DIRECTOR OF SALES - CAIRNS ADVENTURE GROUP

Peta has more than 30 years’ experience in tourism, including over 25 years in the youth and adventure tourism sector. During her career she has worked across sales, marketing and operational roles with leading Australian tourism brands including Raging Thunder, Wayoutback Australian Safaris and Cairns Adventure Group.

A passionate advocate for youth tourism, Peta has held multiple board positions with Adventure Cairns and Adventure Queensland and currently serves as Chair of Adventure Queensland. Since joining BYTAP in 2022, she has enjoyed working alongside industry peers to champion the backpacker and youth travel sector, encourage collaboration and help ensure Australia remains a world class destination for young travellers.

CONSULTANT & EDUCATOR - UNSW

Silke has many years of experience in youth tourism and cultural exchanges, gained on several continents. This includes working for YHA Australia in marketing, communications, and corporate affairs, promoting a network of 100 youth hostels. Silke was also with The British Council in Australia, developing bilateral cultural and educational exchanges, as well as having worked in student travel in London, for CIEE (Council for International Educational Exchanges) in New York, and for Scouts NSW in Sydney. She has also served  as a board member and secretary of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.
Silke BA and MA, speaks Spanish and Greek and is a lecturer and tutor at UNSW, as well as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language and an excursions and events manager for several international student organisations.

She is passionate about the benefits that cultural exchanges can bring to the lives of young people and their host countries.

Originally a working holiday maker herself and an author for Rough Guides, Silke’s still a backpacker at heart and was honoured to be named ‘Industry Legend of the Year’ at the 2023 Adventure Tourism Awards Australia.

MANAGING DIRECTOR - AIFS AUSTRALIA

Wendi has worked in the youth tourism sector for the past 30 years including management roles with DFAT and CIEE. She has lived and worked in Boston, London, and Tokyo, and speaks Japanese.

Wendi has been a member of the Backpacker & Youth Tourism Advisory Panel (BYTAP) since 2014, was a founding member of the Australian Internship Industry Association (AIIA), and was co-founder of the Cultural Au Pair in Australia Association (CAPAA) – serving as its chair for 6 years until 2019. Since 2005 Wendi has been the managing director of AIFS Australia, a cultural exchange provider facilitating programs for over 3,000 young people into and out of Australia every year. Wendi served as BYTAP’s Chairperson from 2022 to 2024 and continues to be closely involved in BYTAP advocacy work with government.

DIRECTOR THE TOURISM CO.

Mark has been working in the youth tourism industry for 15 years. He started as a hostel manager in Bath, UK, followed by 3 years in of operating and opening new hostels in London. After a year in Canada, he made his way to Sydney to continue managing hostels before landing at the newly opened Bounce Sydney in 2010. He still contracts with the Bounce company overseeing operations of their current assets and their future development. Mark has a management company looking after multiple backpacker operations and the development of a backpacker resort in Noosa which he shares ownership.

GROUP SALES & MARKETING MANAGER - MILLETT GROUP

I’ve been working in the tourism and hospitality sector for the past two decades. During my time at the Millett Group over the last decade, I’ve transitioned from operations to my current role with a key focus on connecting the international youth market to the group’s flagship brand Wake Up! Hostels.

I joined the Youth Tourism NSW committee (formally Backpacker Operators Association NSW) in 2017 and held the positions of Vice President and then President, and also served as the YTNSW representative on BYTAP. I was lucky enough to take out the ‘Young Industry Legend Award’ at the 2019 Adventure Tourism Awards!

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS – LEISURE ACCOMMODATION COLLECTIVE (LACO)

Alex has worked in the youth tourism sector for nearly 20 years after his first (and he thinks maybe best) role as a bartender at Belushi’s Newquay in the UK! After that, stints in resort management in Far North Queensland and back to Europe to lead the Food & Beverage team at Generator Berlin. In 2017 he joined the Tourism Adventure Group (TAG team) and was the GM of Base St Kilda before running the Melbourne operations until 2021. From there he headed up tourism and business recovery in the Yarra Ranges in local government before being drawn back to youth tourism. He’s currently Director of Operations for Leisure Accommodation Collective (LACO) as they update The Village portfolio and launch the Drifter brand into the Australian market. Since 2020, he has also been the Youth Tourism Victoria (YTV) President.

GENERAL MANAGER - UNTAMED ESCAPES

Kristy is a results-driven tourism professional with over two decades of experience, specialising in youth tourism, advocating for accessible tourism and being passionate about regional dispersal. With proven expertise in stakeholder management, industry development, and collaboration, she is recognised for cultivating key relationships, driving growth, and providing strategic leadership. Kristy brings experience across both the public and private sectors including working for Tourism Australia, Hostelworld, Oz Experience and Untamed Escapes.

GENERAL MANAGER AUSTRALIAN - JUCY GROUP

Brendan has been involved in the Tourism & Hospitality sector for almost 30 years working in numerous locations with multinational hotels to island resorts & casinos. The past 15 years have been in the youth & adventure sector where he as been a board member of Adventure Queensland & BYTAP for the past 10 years. Brendan holds a Masters of Hotel Management from Griffith University on the Gold Coast & is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

CO-FOUNDER - WELCOME TO TRAVEL

Adam was previously Operations Manager at a large adventure travel agency, from 2014 to 2017. He then co-founded Welcome to Travel, an award-winning tour operator and travel agent that introduces travellers to Sydney, Melbourne, and the East Coast of Australia. Along with others in the industry, he helped co-found Youth Tourism Victoria (YTV, previously Adventure Tourism Victoria), holding the role of Vice President for two years. He was heavily involved in writing submissions and representing this body in a Federal Parliament inquiry into the Working Holiday Maker program. He currently serves as the Vice President of Youth Tourism NSW (YTNSW) and is excited to contribute to BYTAP alongside other passionate advocates.

David (Thommo) Thomson has been active in Australia’s youth adventure industry for the past 25 years. Initially cutting his teeth as a tour guide in the outback, Thommo has since been involved in a wide variety of roles. These include operations, sales, marketing, product, and brand, predominantly with Adventure Tours Australia and more recently Dingo’s 4WD K’gari Adventures. Thommo has spent much of his time in the youth tourism industry promoting the value and benefits of extended experiences for students, backpackers and Working Holiday Makers – not only for East Coast experiences but also for some of Australia’s lesser-known destinations.