The Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA) has announced a planned CEO succession, with Otto de Vries set to step down after 14 years leading the organisation.
Source: Supplied | Otto de Vries, CEO, Asata
De Vries will remain CEO through the end of 2027 after giving the Board a year and a half's notice of his decision. The extended transition period is intended to support continuity for ASATA's members, industry partners and government stakeholders.
The succession comes as ASATA enters its 70th year and adopts its new identity as the Association of Southern African Travel Advisors, reflecting the changing role of travel professionals from transactional booking to trusted, fee-based and expert-led travel advice.
De Vries said the timing was right for new leadership to take the Association into its next chapter.
A planned leadership transition
ASATA chair Sailesh Parbhu, managing director of XL Nexus Travel, said the timing reflected deliberate planning rather than disruption.
“Otto has been an extraordinary custodian of this industry's voice for 14 years. He has come to us with a considered decision, a year and a half ahead of his departure: that ASATA's next chapter should be led by someone else, with him ensuring the transition is seamless.”
Parbhu added that Otto's record on behalf of members deserved to be recognised in its own right.
“What's easy to underestimate in a CEO transition is the scale of what Otto has done, much of it advocacy work that happens quietly, in the background. Fourteen years of engaging on our behalf with National Treasury and Iata, through a pandemic, through SAA's business rescue, and through every payment and procurement rule that could have gone against us instead of for us. That behind-the-scenes work is the standard the next CEO inherits.”
De Vries said the decision was driven by the Association's changing direction and his desire to ensure a smooth handover.
“It felt like the right moment for new leadership to take the Association into its next chapter," said de Vries. "The direction ASATA has taken over these fourteen years was necessitated by where the industry found itself, through a pandemic and no small amount of change.
"I've given the Board a year and a half's notice because I want members, partners and government stakeholders to have complete confidence in the continuity of ASATA's work, and I've made myself available to assist with that work in whatever way the Board finds useful going forward.”
14 years of industry advocacy
During his tenure, de Vries led ASATA's advocacy on a range of issues affecting the sustainability of South Africa's travel trade.
These included engagement with National Treasury, the Consumer Protection Act, the Protection of Personal Information Act, the industry's Covid-19 response, the zero-rating of VAT on international flights and representation of members through the SAA business rescue process.
His tenure also included work on UIF/TERS relief access, cross-border payment regulation, the Public Procurement Act and the resolution of IATA's local financial criteria for South African agents.
De Vries has also represented ASATA on international travel trade bodies on behalf of the World Travel Agents Association Alliance and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, alongside ongoing advocacy on distribution content changes and disintermediation.
ASATA marks 70 years
Established in 1956, ASATA represents the majority of South Africa's travel industry by market share, including retail travel agents, travel management companies, wholesalers and suppliers of travel-related products and services.
In 2026, the Association celebrates 70 years of representing the sector and formally becomes the Association of Southern African Travel Advisors.
The new identity reflects the evolving role of the modern travel professional and comes as the organisation prepares for its next phase under new leadership.
