The Pacific Asia Travel Association Human Capital Development Committee will organise a PATA Youth Symposium on the morning of Wednesday May 18, at the University of Guam, Guam, USA. Under the theme ‘Weaving Our Islands’ Tourism Future Together: Protecting culture, enhancing quality of life and generating an environmentally friendly island experience’, the Symposium will commence prior to the PATA Annual Summit 2016 and aims to attract hundreds of young professionals and students from overseas and around the Pacific Islands. The event is being generously hosted by the University of Guam with the support of the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB).
Mr Mario Hardy, PATA CEO said, “The PATA Youth Symposium provides a unique opportunity for students and young professionals to engage and interact with experienced industry professionals on a topic that is extremely relevant today and which will have an enormous impact on the future of tourism. At PATA we are committed to supporting the development of today’s students and young professionals and I would like to express the Association’s sincerest appreciation to the University of Guam and GVB for their support.”
The programme was developed with guidance from Dr Chris Bottrill, Chairman of the PATA Human Capital Development (HCD) Committee and Dean, Faculty of Global and Community Studies, Capilano University. Dr Bottrill noted that ‘climate change is a threat to global well-being but some parts of our planet are feeling the effects more abruptly and with greater intensity than others’
“Pacific Island nations are some of the most significantly affected and we are therefore pleased to be able to address this issue in relation to tourism management through this Youth Symposium at the University of Guam. We recognise the responsibility of the tourism industry to lead responsibly and we look forward to sharing our expertise and learning from each other at the symposium. We anticipate the outcome will be heightened awareness of challenges and robust dialogue about how to protect culture, enhance quality of life, and improve environmental well-being for Guam and other island nations in tourism of the future,” he added.
“We are very fortunate to have leaders from around the region share their international expertise with our young adults during the PATA Annual Summit and Youth Symposium,” said GVB Director of Global Marketing Pilar Laguaña. “The symposium is a great way to have experts and our future tourism leaders engage in topics important to our industry. We look forward to celebrating PATA’s 65th Anniversary on Guam.”
Dr Annette Taijeron Santos, Dean, School of Business and Public Administration, University of Guam, said, “We are excited to be a partner to the 2016 PATA Youth Symposium. Enthusiastically, members of the Tourism Awareness Group, a student organisation within the School of Business and Public Administration invested many hours of planning and coordination to ensure this is a relevant and memorable event.
“The symposium topic speaks to the importance of working together to address issues that are threatening the natural environments of our island nations and territories. Our youth must know, that the islands they will inherit are extremely vulnerable to the consequences that could result from the anticipated climate changes. Collectively, their voices provide a powerful platform to discuss these issues, prioritize their concerns and identify solutions toward achieving sustainable futures for all our islands.”
