the PATA Executive Board as a non-voting member and observer for a one-year term at the invitation of the PATA Chairman.
During the PATA Annual Summit 2018 in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Korea (ROK), PATA also elected a new Executive Board comprising Dato Haji Azizan Noordin, Chief Executive Officer – Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), Malaysia, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Bill Calderwood, Jon Nathan Denight, Shahid Hamid, Luzi Matzig, Benjamin Liao, Deepak Raj Joshi and Mohamed Sallauddin H.J. Mat Sah.
