ROMA (ITALPRESS) – On the occasion of the Assembly of ASTOI Confindustria Viaggi and the ASTOI Fund to protect the Travellers, which took place in Rome, at the Pininfarina Hall of Confindustria, Pier Ezhaya – General Manager Tour Operating of Alpitour World – was re-elected President of the two Associations for the mandate 2025-2028. Ezhaya has already served as President for two mandates, from 2020 to 2022 and from 2022 to 2025 and Vice-President Vicar from 2014 to 2018. The majority of the members, during the consultations conducted by the Designation Commission, had expressed the hope that the President would accept to re-candidate, after having again represented the Association in this particularly challenging three-year period. “I welcome this third assignment with great responsibility and pride to represent the most important companies of the Organized Tourism – comments Ezhaya -. I thank the members for expressing, with great conviction, the hope of my third mandate; This precious testimony of trust will spur me, even more, in exercising my role with self-denial and respect for all associated realities. Unlike the first term, which fell in the most difficult period of the sector, the second was carried out in a period of relaunch of the sector and allowed us to operate with more serenity and trust, being able to accompany the evolution of the association itself. A frequent visibility of the media, a constant interlocution with the Ministry of Tourism and the Government, a training program realized with Accenture, the participation in the G7 of Tourism in Florence, the definitive release of the ASTOI Observatory platform and the maturation and execution of ADV Overview, instrument of capital importance to monitor the legality of the sector, are only some of the results consuntivated in this triennial”. “I thank General Manager Flavia Franceschini, all the Team of ASTOI who has helped me in this mandate and the Board of Directors that has never made me miss the trust and support in this brilliant three-year for associate companies – continues Ezhaya. The third mandate will see us face new and important challenges such as the approval and ratification of the new Packages Directive and the continuation of the training plan that constitutes the only way to accompany companies members in the difficult period of transformation and evolution that awaits us in the imminent future. I am sure that counting on the renewed energy of the Council we will not miss to focus on the objectives we have set ourselves to make ASTOI remain the most important association of the Organized Tourism”. On the basis of the provisions of the Statute, President ASTOI appointed Vice President Vicar, entrusting the position to Andrea Mele (Viaggi del Mappamondo) while the Assembly elected Antonietta Ricciardi (British Academy), as elected Vice President. Stefano Pompili (Veratour), Gianluca Rubino (Kel 12) Fabio Savelloni (Idee for Travel) They were elected members of the College of Auditors of ASTOI, Alessandro Seghi (Alpitour World), Andrea Angeli (Quality Group), Giuseppe Tanzarella (Nicolaus); for the College of Probiviri, Francesco Caputo (Inter-StudioViaggi), Mario Di Nicolantonio (Dimension Turismo), Armanda Vendemini (Boscolo). The College of Auditors of the ASTOI Fund was elected, in the figures of Fabio Piciucchi, Alessandro Seghi (Alpitour World) and Giuseppe Tanzarella (Nicolaus). President Ezhaya will work in team and with the support of the two Vice-Presidents, the Board of Directors and the General Manager Flavia Franceschini; it will also be accompanied by 5 Executive delegations: i) Reports with Air Vectors, ii) Training, ii) Events, iv) Platform ASTOI Observatory) ADV Platform Overview. The 3 Education, Italy and Tailor Made and the 4 Working Groups will also be reconfirmed: Tax, Legal, Personal Administration and Shipping Catalogs. They are also elected in the Board of Directors of the ASTOI Fund to Protect Travellers: Mario Aprea (Ota Viaggi), Frederic Naar (Naar), Roberto Pagliara (Nicolaus), Marco Peci (Quality Group), Fabio Savelloni (Idee per Viaggiare) and Stefano Pompili (Veratour). The Vice-President of the ASTOI Fund will be appointed on the occasion of the conduct of the next Board of Directors, the body responsible for its appointment. The Assembly also hosted the intervention, through video message, of the Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, who addressed a greeting to the ASTOI Members, highlighted the importance of constant dialogue with the sector of Organized Tourism and expressed appreciation for the commitment and contribution offered by ASTOI in the main field issues and for the results obtained thanks to the constant comparison with the Association. The Minister recalled the work carried out together on the revision of the Packages Directive – in which ASTOI provided the Ministry with multiple contributions containing proposals for amendments to the text – and recalled that this commitment is continuing, always in full collaboration with the Associations of category, to become to the final text that will then be transfused into the Tourism Code. He also recalled the recent circular of the Ministry of Education and Merit on educational travel, developed jointly with the Ministry of Tourism and with the Associations of category, clarifying procedures and application criteria fundamental for educational institutions and operators of the Education segment. Santanchè also referred to the joint circular on the nautical charter, elaborated with the technical support of ASTOI, which now correctly defines the role of Tour Operators in the insertion of the pleasure units in the tourist packages, exceeding the previous normative uncertainties. Finally, the Minister reiterated the importance of collaboration with ASTOI to address the future challenges facing the sector, confirming the willingness to continue together in the path initiated. The ASTOI and FONDO ASTOI assemblies were also the occasion to celebrate the conclusion of the “The Future of Travel” training project, created by ASTOI in collaboration with Accenture Italia. Launched last June with an inaugural event at the Travel Innovation Hub in Milan, the program represented an important strategic investment of the Association, which considers training an indispensable pillar to accompany the businesses of Tourism Organized in the transformation of the sector. After the kick off event held at the Accenture headquarters last June, from July to November 2025 seven training modules were issued, with the aim of providing the professionals of associated companies with advanced skills on market evolution, new technologies (with a particular focus on IA), omnichannelity, pricing strategies, content customization and customer engagement. The route, welcomed with great enthusiasm by the Members, ended today with a special closing event at the Hotel QC Terme Roma.
– photo press office ASTOI Confindustria Viaggi –(ITALPRESS).
