ECTAA Press Release 28. 5. 2026

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Prague, 28 May 2026 — At its 132nd semi-annual meeting held in Prague and hosted by the Czech travel association ACCKA and Czech Tourism, the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association elected Heli Mäki-Fränti as President of ECTAA for the 2026–2028 mandate.

As the newly elected President, Heli Mäki-Fränti brings extensive experience and long-standing involvement in the travel and tourism sector at both national and European level. CEO of the Association of Finnish Travel Agents (SMAL), she has led the Finnish association since 2007 and has served as Vice-President of ECTAA since 2022. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in travel policy, sustainable tourism and EU advocacy, contributing to the representation of the sector in key legislative discussions at European level.

“ECTAA plays a vital role in representing the interests of travel agents and tour operators across Europe. I look forward to working closely with our members and partners to strengthen our sector and ensure a resilient and competitive tourism sector across Europe,” said Heli Mäki-Fränti.

Heli Mäki-Fränti succeeds Frank Oostdam, who served as President of ECTAA for the past four years and has been actively involved in the association since 2007. During his presidency, ECTAA strengthened its position as the voice of travel agents and tour operators in Europe and successfully defended the interests of the sector during a period of significant transformation for the travel industry. ECTAA warmly thanked Frank Oostdam for his exceptional dedication and leadership and wished him all the best for his retirement.

 

The newly elected Executive Board is composed as follows:

• President: Heli Mäki-Fränti (Finland)
• Vice-President: Marios Kammenos (Greece)
• Treasurer: Jan Van Steen (Belgium)
• Members of the Executive Board:
  • Gabriele Milani (Italy)
  • Pawel Niewiadomski (Poland)
  • Frank Radstake (Netherlands)
  • Daniela Stoeva (Bulgaria)

 

 

ECTAA
ECTAA represents the interests of 80,000 travel agents and tour operators in Europe, which provide consultancy and sell transport, accommodation, leisure and other tourism services as well as combined products to leisure and business customers.