SINGAPORE 26 January 2021: The ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHRA) appointed a new board of directors at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) 21 January.
It was also the first time that the regional hotel association held its AGM virtually to facilitate members from nine countries who could not attend in person.
Despite the crippling impact of Covid-19 on tourism and hospitality AHRA remains determined to play a vital role in rebuilding the industry through sharing of resources and strategic collaborations across the region. Part of AHRA’s roadmap to recovery includes industry support events with a focus on tourism safety and health, sustainability, human resources and productivity.
It also agreed to host an in-person regional hospitality conference possibly by the third quarter of the year but depending on the easing of travel restrictions across ASEAN.
The AGM elected new board directors for the term 2021 to 2023 with its members unanimously electing Eugene Yap of the Hotel & Restaurant of the Philippines (HRAP) as AHRA president for the second term, another first for the association, entrusting him to lead the AHRA and industry recovery.
“We are optimistic that a healthy recovery for the tourism and hotel industry (will take place due) to the deployment of vaccination across the region. ASEAN is an important market for not only the world but also its very own member states, and this will be the key to our economic recovery for the next two years,” said the AHRA president.
Board of directors 2021 to 2023
President, Eugene Yap.
First Vice President: Ms Ben Montgomery,
Thai Hotels Association (THA).
Second Vice President: Ms Chenda Clais,
Cambodia Hotel Association (CHA).
Third Vice President,
(Also Secretary-General,
Honorary Treasurer),
Hariyadi B.S. Sukamdani,
Perhimpunan Hotel dan Restoran Indonesia (PHRI).
Other Directors
Ms Margaret Heng,
Singapore Hotel Association (SHA).
Ms Christina Toh,
Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH).
AHRA is represented by the following national associations:
Brunei FAssociation of Hotels (BAH);
Cambodia Hotel Association (CHA);
Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA);
Laos Hotel and Restaurant Association (LHRA);
Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH);
Myanmar Hotel Association (MHA);
Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP);
Singapore Hotel Association (SHA);
Thai Hotel Association (THA).
