After restructuring the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) regional offices in early 2011 with the dismantling of the representative office in Europe…
BANGKOK- After restructuring the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) regional offices in early 2011 with the dismantling of the representative office in Europe, the association received enquiries from one of PATA’s Government/Destination category member to provide assistance in researching the potential and practicalities of establishing again a regional office in Europe. The specific outputs of this project are as follows:
- Identify current traveller behaviour and outbound travel trends from the main European source markets.
- Provide detailed insights into the prevailing outbound travel trends in European source markets by sector such as education tourism, business tourism, leisure travel and MICE.
- Identify and quantify the tourism resources the destination would need to provide in order to attract such travellers from Europe.
- Identify organisations in Europe capable of reaching high priority target customers.
- Suggest appropriate marketing strategies/tactics, events & activities andincentive policies that such a proposed representative office shouldorganise and undertake.
- Provide a list of the most influential regional events in Europe that theproposed representative office shall attend to increase exposure andrecognition.
- Identify possible partners to collaborate with in order to establish a functional representative office in Europe.
- Suggest appropriate modes of collaboration and operation with such potential partners (e.g. should it be one agency to cover all source markets or multiple agencies to cover a few markets; a one-year agency contract ora multiple-year contract; role & tasks; appraisal measures etc.).
- Provide a list of potential partners who are qualified to function as the representative office.
It should be noted that while the PATA member is considering London as one possible location for such a representative office, it remains open to other European cities as alternative sites. Candidacies had to be sent to PATA by May 31, 2012. PATA indicates that it will give preference to its members, especially the ones who already have experience in the European markets and a solid understanding of the nuances in dealing with Asia-Europe markets.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
