PATA has called for a paradigm shift among its local community network, nudging chapters in Asia, which have traditionally been inbound-oriented, to put on their outbound cap.
Prompted by the growing importance of visitor outflows from Asia into the rest of the world and dwindling membership, outbound-centric chapters in the Americas and Europe have also been urged to take interest in inbound travel.
The recent two-way tourism session at the PATA Global Chapter Meeting in New Delhi yielded several proposals, including bringing outbound operators from Asia into contact with US- and UK-based outbound players through networking events.
PATA Thailand chapter chairman Bert van Walbeek explained that he had spent one-and-a-half years trying to recruit Thai members interested in outbound travel, but gotten only one taker.
“We don’t have that kind of image and we are not being looked at (for outbound tourism from Asia),” he said.
Van Walbeek suggested using the Thailand chapter as a test case to kickstart a collaboration with the New York chapter, for example, in order to demonstrate business benefits to potential outbound members from both sides.
Such an exercise would also help revive PATA’s popularity among the aviation sector, as some airline members had fallen off the radar in recent years due to their outbound focus, he added.
Other points raised were appointing a designated person within the chapter to oversee outbound initiatives and having the PATA HQ conduct focus groups with Asian outbound operators to understand their needs.
A proposal would be submitted to the head office, said van Walbeek.
PATA is on a drive to beef up its chapter network, with 39 chapters already in the bag, including new ones such as Cambodia and Chiang Rai. At the meeting, a proposal for a Himalayan chapter was also presented.
