WTAAA elects New Chair & Executive Committee

The World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA) held its annual General Assembly and bi-annual Board meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, September 25-26, 2018 and have elected a new executive committee and board.

Outgoing Chair Otto de’Vries has served his two-year term as Chair and the WTAAA board thanked him for his service which has seen the WTAAA expand its membership considerably, negotiate for meaningful change with IATA and continue to represent the voice of the travel agency community on the global stage.

The following newly elected WTAAA Executive Committee include:

• Chair: Mark Meader – American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA)
• Vice Chair: Praveen Chugh – Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI)
• Vice Chair: Guillermo Correa Sanfuentes –  Federation of Latin American Travel Associations (FOLATUR)
• Secretary: Michel de Blust – European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Associations (ECTAA)
• Treasurer: Wendy Paradis – Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA)

The following newly elected WTAAA Board (Directors, Deputy Directors) will hold a two-year-term:

Association Countries/Regions       Directors                                     Deputy Directors

ABAV Brazil                               Geraldo Jose Zaidan Rocha       Marcelo Marcos de Oliveira

ACTA Canada                            Wendy Paradis                           Heather CraigPeddie

AFTA Australia                          Jayson Westbury

ASATA South Africa                   Otto de Vries                              Dinesh Naidoo

ASTA USA                                 Mark Meader                              Eben Peck

CEAV Spain                               Rafael Gallego Nadal                 Eva Blasco

ECTAA Europe                           Michel de Blust                          Lars Thykier

FATA ASEAN                              Hamzah Rhamat                       Pauline Suharno

FOLATUR Latin America            Guillermo Correa Sanfuentes    Paula Cortes Calle

KATA South Korea                     Moo-seung Yang                        Sa-woon Hong

SIPA Hong Kong                        Larry Lo                                     Sunil Nanda

TAFI India                                   Praveen Chugh                         Jayesh Tharani

TAANZ New Zealand                  Andrew Bowman                      Andrew Olsen

“I am delighted to take on the role of Chair of the WTAAA and look forward to working with my WTAAA colleagues as we address the many opportunities and issues facing the global travel agency community,” said Mark Meader, Chair WTAAA.