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Up to 100 tourism and air service experts from all corners of the world gathered in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre earlier today to attend TAASS – The inaugural Tourism and Air Service Development Summit – a topical summit focusing on the three-way relationship between national tourism organisations, airlines and airports and their involvement in air service development.
Launched by Routes in collaboration with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and sponsored by Tourism Malaysia, TAASS is the first ever conference dedicated specifically to the vital link between air services and tourist development, offering the ideal platform to address the most pressing issues in these volatile times, when many tourism authorities tend to leave relations with airlines to their local airport. The successful summit was characterized by presentations and intense discussions evolving around topics such as ‘Tourism destinations created by air services’, ‘Destinations at greater risk from high oil prices’ and ‘What airlines want to know from tourism authorities’, to name but a few.
“The inaugural Annual Tourism and Air Service Development Summit could not have come at a better time, as we look to an uncertain future in our industry,” said Janice Antonson, Chairman, PATA Board of Directors. “Bringing together the leaders of aviation and tourism at this critical time gives us the opportunity to share ideas and together form solutions to the issues we all face.”
Introduced by Antonson and Peter Semone, Vice President of Tourism Development at RDG, speakers included: Jon Woolf, Principal Consultant, Airport Strategy & Marketing; Mohamed Sallauddin Mat Sah, General Manager Marketing, Malaysia Airports; Anita Mehra Houmayoun, Vice President Marketing and Corporate Communications, Dubai Airports; Professor Callum Thomas, Centre for Aviation and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University; John Grant, Managing Director, Airport Strategy & Marketing and Shaun Monnery, Director of Astraeus.
“The subjects for discussion are very timely for all concerned,” said John grant. “Issues such as the impact of fuel prices will obviously be high on everyone’s agenda, but I was particularly interested in some of the other issues such as stakeholder support in the development of sustainable, environmentally sound tourism.”
“Naturally the other compelling thing about TAASS is that it attracts a range of quality delegates, many of whom are leaders in the industry. Their thoughts and opinions at this time on these issues were very interesting,” he added.
The inaugural TAASS event was co-located with Routes – The 14th World Route Development Forum. Not only is Routes the world’s largest gathering of airlines, airports and suppliers, but it is the annual assembly of airline destination planners.
TAASS will be held annually – with the second summit taking place alongside Routes Regional Americas 2009 in Cancun, Mexico on 15-17th February.
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.
