Bangkok, Thailand, August 22, 2024 / TRAVELINDEX / For the first time, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) will hold a media conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) to share its travel outlook for the region and establish new channels of communication with the world’s leading publications and broadcasting outlets. The event will kick off PATA Travel Mart 2024 (PTM 2024) to be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok between August 27-29.

Now in its 47th edition, PATA Travel Mart is one of Asia Pacific’s longest-standing international travel trade exhibitions. This year marks the 25th anniversary of PATA’s establishment in Thailand, adding to the event’s significance.

In addition to the Travel Mart, the event also includes:

– The PATA Youth Symposium & Career Fair to be held at Dusit Thani College on August 27
– The PATA Knowledge Forum at QSNCC on August 27
– The PATA Gold Awards Lunch and Awards Presentation hosted by Macao Government Tourism Office on August 28

Based in Bangkok, the FCCT is Southeast Asia’s premier club of foreign journalists comprising senior editors and reporters for BBC, CNN, the New York Times, The Economist, Nikkei Asian Review, the Singapore Straits Times, Bernama, Xinhua and many more.

“It is very important for PATA and the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry to reach out to global media, as the industry in the region has still not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. The operating environment, while generally positive, is still marked by pockets of turbulence. PATA is well placed to be a part of the solution, which makes it very critical at this juncture to take our message to a wider audience,” said PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid.

Mr Hamid said the establishment of this important channel of communication has been long overdue.

“I believe global media can play a very positive role in helping us reach decision-makers at the highest levels in both the public and private sectors. Sharing PATA’s rich knowledge-base on regional issues and trends, plus toolkits of policy prescriptions on topics such as sustainability and technological change, will help many of the influential consumer, business and economic media better understand the challenges facing the travel and tourism sector and upgrade the quality of their coverage,” he added.

He noted that in addition to the media conference, PATA has invited the FCCT members to register for PTM 2024 and attend both the opening ceremony and the PATA Gold Awards Lunch and Awards Presentation. They have also been allowed access to the trade show floor to network with the PTM buyers and sellers on condition they do not interrupt the business sessions.

Mr Hamid thanked the PATA Executive Board and Board for supporting this important strategic communications move, especially PATA Chair Peter Semone. A special thanks is also due to the Sanya Tourism Board for agreeing to host the media briefing at the FCCT.

He said the link with the FCCT will also help raise PATA’s profile in the region and give value-added benefits to PATA membership.

“Both the FCCT and PATA are based right here in Bangkok. Therefore it makes sense for us to forge a win-win partnership, using PTM 2024 as a launchpad. We hope to hold many more events at the FCCT in future. PATA members visiting Bangkok are also welcome to hold media events at the FCCT, which PATA will be happy to coordinate.”

He expressed hope that the event will add to the overall success of the PTM 2024.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research, and innovative events to its member organisations, which include government, state and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organisations, and educational institutions, as well as youth members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism of the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 31 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 15 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts, and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has an official office in Beijing. Visit www.PATA.org.