PATA Honours Tourism Leaders and Professionals at PATA Annual Summit 2026
Gyeongju, Korea (ROK), May 12, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) honours five distinguished leaders in the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry with the Awards of Merit, Life Membership, and the Chairman’s Award.
The award ceremony was held on Monday, May 11, during the PATA Executive Board & Board Member and PATA Awards Presentation Dinner, at Lahan Hotel in Pohang, Korea (ROK).
PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid congratulated the recipients of the awards and the new Life Members, stating, “I would like to congratulate all the recipients and express how proud we are of their immense contributions to PATA and the wider tourism industry. Each of these changemakers has helped shape the Association through their leadership, integrity, and commitment to advancing our community, playing an important role in PATA’s continued growth and relevance today.”
PATA Life Membership was granted to SanJeet, Director, DDP Publications Private Limited, and Suman Pandey, Group Chairman, Explore Himalaya Travel & Adventure. As the Association’s highest individual honour, the award serves to recognise individuals for their leadership and dedication to PATA.
A two-term Member of the Executive Board and a dedicated PATA board member for over 18 years, SanJeet has played key roles across various PATA committees and leadership positions, including with the PATA India Chapter. He was an instrumental force in bringing PATA Travel Mart, one of Asia Pacific’s longest-standing region-wide travel trade exhibitions, to New Delhi, India, in 2023.
As the Director of DDP Publications—a steadfast advocate and long-standing member of PATA for over 25 years, having joined the Association in 1999—Mr SanJeet oversees the publication of ten travel industry magazines, including two based in Dubai. He is a founder of the India Travel Awards, India Cargo Awards, and the Arabian Travel Awards, which recognise and encourage notable achievements of stakeholders within the travel industry.
Pandey is one of Nepal’s leading tourism entrepreneurs, with more than three decades of leadership across adventure travel, aviation, hospitality, and tourism policy. He currently serves as Chairman of the Explore Himalaya Group, and has held several influential roles, including President of the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal and PATA Nepal Chapter, Board Member of the Nepal Tourism Board, and General Secretary of the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal.
In 2009, he pioneered skydiving in Nepal, having coordinated the historic World’s Highest Cabinet Meeting at Kalapathar. He later led the launch of Nepal’s first Himalayan Travel Mart and International Bloggers Conference in 2017, and played a key role in hosting the PATA Annual Summit 2023. Moreover, Pandey also drives grassroots change through initiatives such as ‘Development through Tourism’, ‘Each One Teach One’, and the ‘Nuwakot Green Initiative’.
The Association was honoured to present Ben Montgomery, Corporate Ambassador, Centara Hotels & Resorts, and Judy Torres, Deputy Managing Director, Marianas Visitors Authority, with the PATA Awards of Merit for their consistent contributions to PATA and the PATA chapter network over the years.
Beyond strengthening relations between Centara and the owners of Centara-managed hotels and representing the brand in various industry councils and associations, Montgomery currently serves as Vice President of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), a Board Member of the ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association, and represents Centara at the Joint Public & Private Working Committee to develop workforce capacity for Thailand’s hotel and tourism industry.
She is also part of a working group of the Thailand Creative Tourism Think Tank and a Board Member of Burapa University’s Faculty of Tourism and Management. In the past, she contributed to the Thailand Research Fund under the Tourism and Hospitality Management Program (2014–2019), where she evaluated research proposals as part of an expert panel.
Torres is the Deputy Managing Director of the Marianas Visitors Authority with over 30 years of experience in tourism administration, destination marketing, research management, and public relations in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. She has played a key leadership role in tourism development, industry recovery initiatives, airline and stakeholder relations, grants management, and strategic marketing efforts for the Marianas.
Torres has also represented the Marianas through various leadership positions within the Pacific Asia Travel Association Micronesia Chapter and currently represents the agency as a board member of the Northern Mariana Islands Museum of History and Culture. She continues to support sustainable tourism growth and community-focused destination development throughout the region.
Kornchalee Tantimongkonsakul, Corporate Affairs, PATA, was presented with the PATA Chairman’s Award in recognition of the exceptional behind-the-scenes support she has provided to the Chair during his tenure, as well as her commitment, professionalism, and dedicated service to the Association.
Having served as part of the PATA Secretariat for many years, Tantimongkonsakul has contributed to a wide range of activities related to supporting PATA leadership, governance matters, executive coordination, and member engagement initiatives. Furthermore, she has worked closely across Secretariat functions to support the Association’s ongoing operations and coordination efforts.
