Alina Xiang is an experienced destination marketing strategist and trusted partner, collaborator and advisor with more than 12 years of experience creating innovative and comprehensive strategies for the Chinese tourism market.

She cultivates and leads a dynamic team of marketers, creatives and digital experts at East West Marketing with a strong network of Chinese trade partners, media, influencers, airline partners and government officials. As a champion of the travel and tourism industry and its critical economic impact worldwide, Alina is a proud board member of the U.S. Travel Association. Since joining the board in June 2017, Alina provides keen insights and expert opinions on Chinese outbound tourism.

She has had the privilege to speak at many industry events, including ITB Asia, Nevada Governor’s Global Tourism Summit, Visit Houston Tourism Summit, Visit Seattle Tourism Summit, Travel South USA International Showcase, Xiamen Tourism Conference and more.

• Favorite Travel Memory:
  My family’s first RV trip from Denver to Yellow Stone National Park. My daughter Olivia was 3 years old and my son Lucas was a one year old then. They were so excited to see the beautiful nature and stay at different camps every night. They saw elk, eagles, even a bear during the trip. This was such a good opportunity for them to be close to nature and for the whole family to be together.
• Hometown/Home State:
  Hegang, China, a very small town in Northeast China, close to Russia. It’s a very cold and icy city.
• Favorite Travel Destination:
  London. There is always something new to discover there.  It is full of history and fascinating stories. And the people there are from everywhere, so the culture is very diverse. I love stories about the Royal family, Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes.

Rati Dhodapkar is a solution-driven travel marketing professional with over 30 years of experience creating, building and leading organizations through change, re­vitalization, turnaround and accelerated growth. She is a strategic market expansion expert and advises East West Marketing’s clients on how to effectively and efficiently enter the Indian market and grow market share

Prior to joining East/West, Rati worked extensively with tourism boards, travel and tourism media, tour operators and travel agents as the Managing Director of Abercrombie & Kent. Prior to that, she led business development at Cox & Kings, one of the longest established travel companies in the world and a leading tour operator in India. Rati has also held leadership roles at Kuoni, TUI and Select Vacations, where she honed her skills in travel product development and marketing promotions.

She is the proud recipient of the 2019 “Best Professional – Marketing” at the Safari India South Asia Travel Awards in conjunction with the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association as well as the NDTV Profit & Fairfest Media “Most Influential Person in the Travel Industry” award.

Denny Xia is a dynamic, forward-thinking marketer and development expert with more than a decade of experience leading client marketing strategies in China. He specializes in driving brand growth in China’s complex and highly competitive marketplace. With a focus on strategic expansion, Denny leads East West Marketing’s global development efforts.

Michael Driver brings a great mixture of marketing and international business experience to East West Marketing. He is a seasoned marketing and sales executive with nearly a decade of experience in the travel and tourism industry, including the State of Colorado, where he served as the Director of International Marketing and PR.

Michael oversees East/West’s expanding global footprint and portfolio and works closely with the agency’s communications and sales teams.

• Favorite Travel Memory:
  Family trip to China in 2017
• Hometown/Home State:
  Born and raised in Colorado
• Favorite Travel Destination:
  Greece

Poonam Makhija is a proactive leader and planner with cross-functional expertise in planning, execution and management. She is a highly-efficient corporate strategist and development specialist, characterized as an out-of-the-box thinker and tactician with a consistent record of extraordinary growth in revenue and operational profitability.

Prior to joining East West Marketing, Poonam served as the Director of Business Development at Sartha Global Marketing LLP where she honed her skills in operations, process reengineering and design. She is able to overcome complex business challenges with her stringent work ethic and unparalleled integrity.

Poonam steers East/West’s expanding footprint and portfolio in India.

• Favorite Travel Memory:
  Going to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in a helicopter. It was the most exhilarating experience.
• Hometown/Home State:
  New Delhi
• Favorite Travel Destination:
  Florence, Italy

Tamer Attia brings a wealth of domestic and international sales experience to East West Marketing. With more than 20 years of progressive experience in travel and tourism, Tamer is able to quickly assess client pain points and develop solutions that meet business objectives and improve results. Prior to joining East/West, Tamer spent five years at the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau and more than a decade with the world’s leading bedbank Hotelbeds (formerly GTA).

A skilled solutions provider, Tamer steers East/West’s global sales efforts and works closely with the agency’s communications and sales teams.

• Favorite Travel Memory:
  Family road trip to California, Vegas, Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.
• Hometown/Home State:
  Alexandria, Egypt
• Favorite Travel Destination:
  Dubai, UAE