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
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.
You might also like
Radisson Hotel Group launches new property in Ningbo
Radisson Hotel Group has expanded its collection of upscale Radisson hotels in China, with the launch of Radisson Ningbo Beilun in the thriving port city of Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Radisson
Africa’s First Airbus A350 XWB named The Simien Mountains
Africa’s first Airbus A350 XWB named the Simien Mountains bringing the extra features home Ethiopian Airlines, the leading airline in connecting Africa with the rest of the World, continued its
No off-season now, monsoon tourism sees 30% increase
Compared to the list of domestic destinations that are popular during summer vacation or in the second-half of the year during Diwali and year-end winter holidays, the list of monsoon


