For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

Korean Air and the Hanjin Group Chairman and founder of Skyteam died in Los Angeles

by

Yang Ho Cho, 70, Chairman and CEO of Korean Air and the Hanjin Group, died peacefully April 7 in a Los Angeles hospital after a brief illness.  He was considered to be an Air transport pioneer.

Mr. Cho’s reach extended far beyond Asia.  He was a founder of the Skyteam international airline alliance and led the bid committee that took the 2018 Winter Olympics to Korea.  He recently completed development of the iconic Wilshire Grand complex in downtown Los Angeles, the tallest building west of the Mississippi.

He served on the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA); the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, University of Southern California; and has received honorary doctorate degrees from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida) and the Ukraine National Aviation University.

Under his guidance, Korean Air became a global powerhouse flying to 124 cities and 44 countries, emerging as America’s largest Asian airline with 15 North American gateways. He recently negotiated a joint venture with Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, that created the industry’s most comprehensive transpacific network. The airlines are scheduled to launch a new non-stop route between Boston and Seoul on April 12.

Mr. Cho was in the airline industry all his life, as his father, Choong-Hoon Cho, had acquired and privatized Korean Air 50 years ago.  The younger Cho was named the airline’s Chairman and CEO in 1999 having served as President and CEO four years earlier. Mr. Cho began working for Korean Air as a manager in the Americas Regional Headquarters in Los Angeles in 1974 after graduating from the University of Southern California.

Three weeks ago Korean Air investors removed him from the board in a victory for shareholder activism.

Mr. Cho’s leadership has been widely recognized over the years. He was awarded the title of `Grand Officier’ in France’s Légion d’Honneur, ‘Polaris’ in Mongolia and also the `Mugunghwa Medal’ in Korea – all of which are the highest order of civil merit awarded in these countries.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Mr. Cho was vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, co-chairman of the Korea-U.S. Business Council, and served as the co-president of l’Année France-Corée 2015-2016’, celebrating 130 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and France.

Mr. Cho is survived by his wife, Myung-hee Lee, son Walter, daughters Heather and Emily and five grandsons.  Services are pending in South Korea.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Aloft Kuala Lumpur has a new GM

by

Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral welcomes Rubel Miah, as its newly appointed General Manager. Rubel joins the sassy 4-star Hotel with 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry with a solid foundation in driving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

A Master’s Degree holder in International Marketing and Business Development from the University of Evry in Paris, Rubel, a French national, began his career in hospitality as a Sales Manager at the Novotel Peace Beijing, followed by a three-year stint with the Sofitel brand in China before moving on to Sofitel Saigon in Vietnam as Director of Sales & Marketing where he spent two years, repositioning the hotel into the Luxury market before joining the pre-opening team of the Sheraton Chongqing Hotel in South West part of China.

Following a successful opening of the Sheraton Chongqing, Rubel joined the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, A Luxury Collection Hotel, in Bangkok, in 2012. In his capacity as the Director of Sales & Marketing of the Hotel, Rubel continued to excel and successfully increase the Hotel’s profitability which led to his appointment as Hotel Manager at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, where he held the position for three years, making it his most recent adventure before moving to Malaysia.

In his new role at Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Rubel Miah strives to continue the Hotel’s success and make it the best place for global corporate and leisure travellers.

Apart from work, Rubel, a father of two, is also highly committed to humanitarian causes. He was a Chief Boy Scout while completing his Master’s Degree where he found working to raise funds and helping out the less fortunate a very enriching experience. He carried on his passion throughout his career, championing the Marriott Thailand Business Council’s Corporate Social Responsibility chapter.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Carlos Vogeler starts leading position at Ministry of Tourism in Oman

by

It appears the implementation of the National Tourism Strategy of Oman is in excellent hands. Last week Carlos Vogeler started a two-year contract with the Ministry of Tourism of Oman, where he is now leading a team that will support Minister Ahmed bin Nasser Al Mahrizi and his team on implementation.

Carlos Vogeler was considered by many leaders as one of the most influential executives in the travel and tourism world when he served as the executive director of UNWTO under Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. Together with Korean Ambassador Dho Young-shim, Mr. Voegeler was a candidate for UNWTO Secretary-General in 2017.

Mr. Vogeler was with the World Tourism Organization for 9 years. He was honored on November 29, 2017, at the UNWTO Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth in Montego Bay by the Hon. Ed Bartlett, Minister of Tourism of Jamaica.

Before Mr. Carlos Vogeler joined UNWTO in 2005 he was a tenured professor at University “Rey Juan Carlos”, Madrid, at the Dpt. of Business Economics, a regular lecturer at Spanish and International Universities and author of various university textbooks, as well as numerous articles on international tourism structure.

Mr. Vogeler started his career in the private sector at Pullmantur, one of the largest Spanish Tour Operators. During his sixteen years of service from 1974 to 1990, he became Deputy Managing Director and introduced many innovations, namely expanding the number of destinations and products and opening new offices and new markets. He also played an active role in the board of directors of the Spanish Travel Agencies Association of Travel Agencies and in UFTAA (United Federation of Travel Agent’s Associations), where he chaired the committee on road transportation.

From 1991 to 2008 he served in various senior management positions at Group RCI, part of Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality groups, quoted in the New York Stock Exchange, where he was Managing Director for South-Western Europe, covering Spain, France, Portugal and Benelux and later Vice president of Global Account Strategy & Industry Relations.

He was elected Chairman of the Affiliate Members of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) from 2005 to 2008, representing Group RCI. Since 1997 he had been serving as Vice President of the board of the Affiliate Members and Chairman of the Business Council and member of the UNWTO Strategic Group.

He is also a founding member of the Spanish Association of Experts in Tourism (AECIT) and was a member of the International Association of Experts in Tourism (AIEST).

Carried out his studies in Canada and in Spain, graduating in Tourism Business Administration by “Escuela Oficial de Turismo de Madrid” (now University Rey Juan Carlos) and post-graduate by the IESE Business School, of the University of Navarra – Spain.

Mr. Vogeler was born in Venezuela of Spanish mother and Venezuelan-German father and is a national of Spain and Venezuela.

Travel News | eTurboNews