PATA Thailand Chapter Elects New Executive Committee
Pictured: L/R: Suvimol Thanasarakij, Executive Director - Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO); Luzi Matzig, Vice Chair – PATA Thailand Chapter and Chairman of Asian Trails; Korakot Chatasingha, Regional Director (Thailand and CLMV Sales Department) - Thai Airways International; Ben Montgomery, Chair – PATA Thailand Chapter and Director of Business Relations Management - Centara Hotels & Resorts; Mrs. Watana Limnararat, Secretary/Treasurer – PATA Thailand Chapter and MD - Pacific Leisure; Mr. Chirodeep Chakraborty, ExCom Marketing & PR – PATA Thailand Chapter and Reginal Director of Sales - Minor Hotels, and Mr. Simon Lloyd, Dean of International Hospitality Industry - Dusit Thani College.
BANGKOK, July 29, 2022 –The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Thailand Chapter is pleased to announce the election of Mrs. Ben Montgomery to be the new Chairperson for the term of 2022-2024. The election took place at Thai Airways International Head Office in Bangkok on July 27, 2022.
She replaces Mr. Nond Kalinta, Chief Commercial Officer at Thai Airways Internationals, who was elected Chairman in August 2020 and remains a member of the Honorary Advisors to the PATA Thailand Chapter Board of Directors.
"I am honoured to be elected to the role of Chair of the PATA Thailand Chapter and to work with a team of committed and accomplished Board of Directors from various sectors of the travel and tourism industry in Thailand. The full support of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), and Thai Airways as our honourary advisors is truly heartening. During our next term, the PATA Thailand Chapter will continue to work for the benefit of the Thai Tourism Community and alliances around the world." said Mrs. Montgomery.
Ben Montgomery is a corporate ambassador for Centara Hotels & Resorts, a major Thai-owned hotel chain. She was an elected member of the Executive Board of PATA from 2016-2018, and was the Chairperson for PATA Thailand Chapter from 2014-2015.
In addition to Mrs. Montgomery, Mr. Luzi Matzig, Chairman of Asian Trails, was elected as the new Vice Chairperson, while Mrs. Watana Limnararat, Managing Director of Pacific Leisure, was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Asst. Prof. Dr. Thanathorn Vajirakachorn, University of Thai Chamber of Commerce was elected as the Registrar.
The new Executive Committee Members also incude:
· Marketing & PR: Mr. Chirodeep Chakraborty, Regional Director of Sales of Minor Hotels
· Human Capital Development: Asst. Prof. Dr. Duangthida Nunthapirat, Dean of International Program, Bangkok University International
· Environmental & Sustainability: Asst. Prof. Dr. Paitoon Monpanthong, Dean of Graduate School of Tourism Management (GSTM), National Institute Development Administration (NIDA)
· Events: Ms. Perapan Angkhasuko, Senior Vice President of N.C.C. Management & Development
Ms. Supawan Teerarat, Senior Vice President - MICE Capability and Innovation, TCEB, and one of the Honorary Advisors to the PATA Thailand Chapter, said “Congratulations to the new board. TCEB values our PATA membership very much. It helps us achieve our goals in marketing Thai MICE & tourism internationally.”
About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research, and innovative events to its member organisations, which including government, state and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organisations, and educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 32 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 28 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts, and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members' desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA's Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing and London. Visit www.PATA.org.