Former World Travel Market boss and responsible tourism campaigner Fiona Jeffery has been appointed chair of the African Travel & Tourism Association.
She succeeds former chairman Julian Edmunds after serving on the Atta board for four years as industry relations director.
Jeffery is founder of international water development charity Just a Drop and created World Responsible Tourism Day in association with the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
She said: “Being selected as the new chair of Atta is an unexpected honour I do not take lightly.
“My predecessors have all done amazing jobs, and my role is to build on their success.
“With new opportunities emerging all the time, Atta will seek to embrace these, putting the interests of our membership at its heart.”
Jeffery added: “My love of Africa began on honeymoon with my husband Nigel, exploring Kenya by four-wheel drive vehicle, and I am keen to tackle the issues and opportunities of the industry across the continent.
“These include sustainability, the dangers of over-tourism, wildlife conservation and wider issues around poaching, gender equality and the opportunities of tourism to support socio-economic empowerment and development.
“It will be important to play our part supporting and furthering the agenda in many of these areas to ensure joined up thinking and increased impact across our industry.”