Bangkok:
Leaders of the Complete Visitor Economy will gather for the 2013 PATA
Annual Summit (2013PAS)
in Bangkok April 25-28, 2013. Confirmed speakers include Taleb Rifai,
Secretary General, UNWTO; Gloria Guevara, Former Secretary of
Tourism, Mexico; Lothar Pehl, Senior VP Operations and Global
Initiatives, Starwood Hotels and Resorts; Abid Butt, CEO, Banyan Tree
Hotels and Resorts; and Anita Mendiratta, Managing Director, Cachet
Consulting & Head Consultant of The CNN TASK Group.
The
Summit will address the theme, "Embracing the Complete Visitor
Economy.” There will be four key sessions:
•
Why
the Visitor Economy is key for jobs and societal development
•
Ministerial
views on investing in the Complete Visitor Economy
•
Connecting
the Complete Visitor Economy across functions and cultures
•
Strengthening
weak links in the Visitor Economy
There
will be four interactive sessions:
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Balancing Security and Facilitation
- Human Capital Development
- Medical Tourism Integration into the Complete Visitor Economy
Mr
Martin J Craigs, PATA CEO said:
“Our agenda is to make sure that travel and tourism in its
entirety, that is, the complete visitor economy, gets its fair share
of investment and is included at the highest levels of government
decision and policy making.”
The
high-powered summit will feature some of our industry's most
acclaimed thought leaders. Speakers will share their vision on how
the global travel industry can join together and create recognition
for all aspects of the highly interdependent travel, tourism and
trade sectors.
PATA
believes that the complete visitor economy's benign direct and
indirect impacts need to be acknowledged and given credit. That
political objective unites the Global Travel Coalition, of which PATA
is a founding member.
The
PATA Annual Summit is expected to bring together many leaders from
the hospitality, tour operator, carrier and government sectors, along
with senior media representatives, including networks such as CNN,
the Travel Channel and leading international broadsheet newspapers as
well as top travel trade journalists.
The
summit and the other supporting PATA events of that weekend will take
place at the Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre in Bangkok.
The PATA Youth Forum will take place on April 25 at Thammasat
University, Sri Burapa Auditorium. The forum will build on the recent
PATA student forums held during the PATA Annual Conference at
Taylor's University in Kuala Lumpur in 2011 and Lyceum of the
Philippines University, Manila in 2012.
PATA
Board meetings will take place April 27-28.
Registration
is now open. Fees for the 2013 PATA Annual Summit are US$699 per
person for PATA members, US$899 for Chapter members and US$1,299 for
non-members. Special rates for Young Tourism Professionals and
students will apply.
For
further information, contact events@PATA.org or
visit http://www.pata.org/events/pata-annual-summit-pas-2013.
