THE SPOTLIGHT will be on PATA’s role as a membership association during the first plenary session of the 60th Anniversary and Conference from April 9 to 12 at the China World Hotel in Beijing.
Taking the anniversary theme Building Tourism: Past. Present. Progressive, Plenary 1 will examine PATA’s impact over the past 60 years, its relevance today and its commitment to the future.
Lead presenter Robert Broadfoot, managing director, Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, will provide an overview of key factors influencing the landscape of the region’s travel and tourism industry.
A panel discussion will follow, with representatives from different sectors including government, carrier, hospitality and industry, as well as the PATA 2011 Face of the Future winner and a PATA Life member. The session will be moderated by TIME magazine’s Liam Fitzpatrick.
Representing the industry sector, Hans Lerch, vice chairman and CEO, Hotelplan Holding AG, said PATA must now be the foremost authority on travel and tourism in Asia-Pacific by, for example, showing a strong reaction to what had happened in Japan. He recalled a period in the mid-1990s, when PATA’s influence was second to none.
The 60th Anniversary and Conference marks the return of the PATA Annual Conference after a five-year hiatus. For more information, visit www.pata60.org
