Travel industry leaders will issue a rallying demand politicians and government policy makers world wide to start out “Embracing the total Visitor Economy” on the PATA Annual Summit, which happens Friday April 26 in Bangkok.
Mr Martin J Craigs, PATA CEO said: “If you wish the travel and tourism industry to be respected more, given more budget from Government sources, and taxed less, we have to make the case forcefully. You’re invited to hitch the PATA Annual Summit so as to add your voice to the uprising that’s underway inside the travel industry the world over.”
An impressive list of speakers will add their weight to the total visitor economy agenda. From Associations, Organisations and NGOs, Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the UNWTO and speaker from WTTC might be there; from Government, Gloria Guevara, Former Secretary of Tourism, Mexico; Chen Tiejun, Deputy Director General, Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Commission; from the personal sector, Abid Butt, CEO Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, Ross Jackson, Head of Cross-Border Business, APCEMEA, Visa Inc; Lothar R Pehl, SVP Operations and Global Initiatives, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Asia Pacific; Martin Verdon Roe, Global VP, Display Sales, TripAdvisor; Pansy Ho, Managing Director, Shun Tak Holdings; Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports, UAE; Sorajak Kasemsuvan, President, Thai Airways International; Anita Mendiratta, Managing Director – CACHET Consulting/Lead consultant of the CNN TASK Group, and lots of more, will all contribute their insights. TV anchor Monita Rajpal of CNN will moderate.
Mr Abid Butt, Chief Executive Officer, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts said: “Governments and the general public sector worldwide have recognised the significance of the visitor economy with reforms being introduced to augment this economic component. The significance of all links understanding their role on this economic chain can’t be overstated. The power to draw foreign visitors and their contribution to the local communities makes it a pretty good enabler for all countries. It creates and supports employment in any respect skill levels, helps preserve local heritage and builds a powerful sense of place, providing better understanding across different cultures. The advantages usually are not limited to economic gains but include social advantages, creating better places to live and work. i’m glad to be participating on this dialogue coordinated by PATA to further highlight the real role of the total visitor economy.”
There might be four concurrent interactive sessions on corporate social responsibility, facilitating and balancing security and safety, human capital development, and medical tourism integration to the entire visitor economy.
Speakers include Andrew Jones, Guardian, Sanctuary Resorts; Nicole Häusler M.A., CSR Expert, Myanmar Masterpiece; Bert van Walbeek, Managing Director, The Winning Edge; Peter Semone, Chief Technical Advisor, Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH); Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Dr. Edward P Dramberger, Principal, Destination Dr., International Hospitality Consulting; Prof. Zadok S Lempert, Chief Executive, Panorama-Medica Group; and Olivier Jager, Co-Founder & CEO, FowardKeys, Traveller Data Intelligence.
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