Travel Impact Newswire

15 May 2026

Korean travel veteran Henry Oh wins bruising bunfight for PATA chairmanship

Imtiaz Muqbil

Gyeongju, Korea — Korean travel industry veteran, Mr. Henry Oh, President of Global Tours, has been confirmed as Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for the 2024-2026 term. Mr Oh beat competing candidate Mr Mayur (Mac) Patel, by a vote that was only disclosed as being 60:40% of the ballots. The precise number was not disclosed. The election took place at the PATA board meeting in Gyeongju on 11 May 2026, the last one under former Chairman Peter Semone.

Mr Oh becomes the first Korean to chair PATA. The election was originally supposed to be a contest between Mr Oh and Mr Suman Pandey, Group Chairman of Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure, Nepal, also an Executive Board member. Just a few weeks before the election, Mr Patel, Regional Commercial and Industry Affairs Leader, OAG Group, threw his hat in the ring.

Several influential board members, well aware of the close relationship between Mr Patel and Mr Semone, knew that was clearly intended to split the vote between Mr Pandey and Mr Oh, which could have handed Mr Patel a majority. They thwarted that move by requesting Mr Pandey to withdraw, which he did, thus making it a two-horse race, paving the way for Mr Oh’s victory.

Mr Pandey told this editor, “I did that for the benefit of PATA. We all knew what they were trying to do.”

A loss for Mr Oh would have been hugely embarrassing for Korea, the host country. The Thai contingent, including the former PATA Thailand Chapter Chairman Mrs Ben Montgomery, was one of Mr Patel’s major backers and lobbied heavily on his behalf. Mrs Montgomery is now Vice-Chairman of PATA.

Both Mr Oh and Mr Patel had circulated letters to the Board members canvassing for their votes.

In his letter, Mr Oh said, “For those who may not know me, I am a second-generation owner of Global Tour, a travel company that has been a PATA member since 1962. My late father, Henry Oh Sr., started the tour operator business, joined PATA membership, continually active and taking on various roles within the association. In 1986, he was accorded with the highest recognition of PATA Life Member. I am immensely proud of his achievement and have had the chance to grow up attending many PATA events with him over the last forty years. In many ways, PATA has been part of my life and has helped me gain global connections.”

He said that as a member of the Executive Board position in 2024, he had facilitated Korea’s hosting of the 2026 Annual Summit in Gyeongju & Pohang.

“Given the opportunity to serve, my mantra is to unite PATA members as a strong community across diverse cultures & regions and strengthen the voice of our industry. I take this on with humility, knowing the myriads of complex challenges the association is facing today and the commitment to make PATA a leading travel and tourism association in the Asia Pacific once again.”

In a Press conference after the vote, Mr Oh promised to rebuild and revive the spirit of PATA by visiting all the Chapter members. He said there is no doubt that PATA’s standards and prestige has declined since the days of his father and he saw his election as a mandate to revive it.

“I don’t know how how but I will do my best,” he said, noting his advantage of being the owner of his own comany, which gives him the financial flexibility and time to devote to PATA affairs.

He also pledged to rebalance the Korean tourism industry towards inbound arrivals to narrow the gap with the 30 million annual outbound Koreans. “Korean tourism must go global,” he said. “we were mainly domestic. Now we have become very popular due to K-Pop. We now have to create more opportunities for people to come to Korea.”

Mr Oh’s candidacy received a huge boost from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) whose President Mr Sunghyeuck Park wrote a personal letter to all PATA board members expressing the KTO’s “full support”.

Said the letter, “Mr. Oh represents Global Tours Korea, a distinguished company that has been a PATA member since 1962, reflecting a long-standing commitment to the Association. The company joined PATA under the leadership of the late Mr. Oh’s father, underscoring a shared legacy and enduring partnership with PATA.”

The KTO President hailed Mr. Oh as “a highly respected industry leader who has been actively involved in various leadership roles within the Korean travel industry, including the Korea Travel Agents Association and SKAL Korea, to name a few. Importantly, our support is not merely based on nationality, but on his proven merit, leadership, and consistent track record as a dedicated tourism professional over many years.”

It said, “We are confident that his experience, commitment, and deep understanding of the tourism landscape will enable him to effectively lead PATA and further strengthen its role in advancing a resilient and sustainable tourism industry across Asia Pacific region.”

Mr Patel’s letter was more long-winded, and accompanied by a flashy video-recording. It outlined his long history of association with PATA and promised to fix what he believed to be some of its problems. He said his experience “has given me a clear view of PATA’s strengths and an honest understanding of where it needs to go.”

He claimed that “PATA’s revenue has not grown at the pace this organisation needs to do its job well. Membership numbers have stagnated.” He wrote, “The roles within PATA – between the Secretariat, the Executive Board, and the broader Board – have become less clear over time.”

He offered a lengthy list of proposals to strengthen PATA’s finances, expand PATA’s aviation and tourism intelligence platform, and rebuild the membership value proposition. He said the roles of the Secretariat, the Executive Board, and the broader Board suffered from a “lack of clarity (which) has made it harder for the Secretariat to execute with confidence, harder for the Board to understand its own purpose, and harder for the organisation to function at the level its members deserve.”

“I will lead an Executive Board that supports the Secretariat rather than second-guesses it. I will work alongside the CEO as a genuine partner. And I will ensure the broader Board has a clear, valued, and active role in PATA’s direction, because a board that feels included and purposeful is a board that delivers for the organisation.”

He also promised to listen and lead. “I want to hear from you, not only as a candidate asking for your vote, but as someone who will be accessible, transparent, and open to ideas, feedback, and criticism throughout this process and throughout my tenure if elected.”

A number of board members said Mr Patel’s list of PATA’s ailments made them wonder what the former Chairman Peter Semone had been doing during his four-year term, especially as Mr Patel also had a seat on the Executive Board.