Tag Archives: PATA Annual Summit

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the cancellation of its Annual Summit scheduled to take place from March 31- April 3, 2020, in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE due to evolving dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 globally. In 2021, the summit will be hosted by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAK TDA) and for next year’s event will be announced in due time, announced Dr Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA. Delegates who have paid the registration fee or purchased tickets for the PATA Foundation Charity Dinner have the option of transferring the registration fee and/or the Charity Dinner ticket fee to the PATA Annual Summit 2021 or receive a full refund.

Cebu, Philippines has been chosen as the destination to host PATA Annual Summit (PAS) 2019. The event will be held from May 9-12, 2019. This year’s PATA Summit in Gangneung, South Korea was attended by 372 registered delegates from 182 organisations representing 41 countries. Organised in association with the Korea Tourism Organisation and the Gangwon Province, PAS 2018 focused on building bridges, connecting people and how collaboration creates opportunities.

PATA Annual Summit 2018 underway in Gangneung, South Korea focuses on building bridges, connecting people and how collaboration creates opportunities. This four-day event brought together international thought leaders and industry professionals. The conference looked at various connections that help in shaping the industry as the world moves towards a more exponential future, bringing together a diverse line-up of international industry shapers and senior decision makers. Ban Ki-Moon, Former Secretary-General, United Nations, delivered the keynote address and Taleb Rifai, Former Secretary-General, UNWTO, provided the closing remarks.

The next edition of the PATA Annual Summit (PAS) 2017 will take place in Negombo, Sri Lanka from May 18 -21, 2017. The PATA Annual Summit 2016 was held in Guam and welcomed 640 delegates from 206 organisations representing 33 countries to the four day event.  PATA CEO Mario Hardy stressed on the issue of climate change and stated, “We understand that the Pacific Islands are at a critical junction in its future development economically, socially and environmentally, especially with the growing effects of climate change. We hope that bringing together high level speakers, we can highlight these issues as well as analyse and share ideas on how to create a more sustainable and responsible travel and tourism industry,” he added. The four day event witnessed several high-level industry leaders give talks on various tourism-related topics like ‘Driving Solo or Following the Pack’, ‘Mastering the Skill of Future Trend Forecast’; ‘Defy the Norms to Create ‘Same Same But Different’; ‘The New Edge – Foreseeing New Travel Patterns’ &‘Reversing the Brain Drain by Mixing the Borders’, while delegates gained additional insights about the latest travel and tourism industry trends during PATA Marketplace. Other highlights of the four-day event included the PATA Awards Presentation, the election of the new PATA Executive Board and the presentation of the Silver-level Sustainability Certification by EarthCheck.