September 29, 2018 TnH Global 0

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.