ATOP appoints new chairman
EHS managing director Mary-Anne Popoff has been elected chairman of the Association of Tour Operators to Portugal.
Popoff has been vice-chairman and acting chairman of ATOP for the past three years.
Sunvil Holidays managing director Noel Josephides has been elected vice-chairman and Atlantic Holidays managing director Joao Camacho has been re-elected as treasurer, a position he has held for three years.
Popoff said: “My priority this year is to get the Portugal Special Agents programme up and running, which will include on-line training, workshops and educationals for all travel agents who are keen to sell Portugal.
“We do strongly feel that agents need to be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge and be able to offer advice to clients with the human touch that you cannot get from the internet.”
The ATOP Annual General Meeting will be held in the Alentejo on October 12-14.
The event will see all ATOP members, and interested tour operators and airlines, come together to discuss future activities and marketing initiatives.
By Bev FearisM
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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