South African, Kevin Rautenbach who took over his Thailand role in January 2023 assumes his new International Director role with immediate effect. SKÅL International Thailand [SIT] – the national representative committee of SKÅL International – has announced the immediate resignation of its current President, Kevin Rautenbach following his appointment to the newly formed, 14-member Executive Board of SKÅL International [SI] – the world’s largest association of travel and tourism professionals in 78 countries.

Kevin who has held the position of President of SKÅL International Krabi and Thailand since January 2023, will now assume the role of Director for Region 11 at SKÅL International. Region 11 encompasses: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.

In his new SI position, Kevin is precluded from holding any other senior role in the organisation.

His new appointment comes half-way through his tenure as President of SKÅL International Thailand which will now undergo a reorganisation of its Executive Committee to fill Kevin’s position, the transition is expected to be a smooth one as continuity plans were implemented when Kevin took office in January 2023.

Commenting on his appointment, Kevin said: “I’m honoured and delighted to have been given this opportunity to work at the top level with this venerable global tourism organisation.  It’s been an exciting few years for SKAL which has undergone significant change with the appointment of an international committee to fine-tune its new governance model.  It’s crucial that we remain relevant to a fast-changing global tourism industry and I look forward to representing dynamic countries across Asia and beyond as my remit.”

He also thanked his Thailand Executive Committee for their tremendous support and contributions to SKÅL  and the broader field of Tourism. “I am proud to have been at the helm to lead SIT through these exciting times with and firmly believe in our motto ‘Strength through Collaboration – We are stronger together’, added Kevin.