42nd SKAL Asia Congress in Negombo, Sri Lanka

NEGOMBO - The 42nd SKAL Asia Congress was successfully held in Negombo, Sri Lanka from 30 May – 02 June 2013 with about 100 international delegates & local members and VIPs, including Mok Singh, SKAL International President, Bernhard Wegscheider, Secretary General of SKAL International, Hon Faiser Mustapha, the Sri Lankan Deputy Minister for Investment Promotion, Hon Nimal Lanza, the Minister for Tourism in the Western Provincial Council, Mr Claude Thomasz, the Chairman Western Province Tourist Board, Dr D S Jayaweera, Director General of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Vipula Wanigasekera, General Manager of Sri Lanka Convention Bureau.

Main sponsors were the Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, Western Province Tourist Board, Srilankan Airlines, Jetwing Hotels & Events among other Corporate sponsors.

SKAL Club of Colombo was formed on 11th June 1954 and has hosted two Asian Congresses, the 15th Asian Congress (September 1986) and the 23rd Asian Congress (September 1994) as well as the 51st World Congress in October 1990. In 2014 SKAL Club of Colombo will celebrate its 60th anniversary.

At the SKAL General Assembly on 1st June, Marco Giovanni Battistotti, Penang, Malaysia was elected President, SKAL International Asia, for a term of two years, 2013 – 2015, along with a new board of officers and auditors:

Asian Area Board, 2013 - 2015
- President, Marco G. Battistotti,
- Vice President East Asia & Responsible PR & Marketing, Robert Sohn,
- Vice President Southeast Asia, Alistair G. Speirs,
- Vice President West Asia, Jason Samuel,
- Secretary & Treasurer, Malcolm Scott,
- Director of Membership Development, Blandine Cressard,
- Director of Young SKAL & Scholarship, P. Saravanan,
- International Councillor & Immediate Past President, Gerry Perez

Asian Area Auditors
- Patria Chiong, Auditor,
- Keethi Jayaweera, Auditor,

“To become the 18th President in over half a century of Asian Area existence and constant presence and development throughout this great continent, certainly is, for me, an honor and indeed is an opportunity to serve for the next term this great SKAL Asia family to the best of my ability" said elected Asia President Marco Battistotti.

There was a ceremony of planting a tree at the beach of Jetwing Blue Hotel under a rule of at least one tree per conference.

The 43rd SKAL Asia Congress is to be held in Bali, Indonesia, 05 – 08 June 2014.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews