As environmental disruptions and climate-related events increasingly impact travel, PATA has devised a multifaceted response to address these challenges.

PATA chiefs said the association’s response would involve strategic advocacy, bespoke consultancies, and capacity building – all aimed at fostering a more resilient and sustainable tourism sector.

“Our members across the region are actively pursuing sustainability and responsible tourism,” said PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid. “A lot of organisations, especially in the tourism sector, are looking at it in a serious way. Many hotels are getting themselves certified, for example. More importantly, certification is spreading through the whole supply chain.”

One significant hurdle in tackling climate change within the tourism industry is the uneven impact across different geographical regions. Some destinations are bearing the brunt of climate change more visibly and urgently than others.

PATA chair Peter Semone noted: “The industry is still struggling a little to come to grips with climate change. Evidence must first be seen before there is motivation to think about mitigation and adaptation. However, some areas of the world are still lagging behind others in feeling the effects of climate change.”

Semone cited his experience in Timor-Leste, where he worked for five years, observing first-hand the devastating effects of climate change. “Hotels were washed into the ocean and people lost millions of dollars in the process,” he shared.

“In small island developing states like Timor-Leste, and even in Bali and many other coastal areas, the evidence is there. In other places, the evidence is a little more subtle, which is why the travel industry is waking up to the issue at different paces across the world.”

PATA’s approach to combating climate change involves not only working with national governments, but also engaging with provincial, municipal, and local level stakeholders.

Semone said: “In the past, our relationship with the government was national. We always felt (climate change) was a national governance issue, but what we’re recognising now is that so much has been decentralised across Asia-Pacific that we must work more at the (local) levels.”

This shift in focus allows PATA to tap into local hierarchies and involve communities more deeply in the sustainability conversation.

“Civil society is the first to recognise the problem because they’re experiencing it first-hand,” commented Semone. “Then, it can flow up to the government. I think this is the insertion point for an organisation like PATA.”

Another critical aspect of PATA’s strategy is to collaborate with development partners to support public sector efforts in delivering better public services and responding to climate change challenges.

“Governments are often supported by development partners from Europe and the US, or institutions like the Asian Development Bank,” informed Semone.

An essential, yet often overlooked, driver of sustainable tourism is the role of customer demand.

While PATA and other industry bodies can set the framework and provide guidance, it is ultimately travellers themselves who must push the industry towards more sustainable practices. Semone emphasised that customers need to take the reins and use their power of expression to drive changes in the industry.

“We’ve got to have this turning point where the customer says: tourism needs to do better and respond to climate change challenges,’” stressed Semone.

While the public sector has the resources to lead, he believes that consumer demand is the catalyst that will drive real change.

“If the market starts to shift towards sustainability because that’s what travellers want, then the entire industry will follow. It’s not just about top-down regulation; it’s about bottom-up demand. We need consumers to be part of this journey,” he concluded.