The event encompassed various activities over the four-day programme
Nepal hosted the Annual Summit and Adventure Mart 2023 of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in Pokhara recently, under the theme Sustainability through Tourism.
According to a press statement by the organisers, the show hosted 222 delegates from 115 organisations and 22 destinations attended the four-day event.
Organised by PATA and hosted by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) with support from event patron, the Pokhara Municipality, and local partner, the Pokhara Tourism Council, the event encompassed various activities over the four-day programme.
These included one-day PATA internal meetings for PATA members only, a conference and adventure travel mart taking place across two days, the PATA Youth Symposium, and one-day destination experience as well as various networking sessions throughout the event, says the statement.
Peter Semone
“PATA has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with both the Nepal Tourism Board and local industry stakeholders, continuously inspired by their enthusiasm and dedication to the sustainable growth of tourism in the country. That is why the association was honoured to be able to bring the PATA Annual Summit and Adventure Mart 2023 to Pokhara. By bringing together a diverse group of international thought leaders, industry shapers and senior decision-makers from both the public and private sectors, our aim was to engage in discussions addressing the challenges and forging solutions for a responsible recovery of the travel and tourism industry, not only in Nepal but also in destinations worldwide. In this manner, PATA remains steadfast in our commitment to facilitating these discussions and working towards our shared objectives,” says PATA Chair Peter Semone.
The statement adds that the PATA Executive Board & Board Meeting took place on May 30, along with the PATA Chapter Congress which discussed matters of the association and chapters respectively. The simultaneously-held Government Bilateral Meetings and PATA Government Meeting focused on Human Capital Development across the region and beyond, ending with the inauguration ceremony and PATA awards presentation, presided over by the Chief Minister of Gandaki Province Surendra Raj Pandey.
The next day was followed by a conference and keynote presentation from Andrew Staples, Regional Head, (APAC), Policy & Insights, Economist Impact. He provided a succinct and engaging overview of global events, movements and trends – both economic, political, and cultural, and what it implies for tourism and its growth in the next two years. Following this were a number of presentations on Insights into the Future of Tourism in the Asia Pacific by Herbert Yum, Research Manager, Euromonitor International, Mayur (Mac) Patel, Head of Asia, OAG, and Sridhar Keppurengan, Head of Cross Border Payments India & South Asia, VISA. Dr. Anyu Liu, Assistant Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The organisers add that Carmen Roberts, The Travel Show presenter from BBC News, moderated a panel session on The Challenges and Opportunities for a Responsible Tourism Industry with Dhananjay Regmi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Abdulla Mausoom, Minister, Ministry of Tourism Maldives, Raki Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), and Florian Sengstschmid, CEO, Azerbaijan Tourism Board.
How to Drive Higher Value Tourism with Rosabella Ong, Principal Client Partner (SEA), Tripadvisor; Lisa Choegyal, Sustainable Tourism Specialist and Director, Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, and Upaul Majumdar, Head of Practice – Tourism, Dolma Consulting, moderated by Semone were some other events into the day.
This followed by presentations on The Return of the Chinese Traveller by Prof. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, CEO, China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), The Opportunity of the Indian Market by SanJeet, Director, DDP Publications, How can artificial intelligence (AI) drive tourism business by Matt Gibson, CEO, UpThink, Thailand and Sustainable Tourism Interventions in Nepal by Raj Gyawali, Tourism Strategy and Promotion Expert, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Binita S Khadka, Senior External Relations Officer, Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Besides the sessions, there were also many one-on-one meetings at the mart, as well as the PATA Youth Symposium. The final day of the event allowed delegates the opportunity to explore the beauty of Pokhara and included visits to Phewa Lake, Davis Falls, Gupeshwor Cave, the Peace Stupa and Shiva Temple.
