<\/p>\n
Bob East has been appointed chair of Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ), replacing outgoing chair John O\u2019Sullivan.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The former chairman of Tourism Australia and Tourism and Events Queensland, East was appointed to lead the Board at the tourism organisation\u2019s Annual General Meeting today.<\/p>\n East currently serves as chair of Experience Co, Australian Venue Co, Leisure Accommodation Collective, and the Gold Coast Suns. He created Mantra Group alongside a group of passionate tourism operators, developing it into the largest Australian-based accommodation provider.<\/p>\n East led the company to a successful ASX listing and its eventual acquisition by Accor in 2018.<\/p>\n Chief executive officer Mark Olsen welcomed East and thanked O\u2019Sullivan for his three years of service as chair.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is fitting that we have a chair with the depth of experience that Bob East brings in accommodation, experiences and global marketing to take up the mantle of TTNQ Chair after the great leadership shown by John O\u2019Sullivan in his time as TTNQ Chair,\u201d Olsen said.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn\u2019s experience in leading one of Australia\u2019s largest adventure tourism businesses with significant international exposure and operations in the region has been invaluable in steering TTNQ through the post-pandemic recovery phase as we reshaped the organisation to play a key role in the international recovery for Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cI thank John for his keen insight and look forward to working with Bob as we navigate the highly competitive world of destination marketing with a greatly reduced budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Olsen sounded the alarm over proposed changes to working holiday visas, warning workers were already leaving the region and businesses could struggle to service visitors during peak periods.<\/p>\nIndustry leaders<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n