Dr. Chris Bottrill leads new Executive Board of PATA
TravelBizNews —
Bangkok – The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has elected a new executive board under the leadership of Dr. Chris Bottrill .
Dr. Bottrill, Director, International and Dean of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Capilano University in North Vancouver, Canada , replaces Ms. Sarah Mathews.
Ms. Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC – TripAdvisor, Hong Kong SAR, who was elected Chairman in May 2017 remains a member of the Executive Board as Immediate Past Chairperson.
Dr. Bottrill’s first experience with PATA was as a conference volunteer in Vancouver in 1995. He joined PATA in 2011 and has participated in a wide array of roles.
Dr. Bottrill is also the Director of the acclaimed PATA supported Vietnam Community Tourism project aimed at protecting ethnic hill tribe culture through tourism, and last year he led a PATA study on Indigenous Tourism and Human Rights.
During the PATA Annual Summit 2018 held recently in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Korea (ROK), PATA elected a new Executive Board comprising Dato Haji Azizan Noordin, Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Bill Calderwood, Jon Nathan Denight, Shahid Hamid, Luzi Matzig, Benjamin Liao, Deepak Raj Joshi, Mohamed Sallauddin H.j. Mat Sah, and Gerald Perez .
“Over the past few years we have made great progress to ensure financial stability and recognition as a crucial voice in the responsible development of the travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region. I look forward to working with our new Executive Board in building upon that success and supporting our members in creating a positive impact on not just the industry, but the world.”PATA CEO Mario Hardy said.
Furthermore, Dato Haji Azizan Noordin was elected as the new Vice Chairperson, while Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes was elected Secretary/Treasurer.
Peter Semone and Soon-Hwa Wong have been appointed to the Executive Board as non-voting members. Abdulla Ghiyas of Maldives joins the PATA Executive Board as a non-voting member and observer for a one-year term according to PATA statement.
May 31, 2018
