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The event provided the perfect opportunity for delegates to build their businesses, to network and to gain valuable insights about the fast-expanding adventure travel sector.
BANGKOK – The PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart 2017 (ATCM 2017) in conjunction with the Luoyang Adventure Tourism and Equipment Expoended on Monday, April 4, 2017 in Luoyang, Henan province, China with over 500 delegates from 36 countries in attendance for the three-day niche event.
The event, which brought together pioneers, thought leaders and change-drivers that are shaping the emerging landscape of the adventure travel industry, was organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in conjunction with the Henan Provincial Tourism Administration and Luoyang Municipal People’s Government and was executed by the Luoyang Municipal Tourism Committee and Beijing Sunny International Communications Ltd.
PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy said, “The event provided the perfect opportunity for delegates to build their businesses, to network and to gain valuable insights about the fast-expanding adventure travel sector. The one-day Mart was conducted in a vibrant and positive atmosphere with very encouraging results. Our one-day conference was informative, educational and enlightening and I was delighted that we were able to attract so many knowledgeable guest speakers to address the delegates.”
ATCM 2017 began with the one-day B2B mart on Sunday April 2 with 79 seller organisations representing 14 countries (Bhutan, China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Korea (ROK), Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand). Using PATA’s effective business matching software these Sellers together conducted over 3,000 pre-matched face-to-face appointments with Buyers from 61 buyer organisations in 15 countries (Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States).
On Monday April 3, delegates heard from a diverse line-up of international speakers at the one-day conference under the theme ‘Create, Connect, Conserve’. The 22 speakers from nine countries explored the nuances, trends and dynamics of the adventure travel industry under various conference topics that covered ‘One Belt, One Road – the Ultimate Connector’, ‘Connecting destinations to information: the Adventure Travel Development Index’, ‘Create, Connect, Conserve: The case study of Luoyang’, ‘Creating new boundaries of adventure tourism experiences’, and ‘Equipping a destination’.
The speakers represented such authoritative bodies as the Academy of Longmen Grottoes of Luoyang; the Center for Tourism Research of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; the China Association for The Promotion of Development Financing, China Great Wall Protection; China National Tourism Administration; Decathlon; Evergreen Escapes; Go-Myanmar.com, SAVE Travel Alliance; Secret Compass; Solimar International; Towson University; UNESCO; UpThink; World Tourism Cities Federation, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Dr. Mario Hardy concluded, “The delegates departed China with a much greater appreciation about the city of Luoyang and the many tourism treasures, including the Longmen Grottoes and Shaolin Temple, located in Henan province. This cradle of Chinese civilisation is now firmly on the map as an exciting destination for adventure travel enthusiasts.”
Photo caption (left to right): Dale Lawrence, Chief of Staff – PATA; Tim Neville, Correspondent – Outside magazine and New York Times contributor, USA; Yan Han Deputy Secretary General – World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), China; Peter Debrine, Senior Project Officer, Sustainable Tourism – UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO Headquarters, France; Jake Haupert Co-Founder – The Transformational Travel Collaborative and Founder – Evergreen Escapes / EG-X, USA; Marcus Allender, Business Development Director – Pegu Travels and Founder – Go-Myanmar.com, Myanmar; Natasha Martin, Tourism Consultant – Solimar International; Dr. Kristin Lamoureux, Executive Director – SAVE Travel Alliance and Sustainable Tourism Consultant, USA; Tom McShane, Operations Director – Secret Compass, UK; Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO – PATA; Andrew Jones, Chairman – PATA; Michel Julian, Technical Coordinator, Tourism Market Trends – World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Dr. Philippe Duverger, Associate Professor – Towson University, USA; and Matt Gibson CEO- UpThink
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
