This year’s PATA Youth Symposium, with the theme The Future of Travel, will take place alongside the Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020 as a four-part series from September 22-25.
The event is organised by the PATA in collaboration with Leshan Normal University, and supported by the Guam Visitors Bureau, iFree Group, MAP2 Ventures, Myriad International Marketing, and Talent Basket.
“This year’s PATA Youth Symposium has been tailored to provide the next generation of young tourism professionals with industry insights, mentorship opportunities and peer-to-peer inspiration. Furthermore, we have organised a much-requested panel of HR experts from well-loved brands to give youth advice on how to find their next job, particularly during this current environment,” said PATA youth ambassador Aletheia Tan, who is also the organiser of the event.
PATA CEO Mario Hardy added: “The PATA Youth Symposium is the perfect opportunity for young tourism professionals to learn from today’s leaders but also, more importantly, for leaders and industry stakeholders to hear from the future of the industry – the youths themselves. Hence, the Youth Symposium is designed to initiate constructive conversation and facilitate cross-cultural collaboration in order to create a more responsible, inclusive and sustainable travel and tourism.”
The first part of the Youth Symposium, The Future of Tourism, opens with a keynote speech by Hafizuddin Haslir, regional business development manager, Euromonitor International on September 22 from 12:00-13:00 (GMT +8). Haslir will be presenting on Travel 2040: Sustainability and Digital Transformation as Recovery Drivers, and explore how the industry must grapple with the fact that travel as we know it is over. He will also provide insights into the latest outlook for global tourism demand and its impact on travel, future travel trends, and new sustainable technologies that will disrupt and transform the industry. This session is open to the public and interested parties can register here.
The second and third parts of the PATA Youth Symposium, Mentorship Session and Student Chapter Roundtable Discussions, are by private invitation only. The Mentorship Session has confirmed a total of 19 mentors from various sectors of the industry with representatives from Myriad International Marketing, Guam Visitors Bureau, Khiri Reach, TTG Asia, Catalonia Tourism Board and the IATA.
The Student Chapter Roundtable Discussions provide an opportunity for PATA Youth to present their passion projects from academic years 2019-2020. During this session, peer-to-peer learning and inspiration is at its highest with youths from around the world representing their colleagues, universities and destinations on an international stage.
During the fourth and final part of the Youth Symposium, happening on September 25 from 12:00-13:00 (GMT +8), HR experts Orapin Musiknavabutr from Minor Hotel Group; Pinky Tan from Visa Worldwide, and Savitri Meyer from Agoda, will sit down for a panel discussion on Getting a Job in a Post-Covid-19 World.
The session will look at the challenges and opportunities that youths face, as well as how tourism jobs will adapt in the future, what skills are predicted to be in high demand, and what resilience looks like. The session is open to the public and interested parties can register here.
