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PATA Annual Summit 2017 welcomes delegates to Sri Lanka

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has presented a series of awards in recognition of contributions made to the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.

BANGKOK – The PATA Annual Summit 2017 (PAS 2017), under the theme ‘Disruption. Innovation. Transformation: The Future of Tourism‘, opened in Negombo, Sri Lanka on May 18 with 406 delegates from 191 organisations representing 39 countries attending the four-day event.

The programme for PAS 2017, generously hosted by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau along with the Ministry of Tourism and Christian Religious Affairs of the government of Sri Lanka, included the Association’s executive and advisory board meetings, annual general meeting (AGM), PATA Youth Symposium, PATA Insights Lounge (formerly the PATA Marketplace), the UNWTO/PATA Ministerial Debate and a one-day conference that addressed the issues, challenges and opportunities arising from the constantly evolving landscape of the travel and tourism industry.

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy told local and international media, “The PATA Annual Summit brings together international thought leaders, industry shapers and senior decision-makers who are professionally engaged with the Asia Pacific region. At PATA we understand that, to overcome the challenges and issues facing our industry, the public and private sectors must work together.

“Providing a catalyst for closer cooperation is one of PATA’s key roles. Through such partnerships between private and public sector members we stand on much firmer ground when seeking to enhance the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism to, from and within the region,” he added.

The summit began with 130 students, alumni, lecturers and industry professionals from Sri Lanka and overseas participating at the PATA Youth Symposium 2017 with the theme ‘No Barriers: Millennials and the Future of Tourism‘. The symposium was hosted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (SLITHM).

Opening remarks at the one day conference on Friday, May 19 were given by the Hon. John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism, Lands and Christian Religious Affairs, Sri Lanka, and by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai. The conference keynote address on ‘Managing disruption through innovation’ was given by Rafat Ali, CEO & founder of Skift.

Delegates also heard from international thought leaders and industry shapers including Aleandre Kwan, Philanthropies Asia Programme Manager – Microsoft; Andrew Chan, founder and CEO of ACI HR Solutions; Andrew Craig, Head of Corporate Communication India, South Asia and Southeast Asia – Visa Worldwide; Faeez Fadhlillah, CEO and Co-founder – Tripfez; Greg Klassen, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting Inc.; Ha Lam, Co-founder and COO – Triip.me; Jesse Desjardins, Global Manager, Social & Content – Tourism Australia; Joe M. Naaman, Senior Executive Advisor – Global Advisory Council, Skylight Intelligence; Joe Nguyen, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific – comScore; Jeremy Jauncey, founder & CEO – Beautiful Destinations; Muna Haddad, Managing Director – Baraka; Oliver Martin, Partner at Twenty31 Consulting Inc.; Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC – TripAdvisor; Thao Nguyen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, APAC – Airbnb; Vijay Poonoosamy, Vice President, International Affairs, Office of the President & CEO, Etihad Airways, and Wong Soon-Hwa, Regional Director APAC – Blacklane.

Other topics discussed during the conference were: ”The Transformation of Marketing‘, ‘Research Innovation‘, ‘Disrupting the Travel Industry‘, ‘The Real Future of Tourism: Young Tourism Professionals‘, and ‘Embracing Disruption: A Blueprint for the Future of Tourism‘.

PATA, in partnership with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), held a half-day PATA/UNWTO Ministerial Debate on Saturday, May 20 when representatives from the public and private sectors discussed the concepts of recognised sustainability leadership and the sharing economy as they pertain to the travel and tourism industry. The debate was moderated by BBC News Correspondent & Presenter Yogita Limaye. Panellists included Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General – Tourism Malaysia; Mr. Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO – Nepal Tourism Board; Mr. Wander Meijer, Director Asia Pacific – GlobeScan; Mr. Hiran Cooray, Chairman – Jetwing Hotels; Mr Jon Nathan Pangilinan Denight, President and CEO – Guam Visitors Bureau; Mr. Lawrence Leong, Former Assistant Chief Executive (International Group) – Singapore Tourism Board; Ms. Thao Nguyen, Head of Strategic Partnerships, APAC – Airbnb, and Mr. Erick Stephens, Chief Technology Officer-APAC, Microsoft. Before the session on ‘The Shift to Recognised Sustainability Leadership in the Travel and Tourism Industry’, Dr. Rifai provided an inspiring speech regarding the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, while Mr Ali presented on the personalisation of the sharing economy before the session on ‘The Sharing Economy and Travel and Tourism’.

In his speech Dr. Rifai noted, “Asia and the Pacific, which leads the world in international tourism growth, can and should, be a leader in sustainability and innovation; a leader in utilizing the transformative power of travel and tourism in building a new and better world. A world which is today without any doubt steered by the Pacific.That is why PATA, bringing together the two margins of the Pacific is today a truly global and not only a regional organization.

Delegates gained additional insights about the latest travel and tourism industry trends during the PATA Insights Lounge powered by PechaKucha (formerly the PATA Marketplace) with presentations from Richard Lewis, Partnerships Director Travel and Tourism – What3Words; Mr. Jauncey; Vinoop Goel, Regional Director – Airport, Passenger, Cargo & Security Asia Pacific, IATA; John Schubert, Managing Director – Marketing Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Mr. Stephens; Mr. Nguyen, and Jameson Wong, Director, Business Development, ForwardKeys. After the presentations, Mr Ali moderated a quick session with all the speakers, highlighting some of the challenges and opportunities for the travel and tourism industry in the current state of the world.

Other highlights of the four-day event included the PATA Awards Presentation, the election of the new PATA Executive Board, the signing ceremony with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) for PATA Annual Summit 2018, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Mei Shan Municipality Tourism to strengthen the strategic cooperation between both organisations.

Delegates were also shown a video produced in partnership with GLP Films that highlighted PATA’s advocacy themes.

SriLankan Airlines was the PAS 2016 Official Airline. The events took place at the Jetwing Blue Hotel.

The PATA Annual Summit 2018 will take place in Gangneung, the Republic of Korea.

PATA honours industry shapers at PATA Annual Summit 2017
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has presented a series of awards in recognition of contributions made to the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.


Andrew Jones, Chairman – PATA; Sutheash Balasubramaniam, Managing Director – Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau; Dr. Chris Bottrill, Dean of the Faculty of Global and Community Studies, Capilano University; Mr Faeez Fadhlillah, CEO and Co-founder – Tripfez; Ms Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC – TripAdvisor; Mr Peter Semone, Senior Advisor – Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH); Dato’ Haji Azizan bin Noordin, CEO – Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), and Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO – PATA

The following awards were presented during the PATA Annual Summit 2017 in Negombo, Sri Lanka: PATA Life Member, PATA Award of Merit, PATA Chairman’s Award, PATA Face of the Future Award, a PATA Certificate of Appreciation, and the PATA Honorary Membership Award.

“PATA understands that the success of any destination is dependent upon it people. Therefore it is only appropriate that we take the time to recognise some of the individuals that have contributed to our industry,” said PATA CEO Mario Hardy. “I would like to congratulate all the winners for their valuable contributions and also thank them for their continued support to both PATA and the travel and tourism industry.”

PATA Life Membership was awarded to Dato’ Haji Azizan bin Noordin. This is the Association’s highest individual honour and recognises significant leadership and invaluable dedication to PATA.

Dato Azizan Noordin is the Chief Executive Officer of Langkawi Development Authority (LADA). He is the former Deputy Director-General (Promotion) of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia), responsible for overseeing the operations of the organisation and the promotional efforts all 44 Tourism Malaysia overseas offices. He led Tourism Malaysia sales missions overseas and has been a key speaker at many international tourism seminars and conferences.

The PATA Awards of Merit are reserved for individuals who have consistently contributed to PATA and the PATA Chapter network over an extended period. This award was presented to Mr Peter Semone, managing partner of the strategic advisory organization, Destination Human Capital, and founder of the internationally acclaimed Lanith – Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality vocational school in Lao PDR.

Mr Semone has also acted as Chief Technical Adviser and Team Leader for European donor and Asian Development Bank projects. He also consults for United Nations agencies including the World Tourism Organzation (UNWTO) and the International Labour Organisation.

The PATA Chairman’s Award was presented by outgoing Chairman Andrew Jones to Ms Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC – TripAdvisor.

Born and raised in Hong Kong SAR and fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, Sarah has spent most of her life living in Hong Kong SAR, Beijing and Australia giving her a deep understanding of the region. Her career started with Cesar Ritz Colleges and then eventually joined the London team for the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Visit Flanders where she held positions in MICE and international marketing. Her role with both organisations meant regular contact with industry partners and working together to drive awareness of each of the destinations.

The PATA Face of the Future award for 2017 was presented to Mr Faeez Fadhlillah. This award is presented annually to an exceptional ‘rising star’ in the industry, having exhibited initiative and leadership in the advancement of tourism as well as demonstrating a commitment to the sustainable development of the Asia Pacific travel industry in line with PATA’s mission. It is the most prestigious honour for young tourism professional in Asia Pacific.

Mr. Fadhlillah is the CEO and Co-founder of Tripfez, an innovative, state of the art travel portal dedicated to the rise of global Muslim travellers. Named as one of Forty Individuals Who Shaped Southeast Asian E-Commerce by EcommerceIQ, he was named 30 under 30 by Forbes magazine in 2016, 40 Under 40 by Prestige, Top 10 Young Entrepreneur Rising by Top 10, People to Watch 2016 by TTG as well as the Most Innovative Young Leaders Award 2016 by UCSI. Heading the brand of Tripfez and Salam Standard, Faeez advocates the concept of localising the travel experience through information enabling travellers to make an informed decision.

The PATA Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to Dr. Chris Bottrill for his work in leading governance revisions to align strategic efforts of the organization in order to engage a broader base of membership.

Dr. Bottrill is the Dean of the Faculty of Global and Community Studies at Capilano University in North Vancouver, Canada. He holds a PhD in tourism network and destination development. Chris oversees programming and development in tourism and hospitality fields in a complex portfolio that includes five academic schools, international projects, and aboriginal education programming. He has taught a wide array of tourism topics including destination development, sustainability, marketing, and entrepreneurship at universities in Canada, New Zealand, the USA, and Austria.

The Honorary Membership Award is given to the official host to recognise their valued contributions as well as to encourage their continued interest in PATA. This year, the Honorary Membership Award was presented to Mr Sutheash Balasubramaniam, Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the host of PATA Annual Summit 2017.

Photo caption (L/R): Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General – UNWTO; Hon. John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism, Lands and Christian Religious Affairs, Sri Lanka; Andrew Jones, Chairman – PATA; Hon. Arjuna Ranathunga, Minister of Ports and Shipping, Sri Lanka; Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO – PATA, and Paddy Withana, Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board. Back Row: Hiran Cooray, Chairman – Jetwing Hotels, Sri Lanka

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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.

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