PATA has formally endorsed Soon-Hwa Wong, CEO of AsiaChina, as its new chair, replacing Chris Bottrill who had held the position since May 2018.
Bottrill remains a member of the Executive Board as Immediate past chair.
In a press statement, Wong said: “It is indeed an honour to be given the privilege to serve PATA members, especially in a time like this.”
As the association approaches its 70th anniversary in 2021, Wong said efforts are ongoing for “a comprehensive organisation redesign that will transform PATA into an association that will lead the tourism industry into the post-Covid future and beyond”.
“Together with our industry partners from both the public and private sector, we will commit to sustainable tourism development to benefit the economic well-being of the community at large,” he added.
Wong has some 40 years of extensive experience in the-Asia Pacific tourism and hospitality industry. After a long and successful corporate career, he founded Asia Tourism to provide advisory and consulting services to commercial and not-for-profit enterprises. He recently set up AsiaChina, primarily focusing on the two-way tourism flow between China and Asia-Pacific.
As part of paying it forward, he is also providing pro-bono services in mentoring start-ups and university students in his alma mater in addition to serving in several social committees.
Wong’s long association with PATA dates back to 1996 and he has served in various capacities over the years. Presently chairman of the PATA Singapore Chapter, he is also the recipient of the PATA Life Member Award in 2018 and PATA Award of Merit in 2008.
During the virtual PATA Board Meeting on October 12, six new members also joined the Executive Board. They are Hai Ho, CEO, Triip, Singapore; Suman Pandey, president, Explore Himalaya Travel and Adventure, Nepal; Andrew Jones, guardian, Sanctuary Resorts, Hong Kong; Fanny Vong, president, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao, China; Oliver Martin, partner, Twenty31 Consulting Inc., Canada; and Peter Semone, founder and president, Destination Human Capital, Timor Leste.
Ho and Pandey were elected as the new vice chairman and Secretary/Treasurer, respectively.
Furthermore, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director, Macao Government Tourism Office and Supawan Teerarat, senior vice president, strategic business development & innovation, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau have been appointed to the Executive Board as non-voting members.
Tourist arrivals to Macau are gradually picking up pace, with the special administrative region welcoming 156,000 visitors over the National Day Golden Week holiday, which took place between October 1-8, following the reopening of its borders to mainland visitors.
Although the figure marked a year-on-year fall of 86 per cent in average daily visitor arrivals, according to provisional statistics from the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), it signalled a post-Covid rebound.
The city recorded 145,000 visitors from the mainland, which was the major source of visitors, constituting 93.1 per cent of total visitor arrivals with an 84 per cent decline in average daily visitor arrivals from last year.
Owing to virus containment measures, Macau registered only 9,614 and 1,231 visitor arrivals from the Hong Kong and Taiwan regions, respectively, as well as 13 visitor arrivals coming from international markets.
Visitor arrivals from the mainland have gradually risen in recent months as the pandemic situation stabilises in Macau and the mainland.
The rebound can also be attributed to MGTO’s active campaign to promote the reinstatement of travel permit issuance for mainland residents to Macau. From the first week after travel permit issuance was resumed up to the Golden Week, the average daily visitor arrivals rose from around 6,000 to nearly 20,000.
Figures provided by industry operators revealed that local hotel establishments (hotels and guest houses) saw an average occupancy rate of 43.6 per cent during the Golden Week, a year-on-year decrease of 50.4 percentage points. To date, the supply of local hotels and guest houses has reached a total of 42,441 rooms.
Industry figures show that the average occupancy rate for five-star hotels was 43.2 per cent, down 52.0 percentage points; for four-star hotels, 45.2 per cent, down 47.4 percentage points; for three-star hotels, 51.9 per cent, down 42.8 percentage points; for two-star hotels, 21.4 per cent, down 61.0 percentage points; and for guest houses, 23.9 per cent, down 51.7 percentage points.
The average room rate of hotel establishments in Macau was 1,290.5 patacas (US$161.9) during the Golden Week, a year-on-year decline of 30.0 per cent. The average room rates for five- and four-star hotels were 1,634 patacas and 605.2 patacas respectively, down 26.9 per cent and 49.4 per cent respectively; for three- and two-star hotels, 821.6 patacas and 285.7 patacas respectively, a decrease of 32.2 per cent and 69.7 per cent; for local guest houses, 240.3 patacas, down 65.7 per cent.