PATA Annual Summit (PAS) will take place in Cebu from May 9-12, 2019.
Hosted by the Philippine Department of Tourism, the four-day event will be held at Radisson Blu Cebu. The PAS programme will also comprise a one-day conference under the theme, Progress with a Purpose, which will highlight the fundamental challenges, issues and opportunities within the travel and tourism industry and how together actionable change for the better can be brought about.
Keynote speaker Andrew Staples, global editorial director at The Economist, will be presenting on the ‘State of the World Economy’. This will be followed by John Koldowski, special advisor to PATA CEO, who will give insights on the ‘Current and Future State of Travel and Tourism in the Asia-Pacific’. These presentations will be followed by a BBC moderated panel discussion, titled ‘Navigating the Numbers’.
Other topics to be discussed during PAS 2019 include ‘Destination Management in Times of Uncertainty’, ‘Mainstreaming Sustainable Tourism’, ‘The Power of Data and Insights for Responsible Development’, ‘Accessible Tourism for All’ and ‘The Future of Sustainable Destination Branding’.
Confirmed speakers in the line-up include Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; Robin Yap, chairman emeritus, The Travel Corporation; Martin Heng, accessible travel manager & editorial advisor of Lonely Planet; and Maja Pak, director general of Slovenian Tourist Board.
Alongside the conference, students and young tourism professionals will also be able to engage with industry leaders at the PATA Youth Symposium. A half-day UNWTO/PATA Leaders Debate is also part of the summit programme, providing an opportunity for tourism leaders in the private sector to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities facing the travel and tourism industry today.
