The conference, attended by 170 delegates, attracted an impressive roster of international guest speakers from global travel and tourism industry organisations such as Boeing, Visa, TripAdvisor and Amadeus. The event was sponsored by Auckland Airport; Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED); and the SKYCITY Entertainment Group.
BANGKOK – The PATA Global Insights Conference could become an annual fixture in the international events calendar. That is the view of Mario Hardy, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), who described last week’s event in Auckland as a ‘remarkable success for the city and for the nation’s tourism industry’.
The conference, attended by 170 delegates, attracted an impressive roster of international guest speakers from global travel and tourism industry organisations such as Boeing, Visa, TripAdvisor and Amadeus. The event was sponsored by Auckland Airport; Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED); and the SKYCITY Entertainment Group.
“This conference was designed to give impetus to the 2025 tourism development strategy formulated by the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand (TIANZ). After a heart-warming welcoming from Auckland City Mayor Len Brown we heard from an impressive selection of expert thinkers, thought leaders and disrupters addressing a broad range of very important issues that must be faced by the public and private sectors in Auckland and throughout New Zealand,” said Mr Hardy.
“I am encouraged by the many words of congratulation and support received during and after the conference. It is most certainly our intention to stage a similar event in 2016 and we will soon begin the review process with our sponsors and supporters. We were overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome and hospitality in Auckland and we look forward to developing our working relationship and partnership with TIANZ as part of the new Memorandum of Understanding recently signed.”
Mayor Len Brown earlier welcomed delegates and guest speakers to the PATA Global Insights Conference with a renewal of his pledge to make Auckland ‘the world’s most liveable city’ by using world-class urban design to rejuvenate and revitalise and by implementing policies of sustainable economic growth. He acknowledged the importance of tourism to the city’s economy and welcomed the work undertaken by PATA to bring delegates and guest speakers to Auckland.
The importance of long term planning was best illustrated in a compelling presentation made by the former CEO of Tourism Vancouver. Rick Antonson, now a full-time author, captivated delegates with his talk on ‘Cathedral Thinking’ in which he emphasised the importance of creating sustainable tourism industry products and services for the next generation.
The closing address was given by TIANZ Chief Executive Chris Roberts who emphasised the drive for improved connectivity to benefit the dispersal of tourists to a wide range of visitor attractions not only in Auckland but also throughout New Zealand.
Copies of all the presentations made at the PATA Global Insights Conference 2015 are available to download at: https://www.pata.org/portfolio/pgic-2015/.
Photo caption: Mayor of Auckland, Mr Len Brown, officially opening the PATA Global Insights Conference 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand on October 16, 2015.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
