Dean Long to become new AFTA CEO

Accommodation Association boss departs as merger progresses

ACCOMMODATION ASSOCIATION (AA) CEO Dean Long will depart the organisation in September to take up the reigns as Chief Executive at the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) as the merger with Tourism Accommodation Australia continues to gather pace.

Accommodation Association Chair and Lancemore Group CEO, Julian Clark, said Long had done a great job in his time at the helm.

“The Accommodation Association is very grateful for the strong and strategic leadership Dean has provided during his time as CEO and especially during the extraordinarily difficult challenges that COVID has thrown at accommodation providers since March 2020,” he said.

Long said his time as CEO of the Accommodation Association “has been both extremely rewarding and challenging thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, border closures and travel bans”.

“This is a sector full of wonderful, generous people and businesses and never has this been more on show than via the fact that so many hotels and team members stepped in very early on to support the Government’s COVID Isolation Program and through it returning Australians, frontline medical staff, and some of the most vulnerable in our community,” he said.