LATA Committee

The LATA Executive Committee is made of a board of volunteers from across the LATA Membership. The Committee meets regularly throughout the year to discuss ongoing projects and initiatives.

Martin Johnson – LATA Chair

Martin is the co-founder and director of the award-winning tour operator, Latin Routes and Polar Routes. Since its humble beginnings above a pizza shop in 2012, Latin Routes has gone from strength-to-strength and developed into one of the UK’s leading tour operators to Latin America. Martin also co-founded Polar Routes in 2016, which specialises in the sale of expedition cruises to the polar regions and beyond.
Martin joined the committee in 2018, and was appointed as LATA Chair in June 2023.

Quinn Meyer – Honorary Treasurer

Quinn is Founder and Director of Crees Foundation, a Peruvian based not for profit organisation, dedicated to supporting a sustainable Amazon through better understanding of the value of the rainforest and helping local people to access its resources in ways that are both profitable and that will preserve the forest for the future. Quinn joined the LATA Committee in 2016.

Lyn Hughes – Honorary Secretary

Lyn is Managing Director, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Wanderlust magazine, The UK’s Multi-award winning and top magazine for cultural, authentic, experiential and adventurous travel. With readers around the world and a vibrant website too. Lyn joined the LATA Committee in 2005.

Colin Stewart

Colin is the UK Director of Air Europa, leading Spanish airline with a ever growing network to Latin America. Colin has successfully launched Spain’s largest privately owned airline into the world’s most challenging and competitive market delivering year on year double digit growth since 2009. Colin joined the LATA committee in 2017, and served as LATA Chairman from Sept 2017 to June 2023.

Carmel Hendry

Carmel is the Americas Product Manager at Explore Worldwide, one of the UK’s leading Adventure Travel Companies. Specialising in small group adventurous itineraries, Explore offers pioneering trips that aim to get under the skin of a place, working directly with passionate local guides to ensure that each trip is full of authentic moments and experiences. Carmel joined the LATA Committee in 2019.

Simon Heyes

Simon is Founding Director of Senderos which passionately champions a portfolio of unique wildlife lodges, conservation projects, estancias & haciendas, boutique hotels and expedition vessels around Latin America to the UK and German speaking trade – Marketing and PR for their amazing stories and inspiring projects to tour operators and the press. Simon was once a specialist tour operator himself with Last Frontiers, before starting Senderos in 2004, and also has hotel experience with the family’s Brazil house Casa Cairucu, reached only by sea from Paraty. He has been on and off the LATA committee since 1996 & after a 5 year absence returned in late 2020 aiming to contribute in any way possible during these difficult times.

Lucia Zirolli

Lucia is Sales Director at Furlong Incoming, Argentina DMC. Born & raised in Buenos Aires, in a family who lived & breathed the Travel Industry, she has been working at Furlong Incoming for the past 15 years, going through all the departments inside the company. Furlong Incoming’s main focus is to provide clients with the best-suited experiences through creativity, flexibility and excellence, by making their clients’ goals their own. In the past 5 years Lucia and Furlong Incoming have been deeply engaged with Sustainability and last year Furlong Incoming achieved Travelife Certification. Lucia joined the LATA Committee in 2020 and very eager to help in these very special times.

Christopher Wilmot-Sitwell

Christopher is one of the owners of cazenove+loyd, a London-based tour operator covering Africa, Asia, Australasia and Latin America. He set up their Latin America division over 20 years ago. Widely travelled in Central and South America, he has always felt that it had more potential and deserves a higher profile. c+l has some of the most demanding and exacting clients in the UK and US but they also want real experiences. This has meant the need for the very best partners in its destinations- Latin America can always deliver but it is always about relationships and LATA is about just that. Christopher joined the LATA Committee in 2020. 

Jan Strik

Jan is the founder and director of Vapues Travel, a Panama and Nicaragua based DMC that specialises in experiential tailored travel. After getting a degree in International Relations at the University of Amsterdam, some 20 years ago, he moved to Central America and brought a fresh approach to travel in the region, sourcing innovative product and exciting new destinations. For a decade he was local representative of PUM – Netherlands senior experts, matching local companies with senior experts providing business advice and sustainable business solutions. Jan understands the needs of discerning travellers, and the importance of sustainable travel as the world opens again. He joined the LATA Committee in 2021.

Kevin Begg

Kevin has led the team at Estancia los Potreros team for the last twenty years, striving to create an independent and exclusive experience which is unlike any other of its kind in Argentina. His dream has been to create a space for those who wish to merge adventure, culture, history, and sustainability in one trip, encompassing all the best of travel but not in a traditional hotel destination format.

Kevin was elected to the LATA Committee in 2023.

Jarrod Kyte

Jarrod is Product and Sustainability Director at Steppes Travel, has played a key role in developing Steppes Travel’s Positive Impact Travel strategy.

He has previous role, I managed a tented camp in Kenya for a couple of years, so understands both the perspective of tour operator and supplier.

Jarrod joined the Committee in 2023.

Maru de Aliaga

Maru is Commercial Manager at Tropic, DMC specialized in authentic tailored-made experiences in Ecuador and Peru. With over 25 years of experience in the Travel and Leisure Industry, Maru has vast expertise in ground operations, product development, and marketing.  Her experience has been mainly in the private sector in Peru, but she has also worked closely with both the Public and the non Profit sectors as well as she, among other projects co-founded KmCero, a consulting firm that specializes in communication and marketing support as well as in destination development and sustainability practices for businesses and local governments.  (you can learn more on her experience in her Linked account here) 

Her educational background includes a BA in History, a Master’s degree in Tourism Business Management and postgraduate studies in Cultural Tourism, complemented by studies in permaculture and ecotourism.

Maru joined the Committee in 2023.