GYEONGJU, South Korea, 13 May 2026: The Pacific Asia Travel Association confirms that Henry Oh, Chairman, Global Tours Ltd, has been elected as Chair of the association, following ratification at the PATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday, 12 May.
Following his appointment as PATA Chair, Oh said: “I am honoured to be elected by members of the PATA Board of Directors to take on this role. As the new Chair, I am committed to strengthening collaboration within the association, while building partnerships across the industry, so that PATA continues to serve as a guiding force for our members and network.”
Bottom Row: The members of the new Executive Board comprise Jackson Pek, Chief Corporate & Legal Affairs Officer, Amadeus; Maria Paz Alberto, President, Ark Travel Express, Inc; Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Director-General, Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA); Shuichi Kameyama, Chief Consultant, JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co; and Dr Sharzede Salleh Askor, CEO, Sarawak Tourism Board.
He takes over from Chair Peter Semone, who has completed two terms of two years each as the association’s Chair.
Alongside Oh, Ben Montgomery, Corporate Ambassador of Centara Hotels & Resorts, was appointed the new Vice Chair.
Four new members of the Executive Board were ratified during the AGM. They are: Jackson Pek, Chief Corporate & Legal Affairs Officer, Amadeus; Maria Paz Alberto, President, Ark Travel Express, Inc; Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Director-General, Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA); and Shuichi Kameyama, Chief Consultant, JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.
They will join Dr Sharzede Salleh Askor, CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board, who will remain a member of the PATA Executive Board.
Henry Oh is Chairman of Global Tour, Ltd, South Korea’s first private travel agency and one of the earliest Asian members of PATA. His strategic direction has earned the company both national and international recognition, including the Korean Government’s ‘20 Million Dollar Award’ and the ‘Tourism Pioneer Award’ from ITB Berlin.
He is currently the Immediate Past Chairman of the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA).
Ben Montgomery, the new Vice Chair of the association, represents Centara in various industry councils and associations. She currently serves as Vice President of the Thai Hotels Association (THA) and a Board Member of the ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association. She represents Centara at the Joint Public & Private Working Committee to develop workforce capacity for Thailand’s hotel and tourism industry.
Before joining Centara, Ben once served as the Regional Director – Greater Mekong and Director of Chapter Development at PATA headquarters.
(Source: PATA)
