Willem van der Zee was unanimously elected to lead the BHA, working closely with Rodolphe Van Weyenbergh, Secretary General, as well as the other directors and members, to stimulate the continued development of the tourism and hospitality sector.
Taking over from Yves Fonck, who is ending his term of office but remains an active member and director of the BHA, Mr van der Zee brings a wealth of international experience and in-depth expertise of the Belgian and Brussels hotel sector.
With a career marked by senior roles at Radisson and, more recently, as Director of Operations for Belgium at Pandox, a Swedish hotel investment group, Willem van der Zee is well positioned to guide the BHA in its future initiatives. He is also General Manager of The Hotel, a landmark hotel in the Belgian capital.
In his new role, Mr van der Zee is committed to making Brussels even more attractive to tourists, both leisure and business travellers. He stresses the crucial importance of the Neo project, which will feature a conference hall that can accommodate over 5,000 people, and applauds the city's investment in projects such as the Bourse and the future Kanal museum, which will contribute to the international influence and development of the region.
In addition, the new Chairman welcomes the recent regulation on tourist accommodation adopted by the parliamentary committee. This is seen as a vital step towards ending unfair competition in the sector. Mr van der Zee is now calling for the rapid execution of the ordinance at Brussels government level to ensure the effective implementation of these new regulatory rules.
"The sector's economic development can only be fully realised if we rise to the environmental and social challenge. We can only achieve this by combining public and private commitment and investment. This partnership is the key to reducing emissions from the hotel sector by between 35% and 40% by the end of the decade. Why not aim for the Brussels hotel and apartment sector to be a leader in sustainable and societal development? Our strength lies in our jobs, which are varied and accessible to all. The sector's social commitments, such as the collaboration with TADA Toekomst Ateliers de l'Avenir, are essential. We need to strengthen them and open the doors of our hotels even wider, build bridges and train people in our professions. This is the way to attract talent and raise the profile of our businesses, our sector and Brussels.
"Whether we work for large groups or as independents, we are looking positively towards the future and would like to thank all those involved for the work they have accomplished. Throughout this legislature, with all levels of government, we have weathered crises and, above all, found solutions. It is in this spirit that we hope to continue.
Willem van der Zee
