Some 236 delegates had paid to attend the PATA CEO Challenge held at CentralWorld in Bangkok on April 29. The final attendance was 349 delegates, including foreign and local media, and tourism officials.
As the organisers had hoped, the event attracted a cross-section of CEOs from the aviation, hotel and tour operating sectors, as well as those from tourism-related sectors.
One conclusion was that the industry needed to communicate and market its image better, and
in a more integrated manner, as to how it was already addressing climate change and its further
efforts to mitigate the issue.
Peter de Jong, president of PATA, said: “The event has brought together a true crosssection
from the industry. We have been pleased not so much with how many delegates, but the quality of people who attended.
“Many companies have been inspired to look internally and to look at their own practices. This
will become an annual event.”
Advisor for the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Udom Metatmrongsiri, said: “The most important thing is we follow up on what we have talked about here.”
Brunei, Sri Lanka and India have indicated they will create their own version of the event on the back of the PATA CEO Challenge.
De Jong added: “We cannot continue to grow at this rate. We need to find other ways to add value to travel, without harming the environment.”
PATA survives CEO Challenge and asks industry to look at its practices
BANGKOK Despite bad press and a last-minute cancellation by the keynote speaker Dr R K Pachauri, the PATA CEO Challenge ended on a positive note in Thailand last month.
