Dr. Jens Thraenhart Joins Executive board at African Asian Union

The African Asian Union (AFASU) appoints Strategy Consultant and Entrepreneur Dr. Jens Thraenhart.

The African Asian Union was founded under the umbrella of (AAPSO) and was officially announced on November 11, 2020.

The main aim of the union is to spread awareness in Africa and Asia, making research and development part of their cultures.

It aims to grow different sectors such as tourism, E-commerce, Education, and Sustainable development. The Union works to minimize poverty and unemployment. The union aims to preserve national heritage and crafts to improve people’s lives and solve their economic problems.

With Dr. Jens Thraenhart, AFASU found an experienced veteran of the travel and tourism industry with a global mindset for this emerging association.

Dr. Tharenhart is finishing his contract as CEO of BTMI and will be able to leverage his global experience to contribute to the organization’s mandate.

As the former Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office in Southeast Asia, Bangkok has always been a second home for this German Canadian tourism leader.

Jens also lived in Beijing, PR China, where he co-founded the award-winning travel technology and marketing agency Dragon Trail, and published the China Travel Trends books and website.

Dr. Jens Thraenhart is the Founding Partner of the Bespoke Strategy Consulting firm Chameleon Strategies and the 2nd Vice Chair of the World Tourism Organization’s UNWTO Affiliate Members.

Previously, he has led marketing and digital strategy teams with Destination Canada and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

Educated at top-ranked academic institutions, Dr. Thraenhart completed his doctorate degree in tourism and hospitality management (DHTM) from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a thesis in tourism resilience, an MBA-accredited Master of Management in Hospitality degree (MMH) from Cornell University, and a joint Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University Center ‘Cesar Ritz’ at Brig, Switzerland.

He was honored by the World Tourism Network as one of the Global Tourism Heroes in 2021 and recognized as one of the Top 10 Most Influential Leaders in Travel and Tourism in 2022.

He is a board member at Barbados International Airport (GAIA), the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), and Destination Mekong, and is part of the Sustainable Tourism Expert Panel.

He served as an Executive Board Member of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association (HSMAI), Executive Board Member of the International Federation of IT in Travel & Tourism, and Board Member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and past Chair of PATA China.

Passionate about the opportunities and value that travel and tourism can bring to be a force for good and an active advocate to foster climate resilience, Dr. Thraenhart is an advisor of the Climate Friendly Travel Club.

As founder of the Destination Film Forum, he is also a big proponent of the power of storytelling, having been recognized as one of the top 10 Most Influential Leaders in Travel in 2022 by Travel Vertical, ranking first in the category of Creativity and Brand Storytelling, and serving on the Jury of the Cannes Lion International Film Awards in 2022.

Passionate about innovative marketing, for the past 10+ years, he has curated creative campaigns on his blog TourismCampaigns.com.

Dr. Hossam Darwish, President of the African-Asian Union (AFASU), said that he is proud and happy that Dr. Jens Thraenhart joined the working team of the AFASU union.

He explained: “Dr. Jens Thraenhart is an international tourism expert who he has been knowing closely for over 15 years, as they worked together in Egypt several times on developing e-tourism conferences, first in 2008.

They have also participated together in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as lecturers at the Riyadh International Tourism Fair in 2012, and in e-tourism conferences in Lebanon.

This past collaboration confirms that Dr. Jens Thraenhart is a great addition to the Afro-Asian Union (AFASU).

Dr. Adel Al-Muslimani, CEO of the AFASU union, said that he welcomes Dr. Jens Thernhart as a member of the Executive Board of the union and a member of the AFASU Golden Awards Committee and wishes him success.

Major General Hossam Badr El-Din, Executive Vice President of the union, added that he is happy to have Dr. Jens Thraenhart join the Union and that he is confident that the number of members joining the Afro-Asian Union AFASU from the continents of Asia and Africa will increase, due to the great experience and relationships of Dr. Jens Thraenhart.

Dr. Jens Thraenhart expresses his excitement about joining AFASU by congratulating the leadership of the founding team for having the foresight of the potential collaboration of African and Asian nations in the sharing and cooperating in tourism for mutual understanding, peace, sustainability, and climate resilience.

Dr. Hossam Darwish, President of the Afro-Asian Union (AFASU), explained that AFASU is an international union with offices and members in numerous Afro-Asian countries.

It originated from the Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Organization, (AAPSO) which was conceived at the Bandung Conference in Indonesia under the name of the Non-Aligned Movement, led by the three leaders Nasser, Tito, and Nehru.

Currently, AAPSO and AFASU consist of 90 African and Asian countries and hold memberships in the United Nations, World Trade Organization, UNCTAD, Arab League, and African Union.

AAPSO is currently globally headed by Prof. Dr. Helmy El-Hadidi, the former Minister of Health in the Arab Republic of Egypt, and is under the financial and administrative supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.