PATA CEO Mario Hardy has praised the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for its continuing commitment to responsible travel and sustainable tourism. Speaking at a media briefing during the PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart (ATRTCM) 2016 in Chiang Rai, Mario Hardy also thanked Governor Yuthasak Supasorn for TAT’s generous sponsorship and support of the event attended by 278 delegates from 34 destinations.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor said, “TAT recognizes this niche event as an ideal platform to reiterate Thailand’s long-term commitment to promoting responsible tourism, especially to the who’s who of the industry. The event has attracted 278 delegates and top travel executives who promote adventure and sustainable travel options in destinations around the world. They are here to discuss new opportunities for promoting environmental protection and social sustainability and we have taken this chance to highlight how Thailand upholds the principles of responsible tourism that will also create sustainability at all levels of society.”
The PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference on Thursday February 18, with the theme ‘Creating Experiences, Sharing Opportunities’, featured 20 speakers from 10 countries. Topics discussed were: ‘Increasing our Adventure Tourism Competitiveness’; ‘Creating Experiences that Challenge, Delight and Inspire’; ‘Best Practices in Responsible Tourism from the ASEAN Region’; The Inbound Marketing Playbook; ‘The New Adventure Market: Understanding the Indian and Chinese Adventure Traveller’, and ‘Crossroads: Adventure and Responsible Travel off the Beaten Path’. Presentations from the speakers are now available.
The Mart was opened officially on February 19 by Khun Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor – Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Mario Hardy, CEO – Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in the presence of Khun Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor for International Marketing, TAT, Khun Sugree Sithivanich – Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, TAT, Jon Nathan Denight, General Manager – Guam Visitors Bureau, and Andrew Jones, Vice Chairman – PATA (see pic).
Delegates connected with travel bloggers at a new-style ‘Bloggers’ Lounge’. Eleven bloggers, pre-screened by the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PBTA), were present at the event. The influence of the travel bloggers in attendance provided an added dimension to the event with the hashtag ‘ATRTCM2016’ generating nearly one million social media impressions during the three-day event.
The PATA ATRTCM 2016 concluded with a dinner to promote next year’s event in Luoyang, China. Vice Mayor of Luoyang Municipal People’s Government Mr. Wei Xian Feng extended an invitation to all delegates to visit the cradle of Chinese civilisation in 2017. The dinner was hosted by the Luoyang Tourism Development Commission.
ATRTCM 2016, generously hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, attracted 278 delegates from 34 destinations. Delegates for the event included 44 sellers from 28 organisations in 10 destinations and 32 buyers from 32 organisations in 20 source markets.
