Organized by PATA in partnership with Global Business Travel Association, the occasion examined themes spanning company, leisure, and MICE.
The PATA & GBTA APAC Travel Summit 2022, below the theme ‘Getting Back to Business Travel, Tourism, and MICE’, opened in Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday, December 8 with 222 delegates from 85 organizations and 15 locations attending the two-day occasion.
Organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in partnership with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the two-day occasion examined key themes spanning company, leisure, and MICE; and recognized rising alternatives and developments within the ever-changing, dynamic restoration of the Asia-Pacific area.
The occasion, comprising 4 fundamental stage classes, six academic breakouts, and 4 tradeshow classes, as effectively quite a few community alternatives, featured a various line-up of trade leaders and consultants and coated such matters as: “Rising Opportunities in Business Travel, Tourism and MICE”, “Duty of Care”, “Recovery with Sustainability”, and “The Future of Travel”.
“The inaugural PATA & GBTA APAC Travel Summit 2022 highlights the Association’s commitment towards identifying emerging trends and sustainable recovery opportunities for the Asia Pacific region,” stated PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera. “The travel landscape here in Asia is very dynamic currently. Valuable insights from various experts including diplomat/geopolitical advisor Prof. Kishore Mahbubani and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister Rizki Handayani helped shed light on the silver linings emerging during this tumultuous recovery period. The future of travel is here in Asia-Pacific, and it will once again be the global growth engine for the sector.”
“It was wonderful for GBTA to be back in Asia-Pacific, in partnership with PATA, and to engage with so many local buyers and suppliers in person from 15 destinations across the region. The content shared with delegates uncovered many of the emerging opportunities for our industry to create a more sustainable way forward in the future of travel and facilitated strategic discussions to help guide the region through the recovery. We look forward to continuing our relationship with PATA and collaborating further as we launch our next conference together in Singapore in September 2023,” stated Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA.
The occasion was formally opened by PATA Vice Chair and Chairman of Forte Hotel Group Ben Liao adopted by shows from PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera, and GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang, who then sat down with Travalyst Chairman Darrell Wade for an intimate fireplace chat. The morning classes closed with shows from Xpdite Capital Partners CEO Bart Bellers, Senior Vice President, Sales, Asia Pacific at BCD Travel Ben Wedlock, and President of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya. While two interactive breakout classes on Travel Management Trends and The Future of Online Booking Tools adopted the primary stage classes.
Setting tone for that afternoon’s fundamental stage session Diplomat and Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS), Prof. Kishore Mahbubani supplied a complete view of the area’s geopolitical panorama. Siew Kim Beh, CFSO, Lodging, CapitaLand Investment and MD, The Ascott Limited and Eric Ricaurte, CEO, Greenview dived into the topic of sustainability, and joined a panel dialogue on Recovery with Sustainability with Sanghamitra Bose, Vice President & General Manager- Singapore, HKSAR, Thailand, AmexGBT, moderated by Andrea Giuricin, CEO, TRA consulting SL. The day’s session closed with a presentation by Jeffrey Goh, CEO, Star Alliance on “Trends and Insights into Aviation”.
The second day of the convention began off with Duty of Care fundamental stage session, offered by Lee Whiteing, Commercial Director, Global Secure Accreditation, and Dylan Wilkinson, General Manager International & Global Partnerships, nib Travel, and a panel dialogue that includes Richard Hancock, APAC Director, Crisis24; Bertrand Saillet, Managing Director, Asia, FCM Travel, and Mr. Whiteing, moderated by Ms. Ortiguera.
The morning concluded with breakout classes on a broader scope of obligation of care, wanting into the staffing hole points and pitfalls of sustainable journey respectively. Focusing on understanding the trade’s panorama and some alternatives for the long run, the final session of the convention featured two key notes, a panel and a couple of breakout classes convening on 2023 Travel Forecasts and Building a Sustainable Travel Program.
Starting off the primary stage session, Ms. Ortiguera supplied an summary on the rise of blended journey and its implications to the trade. Following the theme, Deputy Minister of Tourism Product and Event, Ministry of Tourism Indonesia, Rizki Handayani shared how Indonesia is capturing this chance and past.
The ultimate panel that includes WorldHotels CCO Melissa Gan, Sabre SEA Senior Director Sandeep Shastri, and STR SEA Business Development Manager Fenady Uriarte, moderated by ACI HR Solutions CEO Andrew Chan supplied forecast insights on journey, hospitality, and aviation to allow companies in making smarter and extra knowledgeable selections.
During the closing of the occasion, Ms Neufang and Ms Ortiguera supplied a wrap up of the two-day occasion and introduced the plans for the subsequent PATA & GBTA APAC Travel Summit in Singapore in September 2023.