2022 was a rollercoaster year for the travel and tourism industry. A year that started with a glimmer of hope and ended for many with record business coming back.

This year also brought out the best in so many members of our sector. We were proud to have facilitated the Rebuilding travel discussion throughout the pandemic. Everyone was invited to interact with colleagues working in the sector.

Zoom made it possible for anyone to actually get to talk to many of these celebrities in our sector who are most of the time shielded normally sit in the VIP section at events, and most of us are unable to get to .

From my end, as the publisher of eTurboNews I made so many new friends, and noticed we are all a club of dedicated people, that should be able to work together and make a difference in this world. SKAL has it correct in promoting for members to do business among friends.

COVID-19 brought a lot of challenges and suffering, but going through such times also taught us a lot.

I am sharing with you a sample list of people, I was able to interact with in 2022. Every single person listed below made a difference to me, and I am grateful for everyone mentioned and so many more I may have not yet mentioned.

The list is not in order of importance, there is no order 🙂

How to make it official?

Anyone listed here, and anyone else qualified, please click here to make it official, and become a tourism hero on heroes.travel .

This is a free initiative by the by World Tourism Network. WTN will never ask for fees, marketing money or contributions. Heroes is open to anyone deserving, regardless of how important your position may be.

Please leave a feedback on thisx

Publishers’ personal list of Travel and Tourism Heroes in 2022

Dr. Caroli Janice Campos, Makato Medical Center, Manila, Philiipines
Dr. Raul Lapitan, Makato Medical Center, Manila, Philippines
Dr. Gisbert Victor, Makato Medical Center, Manila, Philippines
Nurse Czafiyhra Zaycev, “Irish,” a tourism hero, and Makati Medical Center, Manila, Philippines.
Dr. Asim Shahzad, Dusseldorf, Germany
Dr. Peter Tarlow, College Station, Texas, USA; President World Tourism Network, President Safer Tourism.
Dr. Taleb Rifai, Patron African Tourism Board, Amman, Jordan
Prof. Geoffrey Lipman, SunX and ICTP, Brussels, Belgium
Mudi Astuti, Chairwomen WTN Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
Levi Lantu, CEO · Bali Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Indonesia
Yoke Darmawan, Jakarta, Indonesia
Dr. Aleksandra Sasha, Tourism Hero, Director of Tourism Montenegro
Hon. I. Chester Cooper, Deputy Prime Minister, Bahamas
Hon. Edmund Bartlett, WTN Tourism Hero, Minister of Tourism Jamaica
Hon. Ian Gooding-Edghill, Minister Tourism Barbados
Hon Minister Goran Djurovic, Minister of Tourism, Montenegro
Hon. Najib Balala, WTN Tourism Hero, Former Min. Tourism Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
Dr. Walter Mzembi, WTN Tourism Hero, Zimbabwe
Barbara Mzembi, Dance Tourism ,South Africa
Louis D’Amore, President and Founder, International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT), New York, USA
Hamid Reza Talebi, Chair Iran – American Tourism Association, Teheran, Iran
Dho Young-shim, UN World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty Foundation
Richard Quest, CNN, London, UK
HE Dr. Htay Aung, Union Minister of Tourism Myanmar
Frank Vismeg, ONT, Canada
Zeyar Myo Aung, Ministry of Tourism Myanmar
Arvind Nayer, Vintage Travel, Zimbabwe
Bea Broda, Travel Broadcaster, Toronto, Canada
Christian Del Rosario, Photographer, Florida, USA
Cuthbert Ncube, Chair African Tourism Board, Pretoria, South Africa
Diana McIntyre-Pike, Countrystyle Community Tourism Network, Jamaica
Mark Manglona, Guam Visitors Bureau, Guam
Josh Tyquiengco, Guam Visitors Bureau, Guam
Elaine Pangelinan, Guam Visitors Bureau, Guam
Nadine Leon Guerrero, Guam Visitors Bureau
Burkhard Herbote, World Tourism Directory, Germany
Max Haberstroh, Tourism Hero, Germany
Snežana Štetić, Balkan Network of Tourism Experts, Serbia
Wolfgang Hofmann, SKAL, Duesseldorf, Germany
Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica
Faouzou Deme, Ministry of Tourism Senegal
Pankaj Pradhananga, Four Seasons Travel, Nepal
Sherin Francis, Principle Secretary of Tourism, Seychelles
Tony Ofungi, eTN Reporter, Uganda
Hon. Memunatu Pratt, Minister of Tourism, Sierra Leone
Andrew Wood, SKAL Asia, Thailand
Jens Thraenhart, CEO Barbados Tourism, Barbados
Hon. Moses Vilakati, Minister of Tourism, Kingdom of Eswatini
Deepak Joshi, Tourism Hero, Kathmandu, Nepal
Hon. Hisham Zaazou, Cairo, Egypt
Anita Johnson-Patty, Bahamas Tourism Board, Bahamas
Robert Payne, FRAPORT, Germany
Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism Cayman Islands
Burcin Turkhan, President SKAL International, USA
Annette Cardenas, Director SKAL, Panama
Hon. Gloria Guevara, Advisor to the Minister of Tourism Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Hon Alain St. Ange, VP, World Tourism Network, Seychelles
Julia Simpson, CEO WTTC, UK
Daniel Vivas, Lima, Peru
Holger Timmreck, Lima Peru
Ajay Prakash, IIPT, India
Johnson Johnrose, Sint Eustatius
Christopher Byneal, Office of Trade and Development, Trinidad & Tobago
Maribel Rodriguez, Senior Vice President WTTC, Spain
Axel Timmreck, Airport Munich, Germany
Mohammed Hakim Ali, WTN Bangladesh
Paul Rogers, Happyness Alliance, Australia
Lily Ajarova, CEO of Uganda Tourism Board, Uganda
Debby Flynn, Partner, Finnpartners, UK
Dimitri Belov, Tourism Marketing Duesseldorf, Germany
Jonathan Pansacola, Saudia, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Adam Stewart, CEO, Sandals Resorts, Jamaica
Shawn DaCosta, Sandals Resorts, Jamaica
Tom Jenkins, CEO ETOA, London, UK
Ivan Liptuga, WTN Tourism Hero, National Tourism Association, Odesa, Ukraine
Mariana Oleskiv, State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine
Apolinary Tairo, eTurboNews Tanzania
Gerald Lawless, Chairman WTTC, London, UK
Ibrahim Ayoub, ITIC Mauritius
Lloyd Waller, GTRCMC, Jamaica
Hon Saiahudin Uno, Minster of Tourism Indonesia
Michael Meyer, President SKAL Duesseldorf, Germany
Karen Hoffmann, The Bradford Group, New York, USA
Dr. Elinor Garely, eTurboNews, New York, USA
Linda Hohnhols, eTurboNews Las Vegas, NV, USA
Oleg Sziakov, eTurboNews, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Dmytro Makarov, eTurboNews, Honolulu, HI, USA
Sharlene Batin, Manila, Philippines
Michelle M. Buttigieg , Malta Tourism USA, New York, USA
Hon Niels Olsen, Minister of Tourism Ecuador
Nicki Page, TLC Harmony London, UK
Anita Mendiratta, Special Advisor Secretary-General UNWTO, Madrid, Spain
Gillian Heath, IMEX, London, UK
Hassan Merchant, Reed World Travel Market, Dubai, UAE
Elvis Kotherja, Elite Travel Group, Albania
Linda Lancaster, Travel Circles Club, London, UK
Dov Kalmann, Tourism Hero, Israel
Magued Abousedera, Undersecretary Tourism, Cairo, Egypt
Maria del Pilar Salas, SKAL Cusco, Peru
Marilou, Restaurant Manager, Marriott Hotel Manila, Philippines
Clare Akamanzi, CEO, Rwana Development Board
Petra Roach, Grenada Tourism Authority
Hon. Lennox Andrew, Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Creative Economy, Agriculture and Lands, Fisheries and Cooperatives, Grenada
Carlo Milcallef, CEP Malta Tourism Board, Malta
Intifada Naime, Senior Sales Manager, Moevenpick Marrakech, Morocco
Hon. Harin Fernando, Minister of Toursm & Lands, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Evan Tillet, Director of Tourism Belize
Adam Nije, Director Marketing, Gambia Tourism Board, Gambia
Dhananjay Regmi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board, Kathmandu, Nepal
Anthony Stuart, Senior Dir. Emerging Markets Bahamas
Paun Nicovic, Blue Kotor Bay, Montenegro
Vijay Poonoosamy, Singapore
Peter Mayers, Barbados Tourism Board
Rudi Herrmann, WTN Malaysia & Tourism Hero, Penang, Malaysia
Anthony Barker, Tourism Hero, DaNang, Vietnam
Eric Muzamhindo, Activist, Zimbabwe
Mohamad Reza, Persian Gryphon Travel Group, Iran
Abraham John, India
Windy Yang, SKAL Taipei, Taiwan
Graham Cooke, World Travel Awards, UK
Ali Aligi, Tour Guide, Ryadh, Saudi Arabia
Noha, Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia
Pascal Viroleau, CEO Vanilla Island Tourism Organization, Reunion
Ismail El Alaoui, Tour Guide, Marrakesh, Morocco
Mohamed Raaidh, Yacht Club, Maldives
Philippe Francoise, President AMFORHT, Paris, France
Felix Chaila, Lusaka, Zambia
Zine Nkukwana, Pretoria, South Africa
Noel Mignott, New York, USA
Wolgang Huschert, The Golden Citygate, Hilden, Germany
Birgit Trauer, Germany
Michael Seipelt, eTurboNews, Dusseldorf, Germany
Nick Mahoney, Sydney, Australia
Linda L.Nxumalo, Eswatini
Avi Liran, Singapore
Irene, tour guide, Mykonos, Greece
Ghassan Sader, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Mona Naffa, Amman, Jordan
Mr. Sader, Portofino, Montenegro
Ezzat Kalbourneh, Jordan Tourism Board, Amman, Jordan
Ben Wozny, General Manager Grand Hyatt, Amman, Jordan
Pichai Visutriratana,director Navinda Krabi Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Scott Foster, Honolulu, HI, USA
Frank Haas, Honolulu, HI, USA
Dale Evans, CEO, Charley’s Taxi, Honolulu, HI , USA
Pamala Taylor, Sun Island Hawaii, USA
Ghissou Rosala, Smart Energy, Hawaii, USA
Karine Coulanges, SKAL Paris, France
Hulya Aslantas, SKAL Istanbul, Turkey
Birger Bäckman, UFTA & SKAL, Finland
Mok Singh, Skal International Past President, USA
Dr. Gulen Hashmi, Pakistan
Anonymous UNWTO Staff information group